This past year has been amazing! The guys have made their transition, came into their own and excelled by leaps and bounds! It’s truly been an incredible year.
Going back to San Remo and Capolovaro, (which we all know should have won) we are watching a new dimension, a new place in time, a new beginning! The old expression, “the more they change, the more they remain the same,” is not always true! The part that remains the same is phenomenal as usual, but the new Il Volo is a new experience which will bring the guys through the next fifteen years and more!
Let’s look at the last year and some of what the guys had to cherish and at times endure.
Going home again to San Remo was amazing! The difference this time was the guys went to celebrate a milestone in their careers, nonetheless, they were phenomenal, and their song truly deserved to win! Their performance was by far better than anyone else who performed. They were as they always are, a CLASS ACT!
In July they experienced a significant loss. One that was so unexpected. Barbara was taken from them so suddenly and in such a sad way, it wounded their souls but being the men they are and the consummate performers they are, the show went on through tears, sorrows and memories!
The recent marriage of Ignazio and Michelle brought the guys back to happy moments! It was a beautiful intimate wedding (see my story “I’ll Be Loving You Eternally” at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com) that brought together the guys and all the loved ones of Michelle and Ignazio.
These stories I am touching on I will bring back to you when I summarize my year with Il Volo.
So why am I talking about this now? Recently, I was Searching For a Solution. A solution to what? It has become increasingly difficult to write my Il Volo story each week.
Many of you know I have a business, Little Flower Pilgrimages, which is a tour company. In the past year, my business has returned from its low during the pandemic. Part of running my business requires my traveling for that business. I seem to be spending more and more time in Italy which is about 80% of my business. I recently returned from working there for three weeks. It was during that trip that Ignazio got married and because of that I was not able to write my story about his wedding until last week when I returned. This is one of the problems that has come about because of my extremely busy schedule.
Beyond my business, there are my books. As most of you know, during the pandemic, I wrote a book about Padre Pio, “Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio.” (Thank you to all the fans, and there were many of you, who bought my book.) I never expected that it would be a bestseller and that my books would suddenly be in demand. I won two awards for this book including the 2024 International Book Award for Religion. Because of this success, I was asked to write two more books, one which will be out in February, and I am presently working on my fourth book.
Each of these books required a lot of research and the fourth book requires even more research than the last three.
So why am I telling you about this?
Over the last almost five years each of you has stood by my side and followed me. You have been faithful fans! Yes, you are fans of Il Volo, but you are also my fans. Thousands of you read my stories every week and I truly appreciate your readership!
So, my story today is about me and how under the present circumstances I will continue to write for you but, unfortunately, not every week. First off, my column being Through the Fields of My Mind, limits me to what I can talk about. I have told you the stories of every one of the guys since their birth. More than one time! And I will be writing that story again at the end of the European Tour when we have a lot of new fans.
So, this is how I am able to go forward. I will write a story every month and I will write about important events as they happen.
I am happy that we have our beautiful Daniela Perani who keeps us up to date with all the concerts and programing. She writes a phenomenal column. Thank you, Daniela, for all your hard work! It was Daniela who first invited me to write for Il Volo and I am very thankful to her for her confidence in me!
While I’m researching, why don’t you research. All of my stories are in the Archives of Il Volo Flight Crew at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com. In the search box enter my name Susan or Susan De Bartoli and all my stories will come up! There are about 100 stories in the archives!
So today I leave you with a promise! Through my Search for a Solution, I have decided to not give up the column but instead I will write a column every month and whenever it requires my attention!
Thank you for your Readership! I cherish it!
I’ll be back soon with another story Through the Fields of My Mind!
I leave you with one of my favorite concerts….
Il Volo’s full concert in Taormina 01.06.2017 NotteMagica Tour
