Three months have passed since Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, due to the pandemic, unfortunately had to stop their beautiful concert tour in the US.
ACCORDING TO OUR LATEST PRESS RELEASE IL VOLO FORCED TO CANCEL FINAL CONCERTS OF 2020 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DUE TO THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
On their return to Italy, they found a great change. Empty airports, empty cities, quarantine imposed on the whole nation, to avoid further spread of virus infection.
The boys themselves were unable to embrace their loved ones, but to stay in quarantine to guarantee their relatives that they had no active contagion.
In this period, where contacts were only online, the boys have been very active, and have accustomed us to a presence in programs, directly from their homes.
It was pleasant for us to be able to hear and see them in the intimacy of their personal places.
Il Volo joined fundraisers for many charity works.
Many television programs have re-transmitted old concerts, and broadcasts, which we have reviewed with great pleasure.
The concerts scheduled for this summer in Europe and Italy have unfortunately been moved to next year.
It is still too early here for the concerts, even the cinemas have not yet reopened, but we hope that the November concerts in Milan, Rome and Turin will be maintained.
The quarantine period is also over and we were able to see the first outings of Gian, Piero and Ignazio’s house, wearing the obligatory masks.
Now things have improved here and in some regions, especially in the south, masks are no longer mandatory, but use is required for places such as shops or during outdoor gatherings, where, however, distance is always a must .
It’s summer, it’s very hot, and it’s really difficult to keep your distance and wear masks, but we have to do it, to guarantee ourselves and others.
Ignazio Piero and Gianluca, now, are much more difficult to be found, they are less present on social networks, they have resumed their normal post-quarantine life.
Gianluca met his twin friends.😁
Piero has turned 27. AUGURI!!❤️
Ignazio dedicates himself to new interests with Floki Production and Nico Arezzo.😉
In the last few days, a film music great Ennio Morricone has passed away. Il Volo remembered Morricone, who was a great composer of film music, with this video and this beautiful dedication.
Music today has suffered a great loss.
Thanks for everything, Master.
In last few days, our boys met after three months, on the occasion of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show.
I would say that Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are really in excellent shape.
What about the fantastic presentation video of the Dolce & Gabbana collection?
Beautiful clothes, beautiful environment and fantastic music !!
Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca said during the forced quarantine that they were working on various projects and that they were in constant contact with each other to develop beautiful ideas.
We really hope that all this time and all the concerts postponed, will bring us beautiful and interesting things for the future of Il Volo.
So things here in Italy seem to improve, but every day we receive truly alarming news of the contagion in the US.
We understand very well what you are all going through and we are close to you.
In the US the numbers are terrible, how many dead, how many infected, certainly everything is relative as regards the numbers, but they are really thousands of lives and we still don’t know how to stop this devious pandemic.
Time will pass, before we can breathe a sigh of relief, time will pass, before returning to talk only about good concerts.
A post published by Maura Pucci made me remember this beautiful feat, made by four very tough women.
Unusual and … amazing aspects of Il Volo’s popularity.
THE NEW SANCTUARIES
We are in 2015.
Four American ladies, from different States, who met on social networks, animated by a great passion for IL VOLO and enthusiastic about the recent victory of the beloved group in Sanremo, decide to join together to undertake a trip to Italy.
Some new Il Volo fans might think: It’s not new! At their concerts in Verona and Taormina there are many fans from abroad and in particular Americans.
It’s true.
Today the Arena of Verona and the ancient theater of Taormina are places of great appeal for the fans of Il Volo from all over the world, who arrive there in droves, both to attend a concert in scenarios such as only Italy can offer, and to meet the virtual friends, frequented on Facebook.
But in the spring of 2015 things were still not exactly like that. And the four ladies embark on an Atlantic flight, for the ONLY purpose of visiting the places of residence of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, with the same spirit with which the romantic young people of Northern Europe, three or four centuries ago, left for the Grand Tour at vault of Italy, to be satisfied with beauty and culture, but at the same time with the same religiosity of those who want to embark on the journey of Santiago de Compostela.
Because, let’s face it, when it comes to doing this, it means that the three characters have already risen to the glory of the altars and that their places of life have become three new Sanctuaries, pilgrimage destinations …
Montepagano, Marsala and Naro, three small towns in the Italian province have become places of international resonance.
Okay, I just wanted to joke around.
But there are still many fans, especially Italian, but also foreigners, who go, or dream of going to Montepagano, favored by its proximity to Rome. And some of them even went as far as Naro.
Unfortunately, after five years, the sanctuary of Marsala today is not very frequent because S. Ignazio moved to Bologna.😂😂
When I read the news of this trip in 2015, I fully understood the attractive power of these extraordinary and unique guys.
Maura
That trip, was undertaken by Deborah Georgini Beaupre, Joan Brenin, Madeline Vitella and Maria Lagostini Leps.
In Italy, it was an event, it had never been heard that fans came to get to know the countries of their favorites. Also Sanremo had just ended with the victory and therefore, the local newspapers talked about this trip, here are the articles.
FROM AMERICA TO ROSETO, TO SEE THE PLACES OF GIANLUCA GINOBLE
(I translate for you.)
Saturday, May 16, 2015
“I crossed the Atlantic Ocean to see you” is film stuff. Indeed, no?
Because four American ladies have been stronger than exaggerated idioms, making something that even in the best dreams come true: they came from theUnited States of America to Roseto just to see the places whereGianluca Ginoble, a member of Il Volo, grew up, then headed straight to Sicily and do the same in the native places ofPiero Barone andIgnazio Boschetto.
The super fans are Maria Agostini Leps from Pennsylvania, Joan Brenin from Florida, Madeline Vitella from New Jersey and Deborah Georgini Beaupre from Texas, who say: “We met on Facebook in 2014, thanks to an article written by Maria after a concert by Il Volo. Having the same passion, we decided to meet and organize this trip to Italy, to see the places of our three darlings. It was enough for us to have the photo all together with the sign of the name of the three cities, but today a dream has come true.”
The dream was to meet Gianluca Ginoble and it became reality again thanks to Facebook, given that Maria wrote to Ercole, the father of the singer, saying of their presence in Roseto.
And since fate sometimes puts a good word on it, chance has meant that Gianluca was in Roseto in these days, before leaving again for the artistic and promotional commitments of Il Volo.
So, at five in the evening, on the Roseto seafront, the meeting of a thousand hugs and smiles, with selfies, dedications on records and photos.
Deborah shows a photo of the license plate of her car in Texas: “IL VOLO”, saying that after the death of her husband the songs of the group gave her strength.
Maria confesses that she returned to Italy after 50 years (she left at 9) for this. All four have seen many Il Volo concerts and love the three singers.
Gianluca Ginoble says: “It is such a great thing that I can only thank these splendid ladies, because in the face of such demonstrations of affection there is the risk of getting your head up.” (feeling overly important)
FROM AMERICA TO MARSALA, IN THE LAND OF IGNAZIO BOSCHETTO
They came from the USA to make their dream come true: to visit the places where the members of Il Volo, were born and raised.
In Marsala, in the city of Ignazio Boschetto, the first stop of the four American ladies was the visit to the representative office of the municipal administration which appointed the singer Ignazio “ambassador of Marsala in the world”.
The American ladies will leave tomorrow for Naro, the birthplace of Piero Barone; while in recent days they had already visited Roseto degli Abruzzi, the land of Gianluca Ginoble.
He, Piero and ours Ignazio, meanwhile, are already in Austria to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, where Il Volo is finalist by right with the winning song of Sanremo “Grande Amore”.
FROM AMERICA TO NARO, ON THE TRAIL OF PIERO BARONE FROM IL VOLO
The last stop on the Italian – Sicilian journey was Naro, the city of Piero Barone. Here too the reception of the girls from “Il Volo Naro Fan Club” was warm.
In the town hall the solemn ceremony with the mayor Lillo Cremona, the vice-mayor Lidia Mirabile and the mother of Piero, Eleonora Ognibene. Then a tour to discover the baroque of Naro and its monuments: the Castle, the old C athedral.
The Sicilian tour will end with a visit to the city of Agrigento and then to Taormina. Then the return to Rome for the US.
What women!
Admirable. They were the first, but then many others came.
I don’t think I would have had their courage, but I’m happy that they got what they wanted.
I bet that many of us would like to make this nice trip, and maybe be so lucky to be able to meet Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca ……… but sometimes dreams come true!
Some time ago, I told you about the book written by Patrizia Ciava: “GRANDE AMORE AL PRIMO ASCOLTO, Il Volo, A Fan Tribute”.
This beautiful book, published by the Publishing House: AltrEdizioni, has been printed, for now, only in Italian, and I have already translated for you, the presentation of the Publishing House and the beautiful preface by Marino Bartoletti, in a post, immediately after the publication of the book.
As I have already told you, the first part of the book concerns articles written by the talented Patrizia Ciava, while the second part gathers stories of fans from all over the world, of how they got to know Il Volo.
Since the English edition has not yet been made, I asked Patrizia Ciava and the Publishing House for permission to translate the first of the fan stories. Kindly, both gave me their permission, and I thank them very much. So today, I propose you, the translation of the first fan story: LA FAVOLA DE IL VOLO E IAIA.
What I am about to tell you is a fairy tale, delicate and full of small and large daily gestures, of those lived with discretion and affection, in which the destiny of a little girl is intertwined at some point with that of three exceptional boys, three princes: Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio.
The fairy tale is about Ilaria, for many Iaia, a little girl with beautiful ringlets, graceful features, a naturally delicate and elegant gesture and two dark eyes, deep and penetrating, ready to light up with sweetness or shine with pride and courage.
A little girl apparently like many, but special for those who, like me, her mother and life partner, had the honor and privilege of knowing her.
It all began in late 2014, when Iaia was 5 years old and animportant past behind her: at just 3½ her life had been marked by the discovery of a rare and serious oncology pathology.
Our fantastic family raised funds to give her hope and make her dream of life come true: destination, New York! My cousin Maria, contacted Il Volo and Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio immediately supported the fundraising, with personal gestures of solidarity, dedicating an evening in Abruzzo (presented by dear Francesca Martinelli, in the “Parco dei Principi” of Cellino Attanasio) and making an appeal to their fans.
The story of Iaia, crossed the borders of Italy and from all over the world, the fans responded with enthusiasm and affection.
At that time, our family had created a loving shell of discretion, to allow us to be able to live peacefully, the time available with her, but the fantastic family of Il Volo, with delicacy, wanted to know the little girl.
Initially the contacts were by telephone and there was no lack of occasion, in which they sent audio and video messages of greetings and encouragement; they even sent a video message to the New York doctor!
We did not imagine that boys, taken from such a dizzyingly fast and demanding life, could be so close to us!
I observed Ilaria, and I saw in her gaze, surprise and joy, every time a message came from them.
She was a difficult child to conquer, but they, slowly slowly, entered her heart. So many memories!
I remember the first time the boys participated in the Sanremo Festival, we had just arrived in New York, and we had organized ourselves to follow them in streaming.
The day before the start of the event, Ila wanted to give him a good luck and sing “Happy Birthday” to Gianluca for his birthday.
How much emotion in that sweet little voice and how much tenderness in Gianluca’s response, who promised her to dedicate to her with all his heart, the song they would sing.
There were many emotions on her face: surprise, pleasure and joy. She was overjoyed, she felt deeply flattered.
I remember that she started dancing on the bed from happiness.
This delicate correspondence between the boys and Ilaria continued over time and, returning from a trip to America, a surprise awaited us!
In fact, dear Francesco Di Donato, mayor of Roccaraso, told us that the guys from Il Volo wanted us at the opening concert of their Italian tour, which started right there. Ilaria and her brother, Alessandro, jumped literally with joy.
The big day came and we organized a dinner to give Ilaria the chance to meet them before the concert.
She had personally chosen the dress to wear that evening: candy pink tulle, which highlighted her small slender figure.
She was happy, but the closer the time came to meet them, the more tense she became! She was a girl with a very strong character, sometimes very lively, but when her most intimate emotions were involved, she closed herself up in silence.
That evening, Ilaria went down the restaurant stairs, like a radiant and excited Princess. The boys came up to her and hugged her gently. I perfectly remember the delicacy of their gestures and their looks ….. they treated her like a delicate flower.
Piero, Gianluca Ignazio and their whole family were discreet and sweet.
At one point, Gianluca went to where the children were playing and started drawing with them.
What surprised faces, Ilaria and Alessandro made! Both of them were excited and happy. We were already happy like this, we seemed to have received much more than what these fantastic guys could give, but promises are promises.
On the day of the concert, Iaia was sitting in the front row and looking at me agitated: she was not used to being the center of attention and it was not easy for her.
When Il Volo arrived on stage, she ran away. I went over to reassure her and the boys reassured her with their eyes, until, relaxed, she could enjoy that magnificent gift. How nice to hear her sing their songs and see her happy!
The moment of GRANDE AMORE arrived, the most magical moment of the evening. The boys kept their promise: they dedicated the concert to her and Gianluca dedicated the song to her.
Once again, surprised and flattered, Ilaria had shiny eyes. The emotions that showed through her eyes were strong and she sang,very excited, the song. The boys had given her a unique and special moment, unrepeatable and indescribable emotions.
After the concert, we said goodbye with the promise to meet again.
From that day four years have passed, years in which the boys of Il Volo have never stopped showing their affection to Ilaria, in various moments of her short life: birthdays, small and big daily hits, and also her First Communion.
Their affection has always struck us, they have given her a lot and they were in her thoughts. She often listened to their songs and sang them around the house with her dad, creating an alchemy of joy and happiness.
Unfortunately, this beautiful fairy tale had an ending that none of us wanted. In spring 2018, Ilaria’s conditions worsened, despite her desire to make the most of her days.
She had also decided to do something to help other children and for some time she had felt ready to sing in public. So in May, she decided to attend a charity concert, led by the hospital’s music teacher, Bianca.
On that occasion, she should have sung solo, a lullaby written for her. I remember that moment very well, it was May 30, when, during the last rehearsals, the teacher and Ilaria jokingly talked about beautiful songs, and Ilaria said: “But Bianca, now I’ll make you listen to GRANDE AMORE of IL VOLO!” So she started singing, proud and excited.
It was her last song!
The last time I heard her splendid voice singing, it caressed my heart.
Unfortunately, a few days later, Ilaria left us to become a beautiful angel.
In our hearts, the words that she wrote a short time before, to little cousin Greta, for her birthday, are always alive; in six words, the synthesis of her existence: “Life is beautiful, live it well!”
This is one of the most beautiful teachings that Ilaria has left to all of us, together with the affection and generosity that her dear friends of Il Volo continue to show us!
A heartfelt thanks to Gianluca, Ignazio, Piero and to all the Il Volo family.
Mama Ida
The part of the book ends here, but I go further and I want to tell you that when Iaia left, the parents made the sad announcement and the boys made these statements: (taken from the article below)
“We hoped until the end that Ilaria could win her battle against the evil that had plagued her for years. We hoped she could do it. But this did not happen. We have always been in contact with her parents to learn about the evolution of the situation. Relationships never stopped and unfortunately we were aware that the girl’s condition had suddenly worsened. Nevertheless, we continued to pray for her, never abandoning the hope that a miracle could happen,” explains Ginoble himself together with the other members of the group, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto.
“On this day of mourning and sadness – the three say in a statement to Ansa (National Press Agency) – we feel even closer to the parents and little brother, convinced that Iaia from the top of the sky can guide us in the battle for a better world, especially for the more young.”
Iaia’s parents, founded a charity to help sick children, is called IL SOGNO DI IAIA, and is also on Facebook.
How sad, a little angel has gone to be among the hosts of paradise.
Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca, had hoped until the end that she could stay, but God wanted her with him !!
Sleep peacefully, little Iaia. ❤️
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos. Thanks to Patrizia Ciava and the Publishing House, AltrEdizioni, for permission to translate the story of Iaia.
You liked the first old video that I translated and so I looked for this Italian interview.
In some cases you will hear the boys answer, but there are no questions, evidently they have not been included in the video, but equally the sense is understandable. Only towards the end, we hear the voice of the woman who interviewed them.
I would add, for my part, that I always have the feeling thatPiero, Ignazio andGianluca, even then, were speaking more serenely if they were interviewed by foreign people. They have always known, from the beginning, that they are not so well liked by the Italian press, which in any case tries to embarrass them, especially in the final questions.
But the three of them have always been well determined in the answers, evidently when in a dream, you feel it truly yours, you defend it to the end.
G = We have changed the name from Il Trio to Il Volo.
This new name is above all as a wish, for music ….
P = Because music makes us fly.
G = It is as if it is thousands of meters (up, up) what is happening to us. We put all the passion, all the love, for this thing that is happening to us, and that we love to do, because it is our passion and therefore, of course, we put all the effort.
I = And we will always give the best of ourselves.
P = We put all the effort into it, because we understand the depth of the people who are alongside us and who are working with us.
I = The project was created, we made this recording, this CD between Rome and Los Angeles. It was a personal and also an artistic growth, we had people and producers behind us, who always told us “commit yourselves, with the heart, filling everyone with excitement.”
G = We must learn from these great artists, follow their steps. For example, the experience of We Are The World has made us grow. We have seen people, very famous, who have remained humble, like Celine Dion herself, or Barbra Streisand. We hope with this CD, to be able to convey to people, what …..
P = What we feel inside.
G = And of course we must remain humble …
P = Staying humble yes, as Gianluca said, Celine Dion or Barbra Streisand are humble, but they have reached the maximum of world music, therefore we have understood that, with humility, great levels can be reached.
In my opinion, however, if one is too full of themselves or arrogant, he does not go anywhere.
G = All this happened to us at the age of 15, it is not something that happens often. We work hard, because as I said, this is our passion, this is our love, it is singing, music.
P =We live for this.
I = How many kids want to have this ?? And we were lucky to be able to do all this.
G = We must also thank Roberto Cenci, because it is he who united us, he had the genius, no, the flair, to unite us, and then this project was born.
The brothers argue.
P = The nice thing about the three of us is that we tell each other everything face-to-face.
I = Yes, it’s not that we speak behind our backs, if I don’t like something I say “Piero, look, I don’t like this thing.”
P = And perhaps this is our strength.
I = Our strength is the friendship that unites us, the truth, and the genuineness that we have …. the spontaneity.
G = Obviously among us …… the groups must be like this, right?
PR = I would like to know what criticisms you have had from the kids of your age, you are not afraid that, being so young, maybe you miss the stages (of your life), maybe school life, daily life, going out …..
G = This is the stage we want to do!
PR = Despite everything?
I = Yes, because we do it with passion, we don’t do it because we are forced, but that’s what we want.
G = Exactly, absolutely.
I = You know, when you are a child, you open the drawer and you like what you find ….. we would like to do this, in short it is what we want to do, this is the answer.
G = It happened to us at the age of 15, but as I said, this is our love, our passion and we are very committed to this. We do not believe in missing stages, absolutely.
PR = But because now is only the beginning and everything is wonderful, but then, maybe in a few years, you may be missing going out with your friends.
I = Maybe we could miss some outings with friends, but I don’t think other 16-year-olds travel the world, and it’s a beautiful experience. We do not miss stages, indeed we have more.
But how sweet and mature were these young Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca already then?
I don’t know if it is my impression, but it seems to me that Gianluca has a red face, he is probably trying to hide his first shyness, which has now passed very well.
And the photos? What can we say, they make us melt even more, what sweet guys !!
Daniela
Back then, they dreamed of being able to sing one day at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall ……. the dream came true !!!
P+I+G = “Benvenuto a Miami”, JORGE, PIERO GIANLUCA IGNAZIO
PR = Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, Ignacio in Spanish.
I = Nacho
PR = How did you meet, you are young, you have been friends for a long time …
P = We met in an Italian television program: We arrived there singing individually and on the fourth episode, the director decided to combine our voices.
PR = And at that moment did the three voices come together perfectly? Did the three voices mix automatically?
P = Yes, we have three not completely different voices, but Ignazio and I are tenors and Gianluca is baritone. There are three different types of voices that mix, make Il Volo.
PR = Do you prefer to sing in a group or do you prefer to sing separately?
I = This project was born as Il Volo, it was not born as Ignazio Boschetto, Gianluca Ginoble or Piero Barone, it was born as Il Volo!
G = From the beginning.
I = From the beginning, so we prefer to stay together, united.
PR = Your age.
P = 17
G = 16
I = 16
PR = Explain to me why you sing opera and not songs like Justin Bieber.
G = We do not sing opera, our genre is pop-lyrical, because on our CD there is no Nessun Dorma (surely then, they did not imagine that in the future they would also sing the Nessun Dorma), La Boheme, and there are no not even songs like Baby or One Time, for example, by Justin Bieber. Ours are pop-lyric songs, and it is also a novelty, because it is the first time that 16-year-olds have been singing this type of music.
PR = But also sing a song called O SOLE MIO.
I = It is not an opera song.
P = It’s a traditional song.
G = It is a song of the Italian tradition, because on our CD there are various songs, in Spanish, in Italian and in English.
P = Type: Smile, by Charlie Chaplin, is in English.
Which are part of the Italian tradition: O sole Mio, Un Amore così Grande, Il Mondo.
I = Also a traditional song in South America ….
P = Spanish, the Reloj (hints at a small refrain)
G = They are all performed with modern arrangements, with the addition of guitars …
P = Because we are three young boys
G = So that’s the beauty of this new project.
PR = Whose idea was it to bring you to the US from Italy and put Spanish songs on the CD?
G = I’ll explain, we are the first Italian artists who signed a contract directly with an American major, it is the first time. Ours is an international project, it is a music that is enjoyed all over the world, not only in Italy, in fact we are having excellent results, we are really happy.
P = We decided to do the CD edition in Spanish, because we feel that Spanish is a language that belongs to us. We have fun when we sing in Spanish.
I = We must remember that it is also thanks to our producer.
P = Yes, our producer, Humberto Gatica, thanks to him we recorded the Spanish version, because he speaks Spanish and in the recording studio, he helped us with the correct pronunciation of Reloj.
G = But then you know that he is Lucho Gatica’s nephew.
PR = There is another group called IL DIVO.
G = Yes, let’s say that Josh Groban, Il Divo, Bocelli, our genre is more towards these singers.
PR = Which Italian singer would you like to inspire in the future?
I = Certainly Pavarotti was the Italian singer who had the greatest success also abroad, as regards the opera.
P = In pop-lyric I would say Bocelli.
I = Each of us would like to do the same career as Bocelli
G = Yes, Pavarotti or Bocelli
P = But we hope to make a good career like “IL VOLO”.
PR = You are young, do you see other plans for the future outside of music?
P = No, no, always in music, we always hope to sing together, our dream is to sing all life. In my opinion, we were born to sing.
G = We are three different voices, but one soul and when we sing together, when there are harmonies, we feel all the emotion we put into singing.
P = Three voices and a soul. Thanks to music, we are able to transmit our emotions.
PR = Do you have a girlfriend?
I = Let’s change the question !!
PR = Why doesn’t this job allow you to have a girlfriend?
G = Yes, it allows, but it is very difficult.
I = Let’s say we don’t want to talk about it, we want privacy about our love life.
PR = I understand, you are reserved for your private life.
P = Perfect, we prefer to talk about music.
Music is our job, they are one thing.
Girlfriend is another thing.
PR = You want to keep the two things separate. Private. We better talk about music.
But what do you do in life, besides Il Volo and privacy?
I = Piero loves to upgrade cars, to transform them.
P = I make cars faster.
G = I play football.
I = I love planes.
PR = Airplane pilot? But really or remotely?
I = I’d really like to, for now I’m training in a program that is a type of real simulator.
PR = Do you want to say something to your fans, maybe future girlfriends?
G = We hope that all our fans really like this CD, because, as Piero said before, you can feel all the emotion, all that we transmit with our voice, is on our CD.
P = And it is a CD suitable for all people of all ages. We sing in three languages and there are songs for young and old generations, for everyone.
G + I = It is a CD for everyone.
PR = As you say in Italian: no to piracy.
P + I + G = NO ALLA PIRATERIA!!!
Every time I find these old videos, for me it is a reconstruction of some missing moments, as I started following Il Volo after Sanremo 2015, but it is always a confirmation of how big these kids were already, at that time, mature and always well educated.
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, you have started the road well and over the 10 years you have not lost or changed your path.
