I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the guys have spent the whole year running. They’ve been everywhere and done so much that it’s hard to remember it all! It all comes down to Christmas, New Years and New Beginnings!
The years are just flying by and I’m watching the guys create a whole new career! Their concerts are beyond phenomenal. They’ve produced music that is so creative and innovative! Their TV concerts are knocking it out of the box!!! There’s no holding them back!
And how about all that beautiful new music?
My stories, Through the Fields of My Mind, look to the past. Sometimes they’re new but mostly they’re old. Stories you’ve heard time and again because our guys for all their popularity and immense fame are really quite young, and their story is still being written. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could say we will be around to see the end of their story but no, most of us will be long gone before their story ends. We’ll have to watch the end unfold from above! But how fortunate we are that we have seen the beginning of their beautiful story.
This year, there were many twists and turns in their story. We started the year with a beautiful vision of Ignazio proposing to the beautiful, Michelle Bertolini.
And then there was Sanremo 2024!
I don’t know who was more excited! Us or the guys? I guess the guys!
How many different ways can you say Masterpiece! Capolavoro by far was the highlight of Sanremo! I know the guys didn’t win but what they brought to Sanremo was a winning team, a winning performance and the best video clip of Sanremo 2024!
Capolavoro truly deserved the Casa Sanremo ~ Soundies Award 2024! And of course, compliments to Leandro Manuel Emede Director, Nicolo Cerioni Creative Director and Cardigan srl Producer of the video!
Leandro Manuel Emede said, “Thanks to the jury of music and film experts of Casa Sanremo and to the President of the National Syndicate of Italian Cinematic Journalists (Sngci) of the Silver Ribbons for choosing our video clip as Best Video Clip Sanremo2024.”
The award for the best video clip was presented by Vincenzo Russolillo to Il Volo. The idea of this award was born from Russolillo himself and the award represents the first award in Italian history dedicated to the video clips of a song competing at the Sanremo Festival and intended for record companies.
When presenting the award to Il Volo, Russolillo said, “Your work has been selected by a high-quality jury, chaired by Laura Delli Colli, President of the National Union of Italian Film Journalists (SNGCI) of the Nastri d’Argento.”
Russolillo continued, “from the stage of the Lounge of Casa Sanremo, I deliver the Soundies Awards 2024 Award, on behalf of the Municipality of Sanremo from the hands of Councillor Sara Tonegutti, together with a voucher for the production of the next video clip to be made in the territory of the Municipality of Sanremo.
The trio took music to new heights through this video, exploring the stars and the mysteries of infinity. A visual odyssey that combines the musical talent of Il Volo with the grandeur of space, offering a sensory experience that defies the boundaries of imagination.”
Since Sanremo 2024, the guys have taken a beautiful turn in Italy. They have to be so happy to have their countrymen show such love and affection for them. They so deserve it. And certainly their concerts around Italy have been phenomenal! Verona, Caracalla, Pompeii to name a few.
The guys performance at Caracalla was a complete sellout. Fans flocked to the concert to help the guys kick off their summer tour around Italy and to celebrate their Fifteen Years together.
“Tutti per uno – Capolavoro,” which began at Caracalla continued throughout Italy until September. Highlights of the tour included performances at Piazza San Marco in Venice, the Amphitheater of the Pompeii Excavations, and the Royal Palace of Caserta. And so many more in between.
For nearly 15 years, Barbara Vitali traveled with the guys as their road manager. Barbara’s role as road manager went far beyond making sure all was going well along the way. She was there in good times and bad. She was there to share their joys and to console them in their sorrows. She was a second mother. Someone they could go to when their moms weren’t there.
Barbara was a beautiful soul, a person the guys came to depend on. But then on July 9th, Barbara passed away. Two days earlier on Sunday evening Barbara was in a tragic accident. There was a head-on collision and the man in the other car died immediately.
The guys were devastated! Let’s listen to their words….
Piero:We started this profession when we were 15 years old and we traveled the world and with us there has always been a person who traveled all over the world with us, every day.
She was a mother when we were younger, she was the person, the most important figure for us in our travels and we would like to publicly say that we, but above all our families, will be eternally grateful to her, because our parents when they knew that she was with us and we were with Barbara, they slept soundly.
It’s very difficult and this evening, this concert will be the first of all those we will dedicate to it throughout our lives.
Gianluca:We are all united, everyone, everyone, everyone for our Barbara, everyone, from the crew, from the technicians, from the musicians, from Michele Torpedine, all for her, because she was a special person who will continue to live inside us and will give us strength to continue doing this work, because we will sing for her, Barbara we will sing for you, for a lifetime, for a lifetime, we love you.
Ignazio:And as I said before, we would like to make this moment even more special if you help us with the flashes of your cell phones to illuminate the whole square, so for those who believe in it, someone from up there is watching us.
Dear Barbara, you will be dearly missed by the guys. They are heartbroken by your loss. You are gone from their sight but not their hearts. You will always be one of the reasons why Il Volo became who they are. Their greatness was your reward in life.
Between the tears they gave a phenomenal performance!
Such a sad event. But Barbara would not want the guys to be sad. Instead, she wanted them to have joyful lives.
As we move on through the year, we find ourselves at a very joyful event. The marriage of Ignazio and Michelle.
Following the guys from day one, I have to say Ignazio stood out. Even though he was young, he was mature, and he had a unique personality. He had direction! It seemed to me that he knew where he was going even at such a young age. He always had a plan. And from day one he started planning for his future.
Part of what Ignazio saw was a future that included a wife and at least three children.
As he got older, he became more determined to secure that future. He knew what was needed to achieve his goal. Once the goal was achieved, it was time to find the right woman.
Do you believe in coincidences? No, there are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason. In fact, one of Ignazio’s favorite sayings is something his grandfather told him “everything happens for a reason.”
Just prior to dating Michelle, the guys recorded Capolavoro. A true masterpiece. Let’s consider some of the words to this song. They describe just about where Ignazio’s life was.
I felt lost
A sail in an open sea
And suddenly you, you
You fell from the sky like a masterpiece
(Suddenly there was Michelle)
Before you nothing was good
As if…. You were the only light giving things a meaning.
There are no coincidences in life!
It think that sums it up!
Now we have arrived at Christmas!
The Concert at the Temple of Concordia in the Valley of the Temples was the first concert ever performed in this historic place. This is what the guys had to say about it!
Ignazio: There is an ancient land, cradle of civilization and crossroads of cultures where the past meets the present…
Piero: ….and where the ancient breath of the sea embraces history, it is Sicily….
Gianluca: ….in the heart of this land there is a timeless place, which this night under the starry sky is immersed in a unique atmosphere, that of Christmas.
IL VOLO, CHRISTMAS IN AGRIGENTO was the idea of Michele Torpedine and Barbara Vitali.
Ignazio: Good evening and Merry Christmas to everyone from the VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES of Agrigento.
Piero: This place rich in history speaks to us of eternity, beauty and faith, and tonight it is dressed in a new, unprecedented light, that of Christmas.
I am personally proud because Agrigento will be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025 and singing a few steps from home fills me, fills us with pride.
Gianluca: And in this union between past and present, between history and music, we will spend this evening together, as if we were truly family.
Ignazio: And after this whole introduction I would say that it’s time to get into the spirit of Christmas and therefore….maestro!!
This is the complete video of the Concert at Valley of Temples
Now to the Christmas celebration….
Among their beautiful stories are their traditional Christmases. In some cases, I have their actual Christmas traditions but in most it’s more about the tradition in their region of Italy.
Before I begin, I would like to talk a minute about La Vigilia. La Vigilia is the Italian traditional Christmas Eve dinner. This dinner consists of fish. Why? Because Italy is a primarily Catholic country and Christmas Eve, up until Vatican II, was always a day of fast to prepare for the coming of Christ. So, we only eat fish.
What is this, Vigilia? This is a tradition that started in southern Italy in the regions of Sicily, Calabria and parts of Campania. In these regions, people who live beside the sea are primarily fishermen, and they live off the sea. So, on the eve they not only celebrate the coming of Christ, but they also thank the Lord for the abundance of fish they received from the sea which sustains their families year-round.
In the early 1900’s when Italian immigrants came to America, they brought this tradition with them, and the next generation added to this tradition by celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fish. The number seven is symbolic in the Roman Catholic Church. It represents the seven days of creation, the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, etc.
Now, let’s step back into the past to see how our guys celebrate Christmas.
No need to update this story, it doesn’t change. Tradition is tradition! Three years ago, two people helped me write this story so I decided that I would not change anything in it. It turned out because of them the Christmas message was amazing! The two wonderful friends who helped me were our special little Nonna, Maura Pucci and Giovanni Granaro local historian and my go to man in Naro. Over ten thousand fans responded to the story! It gave us a look at the different Italian traditions and an insight into our guy’s Christmas. So, I am republishing the article with a few new and interesting facts added.
So, without further ado, let’s join Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca for Christmas with Our Italian Family
Yes, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are our family! Why do I call them family? We’re their fans, yes but we are more than fans. We certainly do all the things that fans do but it goes deeper than that because our guys are different than any other entertainer. The difference is the guys think of us as their extended family because they grew up with us. They spend more time with us than they do with their families. And they show us their love in everything they do. Think of how they treat us! When you meet them, they embrace you. Most entertainers just want your praise and accolades. Not our guys! They want to know about us! They ask about our lives and our families. They listen to us and do things to please us.
So, what is family? Family are the people who are there when you need them. When you’re sad you can always feel their love and their encouragement! Family is not just blood it’s the people who are there for us!
So, let’s take a look at how our Italian family spends their Christmas.
The Christmas season starts in Italy on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8th) which is also a holiday in Italy. This is the day that many Italians put up their Christmas trees and the cities light up their streets with colored lights. Why? Because Mary is the mother of the Light, Jesus! But there are other traditions that are celebrated on this day!
Let’s go to Naro, Piero’s city, to see how they open the Christmas season.
Every year, on the 7th, 8th and 9th of December, every inhabitant in Naro stocks up on muffuletti. Muffuletti is a bread which is stuffed with meat and vegetables. Some people go to their local bakery to buy them, and some people prepare them at home. The tradition is linked to religion. Naro’s sandwiches are blessed and distributed in Churches at the end of the Mass on the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. The bakers donate the muffuletti to the Churches as a gesture of generosity towards their fellow countrymen but, above all, of love towards “a bedda matri ‘Mmaculata”, the Most Holy Immaculate, Mary.
During the month of December, the Christmas markets are held in Naro. The Fair is set up inside the cloister of the Town Hall. Many people go to the Franciscan cloister where, every evening, to the delight of the children, there is a special snowfall that whitens the baroque courtyard. On the final evening there is a concert of Sicilian folk music, and an award is given for the best photo taken at the large Christmas tree in Piazza Garibaldi.
During this magical period the streets are colored by many Christmas lights, and everyone visits the living nativity scene of Borgo Castello. There is Mass on Christmas Eve and between hugs, kisses and best wishes there are a thousand good intentions. And then, on Christmas day, the family gathers together for a dinner laden with many local delicacies.
And what would Piero do on Christmas day? Most likely, he will walk around Naro and visit some older people and his friends. He certainly would have decorated his home. He will most likely sing at the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Mass. In the past, Piero has sung with his grandfather, Pietro. It is 2 years since Pietro has passed away and I’m sure Piero’s memories of singing with his grandfather has to be a bittersweet memory.
Christmas in Bologna! How does Ignazio celebrate Christmas?
Unlike Piero and Gianluca, Ignazio and his family live in a big city and like cities in America there are many events.
This year, Ignazio’s story has changed. As you know, Ignazio married the beautiful Michelle Bertolini and now his future begins. So how has his traditional Christmas changed? As far as I can see, not very much.
The Christmas tradition in Bologna has deep roots. The Bolognese Nativity Scene (Presepe) goes back to the Middle Ages. The tradition of the Presepe dates back to the 13th century and one of the oldest Presepe in the world is preserved in Bologna.
What makes the Bolognese Nativity different? It is life size and includes clothes that are different from the traditional Neapolitan style. They are dressed in a medieval style. In Porretta Terme in the Emilian Apennines another Presepe which is one of the oldest Presepe in the world is kept in the church of Capugnano.
I’m sure Ignazio & Michelle visited the Christmas Tree in Piazza Nettuno. It is a Bolognese tradition. The beautiful tree is a welcoming and bright place to meet friends and feel the warmth of Christmas.
Oddly Ignazio, the quiet, private one, is the one who posted his Christmas this year.
As you can see from the pictures Michelle posted, they had a typical Bologna Christmas.
We can see the typical appetizer. I’m sure on Christmas Eve there was some fish on the table. This is the tradition in every Italian house on “La Vigilia,” Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, there is another tradition. Lunch is the main meal and Pasta in brodo (pasta in broth) most certainly was served. In Bologna, it’s all about meat-filled tortellini in capon broth. These, small, Tortellini, are filled with a mixture of meat, mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese but you will find in Bologna every family has its secret ingredient for them. You’ll recall in an interview Ignazio mentioned his family buying Tortellini every Sunday.
The soup will most likely be followed by a roast and the meal will end with a traditional dessert like Certosino (or Pan speziale) which is made with almonds, pine nuts, dark chocolate and candied fruits. The recipe has its origin in the Middle Ages where Certosino was produced by pharmacists and later by Certosini Friars. Certosino is very popular in Bologna.
I know the part of the meal that Ignazio will like the best is the dessert! A dessert he will share with his family to celebrate Christmas Day!
But what about Michelle’s traditions?
I’m not sure what they are but from the pictures her family posted we can get an idea about a Venezuelan Christmas.
Happy First Christmas together! We will continue to follow up each year to see how the tradition changes or stays the same as the family grows.
There is one Sicilian tradition that I would like to talk about since we have two Sicilian men in the group, I think it is important to include it in the article.
For many in Sicily, the Christmas season starts on the Feast of Santa Lucia. In some regions of Sicily, the feast day is celebrated with Cuccia. The word itself is Sicilian. Cuccìa is typically made with wheat berries, ricotta and sugar. How did this tradition come to be?
In the winter of 1646, Sicily was undergoing a terrible famine. People were dying of hunger after a massive crop failure. The people of Palermo did the only thing they could in the circumstances: they prayed. And then on the morning of December 13th a ship full of grain arrived in Palermo harbor with enough grain to feed the whole city. Rather than wait to have the grain milled into flour to make bread, the hungry people boiled and ate the grain to satisfy their hunger and save their lives. The people were convinced that Santa Lucia (St. Lucy), Sicily’s most important saint had saved the city, since the grain arrived on her feast day.
I’m not sure if Piero and Ignazio’s family make Cuccia or eat it but I’m sure they know the tradition.
So, now let’s talk about Gianluca’s Christmas!
A Montepagano tradition is the Nativity scene. At the end of the last century a famous living Nativity play was started in Montepagano which is a real theatrical performance, with a director and a narrator.
In the Abruzzi region, there is a tradition that bagpipers, so called zampognari come into the towns and play their flutes and bagpipes for the people. They symbolize the shepherds who come in search of the newborn baby, Jesus. The bagpipers were once shepherds, today they are musicians who walk the streets of the cities, playing Christmas music. Often, they are in pairs, and one plays the zampognari (bagpipe) and the other the ciaramella (which is similar to a small piccolo).
For certain Gianluca will celebrate December 24th, Christmas Eve with a meal of fish including shellfish because he lives by the sea. As far as food traditions are concerned, on Christmas Day, the typical dish of the whole region of Abruzzo is spaghetti alla chitarra (which is prepared on a particular instrument called a guitar, because it is made of wood with metal strings) but most likely Gianluca will eat Lasagna. The second course will be arrosticini, which are pieces of meat, traditionally lamb, strung on long sticks, similar to a kebab. And for dessert, they will most likely have the traditional Christmas cake, Panettone.
Gianluca will surely spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with his family including his Grandpa Ernesto!
As many of you know my mother is Abruzzese and I must say, Gianluca’s Christmas is very similar to my Christmas.
If you’re wondering where Santa Claus is, in Italy he is known as “Babbo Natale,” Father Christmas, who brings presents to children on Christmas Eve but, in true Italian tradition, gifts were exchanged on January 6th the day of Epiphany when La Befana comes to Italian homes in search of the Christ Child and leaves gifts for the children. This is a tradition that is celebrated in the central regions of Italy.
La Befana is an old woman, with a hooked nose, badly dressed, with a handkerchief on her head, grumpy but good, she is not a witch. On January 6th, riding through the sky, flying on a broom, La Befana lands on the roofs, enters the houses from the chimneys and descends from the fireplace, leaving gifts and sweets in the big socks that the children place in front of the fireplace. If they were good, they get sweets. If they were bad, she leaves coal in the form of a sweet black candy. I’m sure there will be many sweets for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca! No coal for our guys!
I would like to mention an important member of Il Volo’s family. Michele Torpedine! His family is originally from the region of Puglia. He moved to Bologna when he was twelve years old. So, he will celebrate Christmas with his family and the celebration would be similar to Ignazio’s!
Again, I would like to thank the two people who contributed to this Christmas story. Maura Pucci and Giovanni Granaro. Their knowledge of the regions of Montepagano and Naro and the different Christmas traditions made this story come to life!
Susan Daniela Pat
In closing, I would like to thank my team at Flight Crew! The two ladies who make all my stories come to life! Daniela Perani (a/k/a Sherlock Holmes) who provides many of the photos, videos and English translations for my stories and Patricia Ward who edits all of my stories.
I want to wish all of my Christian friends a Merry Christmas and all my Jewish friends a Happy Chanukah! And all my other friends, All the Happiness and Joy of the Season!
And finally, I’m sure you would love to join me in wishing Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with many Concerts and special surprises for us!
And may you all have a Happy, Healthy and Holy New Year! I send blessing from my house to yours!
I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas concerts.
Join me next time as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
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
From the first time I saw the guys I fell in love with them. How was it possible three handsome young teenagers could stir my soul?
As I continued to follow them, I began to see them individually and I learned so much about them individually, and, for some reason, Ignazio stood out. Why? What made him different from the other two? I think even though he was young, he was mature, and he had a unique personality. He had direction! It seemed to me that he knew where he was going even at such a young age. He always had a plan. And from day one he started planning for his future.
Part of what Ignazio saw was a future that included a wife and at least three children.
As he got older, he became more determined to secure that future. He knew what was needed to achieve his goal. Once the goal was achieved, it was time to find the right woman.
There weren’t a lot of women in his life, but the ones who were there were beautiful and smart and each one different from the last. Each one brought something different to his life. Ignazio is handsome and charming and with each woman he matured in body and mind.
As he fell in and out of love, he wondered if his dream would ever come true. Hope remained within him!
Do you believe in coincidences? No, there are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason. In fact, one of Ignazio’s favorite sayings is something his grandfather told him “everything happens for a reason.”
Just prior to dating Michelle, the guys recorded Capolavoro. A true masterpiece. Let’s consider some of the words to this song. They describe just about where Ignazio’s life was.
I felt lost
A sail in an open sea
Suddenly there was Michelle.
And suddenly you, you
You fell from the sky like a masterpiece
Before you nothing was good
As if…. You were the only light giving things a meaning.
There are no coincidences in life!
What made Michelle different? Certainly, she is beautiful! After all she was Miss Venezuela!
But beauty is only skin deep. Let’s go to the surface. There is something that goes so far beyond her beauty. When she speaks you hear a gentle kindness in her voice. When she looks at Ignazio you see love in her eyes, a love that is so evident in Ignazio’s eyes when he looks at her. A love that says, I’ll Be Loving you Eternally.
Let’s begin by letting Michele tell us how this all happens….
This is an excerpt of what Michelle said to Elisabetta Garuffi, owner of Tosca Spose where Michelle’s wedding gown was made.
I will marry Ignazio Boschetto. It was love at first sight. As it happened before, we wrote on Instagram. I knew it was him and we talked for years like this then, one day we met and from that day we have never separated.
After a month and a half on December 24th, he wrote me a song and at the end of the song he said in Spanish casate con migo ‘Marry Me!’ He was on his knee. The only one who knew it was my dad. You know he made me cry that day!
No question Michelle is deeply in love!
And what did Ignazio have to say about finding a new love in his life. He said, I was ready emotionally and financially.
But of course, we knew emotionally. Ignazio was always emotional about marriage and his future family! That’s exactly when Michelle came along! Coincidence? I don’t think so!
If you had asked me years ago who would be the first to marry, I would say Ignazio. I think about what it might be like for Ignazio to marry. No doubt, it is everything. It is his entire life. It was what he really, really wanted, and we watched him move through the years and saw him with other women but who would be the right woman? I think Nina said it best in her speech at the wedding.
Nina begins by talking about when she first saw Ignazio….
When I first saw your eyes (October 4, 1994) it was love at first sight! I who have desired you so much. This was the most beautiful day of my life. I can’t explain in words what I want to, but you have made my life unique and full of love. Big brother, you and I have been through so many good and bad things in life, but our strength has always been to never give up and always fight. You are a clear, good, generous person, ready to worry about making the people you love feel good. Sometimes without thinking about your own well-being. You know, I always tell you that I hope one day to find someone who is your same photocopy of similarities. But I already know that it will be difficult, of course, you too have your flaws, but you are the brother, friend and confidant that anyone would like to have. We have a bond, a bond so strong that we don’t need to talk because we understand immediately if everything is okay. Then there is something that is not right.
From the very first day I saw you (Michelle) I immediately understood the person you are, and I said to myself, ‘but how is it possible that they are the same?’ You are a woman with a capital D (woman – donna in Italian), you are that. What do you want? You know what you want too, and you always think about making the people you love feel good. You are kind, good, delicate and full of life and I want to thank you because you brought into our family joy, serenity and happiness that we were missing for a few years. For me you are not just my little sister-in-law. You have become my little sister? Obviously, I have to thank both of you. Above all, thank you both because you changed my life. You made me reborn for the second time? Do you know why? I still live sensational!
Nina smiled on and went on to sing.
And if that’s not enough to tell you about Michelle, let me add Caterina’s speech about Ignazio and Michelle at the wedding….
With you, you have always been a shoulder to laugh and cry on. Not only as a son, but you are my son and a great friend on whom I can always share. Sometimes I am heavy, I admit to breaking. Always I apologize. Maybe I am wrong for loving you so much. I want you to know that I am the happiest mother in the universe, not in the world in the universe.
Michelle, my love, from the moment that I opened the door something clicked. The quiet in the house turned to oxygen inside me. You brought into our house the serenity and joy that we have been missing for a long time. You know why as I said before, you are wonderful, you are the woman we dreamed of for my son and the mother of my future grandchildren. And you are the right daughter for me and dad.
And I’m sure that as the wonderful and attentive son that you are, you will also be the same as a husband and as a father.
When a mother-in-law and a sister-in-law love you that much there is no question they saw the love in your eyes for Ignazio and they knew this was right! You were the one! What a great feeling for a woman to know that her mother-in-law loves her!
So now let’s get to what we came here for…. The Wedding
Our own Ignazio joined in marriage with the beautiful Michele Bertolini to form a perfect union which began the moment they met. And now for the rest of the lives!
The lovely Michele Bertolini lives in Caracas Venezuela. Her mother, Jacqueline Bertolini is from Venezuela and her father Enrico Bertolini is from Italy.
As we know, Ignazio is the son of Caterina and the late Vito Boschetto both from Marsala.
The couple met several years ago at one of Ignazio’s concerts. A number of years ago they began to speak on Instagram and about a year ago they finally met. From that moment they were inseparable.
Ignazio and Michele’s relationship grew every day and a month and a half later, on Christmas Eve, Ignazio asked Michelle to marry him. Ignazio, being a traditional kind of guy, of course, asked Mr. Bertolini, Michelle’s father, for her hand in marriage. The entire family was present when the marriage proposal took place.
With the gown in hand, it was time for the families to come together.
The night before the wedding, everyone gathered for a bachelor/bachelorette party.
Caterina is so proud of her daughter and her new daughter-in-law. Exactly the lady she wanted for her son. And no doubt the lady Nina, Ignazio’s second mother, wanted for her brother.
Now Caterina has two daughters and Nina has a sister!
Daddy’s little girl!
On September 12th, Ignazio and Michelle married in a Civil Ceremony. Following the ceremony, an intimate reception was held, and their family and friends attended.
After the wedding in the town hall on Thursday September 12th, on Saturday September 14th Ignazio and Michelle exchanged their wedding vows again. This time, in a most elaborate way! The couple gathered together with relatives and friends on Lake Como. They chose Villa Sola Cabiati, a real architectural jewel in neoclassical style, for their very private, very intimate wedding. The private villa overlooks the shores of Lake Como.
The bride prepares!
I wonder who you’re thinking about!
The groom waits!
Time to give her away to her love, Ignazio!
Ignazio with his two mothers. I know Caterina doesn’t mind my saying that because from when Ignazio was only 5 years old, Nina became his second mother. They clung to one another and prayed for their mom to return home from the hospital. After five years of treatment, Caterina returned home but that special bond between brother and sister never went away!
Look at Ignazio’s face as Michelle walks down the aisle. It’s so amazing! The moment Ignazio has been waiting for his whole life has finally arrived! He dreamed of his bride and how it would be when she walked towards him. All the love and emotion on his face shows every dream, every hope, he ever had in his life for the perfect future. Michelle is the perfect future. She will be the perfect mother to his children because she loves children too. In her vows she talks about giving Ignazio the children he hoped for. With each of their beautiful personalities and beautiful souls, they will create perfectly beautiful children!
Below read Ignazio and Michelle’s exchanging of vows and Michelle’s promise to Ignazio….
Master of Ceremonies: You acknowledge that love consists of understanding, mutual respect and obligations.
Ignazio: Do you accept Michelle as your wife, and do you promise to live with her always in relationship and love, to support and comfort her, to respect her in sickness and in health, in happy days and in difficult ones, from today and for the rest of your life.
Ignazio: Yes, I want to.
Michelle: Do you accept Ignazio as your husband, and do you promise to live with him always in relationship and love, to support and comfort him, to respect him in sickness and in health, in happy days and in difficult ones, from today and for the rest of your life.
Yes, I want to.
Ignazio: Luckily.
Then Michelle expresses her personal promises, the fruit of their love and sacrifice.
Michelle…..
Ignazio: Slowly….
Michelle: My darling. It’s the day I’ve been dreaming about… (speaking in Spanish and then in Italian) I would like to say thank you to my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law. From the first day they made me feel at home. And I feel happy and honored, that you are my family. I’m sure my father-in-law is also happy for us and will always protect us from above.
My prince, I promise you my faithfulness and loyalty. I promise to love you and make you feel loved every day of my life and that I will always take care of you and do everything in my power to be a good wife, and hopefully soon a mother as well, and for our families. That I will always be with you, my love, and I promise you that there will never be a day when you will miss my kiss. I love you with all my being, love of my life….
My love. The day we have dreamed about so much has come. I can tell you things now. I know no greater happiness and pride that you are the love of my life. From the first moment I saw you, I had no doubts about the perfect man you are. And I have no doubt about what a good husband and father you will be. I can’t wait for my love to make you a dad. Thanks to you, I learned that love exists and that it is beautiful and that it thrills me every day, that we live with each other and fall in love all the time. That we grow together, that we live for each other, that we take care of every detail. This is a love I could never have imagined, but “my life” exists and we have to live it throughout our lives.
I love you beyond words, beyond physicality, beyond time and space. I just love you like no one else.
Our story is unique, one of those stories you see in films, or that are told to children. It all started from a look, a look so intense and profound that I fell into it and in the end I never got out.
From the moment we saw each other in November, I knew it was you, I had my wife in front of me.
After a week I gave you the keys to the house, after twenty days I met your family, after a month and a half I asked you to marry me and after less than eleven months I married you.
We are two crazy people, it’s true! Sorry Enrico (Michelle’s dad).
But as I told you last Christmas, for me there is no perfect time, there is only “our time”, you and I together, from the best moments to the worst, and I discovered it little by little, together we grew a lot in a short time, trying to be the best and for our future family. Thanks to you today I feel like a better man, worthy and ready to take care of my family. And it is with you that I want to experience everything one hopes for in the family, it is with you that I want to cry, and I want to laugh, it is with you that I want to wake up every morning, it is with you that I want to experience the privilege of being a father.
Ignazio is very emotional.
I can’t explain to you in words what I feel inside, what happens to me when you take my hand and when you hug me, or when I see you sitting at a concert and we send each other kisses, or when I wake up and see you by my side every morning.
But I have the certainty that I want it for my whole life, I can’t do without it, they say it’s love, and that it’s all contained in one word: I LOVE YOU, but a bookcase full of empty books wouldn’t be enough to write to you many times. I love as much as I truly LOVE YOU.
It would be obvious to say I will take care of you, in joy and in pain, until death do us part, but I want to tell you that you are my life, that I will give you everything you have never had and maybe even then you wouldn’t know how wonderful it is to love you. Forever together, I LOVE YOU!
Could you imagine Ignazio singing at your wedding? So just imagine how amazing this first dance was for Michelle. Most grooms just dance with their bride, Ignazio also sang to her. Could you imagine the greatest tenor in the world singing at your wedding?
No wedding is complete without the father of the bride dancing with his beautiful daughter or the mother of the groom dancing with her handsome son. But this wedding had a special extra….
Ignazio starts his dance with his mother and then halfway through, he signals to Nina to join them. Many times during the wedding, as pictures were coming through, I was crying. But I must admit that when Ignazio asked Nina to join him and his mother, I lost it. On many occasions I said to Ignazio, “Cherish your sister! Never forget what your sister did for you. Always love her!” On his wedding day Ignazio showed Nina how much he loves her. Bravo Ignazio!
So the ladies are on the move. Perhaps Michelle will toss her bouquet. Is that even a tradition in Italy? Not sure!
And now the men are on the move. Maybe a garter needs to fly!
So who was at the wedding?
Michelle’s family….
Ignazio’s family!
A little bit of fun!
Other important guest at the wedding. All familiar faces. Ignazio’s family and Friends who are family….
It got a little bit cold as evening went on!
Of course Gianluca was there with Claudia.
In fact they found a way to warm up!
Peppe was there!
Longtime friend and confident of Ignazio. Someone we all know – Federica (Kika) Fina. You looked radiant my friend!
The day after the wedding the families came together to spend a beautiful day on Lake Como!
Ignazio’s family was there.
Michelle’s Family was there.
So how do we end this beautiful story? I’m sure many of you felt the emotions as I did. Ignazio is one of our own. He is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is kind and compassionate and always puts everyone before himself!
Oddly enough, Michelle is exactly like Ignazio. She cares so much for the people she loves. The thing that stood out in her wedding vows was not just that she said she would be proud to be the mother of Ignazio’s children, it was that it was a deep desire, a hope to fulfill Ignazio’s dream!
Can you imagine your most important thought on your wedding day is to fulfill your husbands dream by becoming the mother of his children and stepping into the future he desires! The secret of a good marriage is putting your partners needs before your own. That’s why I know they love each other so much.
Ignazio taught us that hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for never give up! Keep your hopes and your dreams in your heart. Hold your dreams like a light within you! Dreams makes all our hopes come true almost like magic. Ignazio did just that; he hoped, and he dreamed, and he can truly say to Michelle, I’ll Be Loving you Eternally!
The End! No Just the Beginning!
Note: Sorry this story was posted so late! I’ve been in Italy for three weeks working. I even went to a wedding there. No, it wasn’t Ignazio’s wedding!
It seems Christmas came early this year. I really wanted to attend the concert at the Valley of the Temples, but I have to be in Italy on September 16th, and I just couldn’t justify going to Italy so early.
I’m told the concert was spectacular. Could it be anything less? Afterall, it is an Il Volo Concert. I can’t wait to see the Special on December 24th on Rai and the PBS Special.
As you know I write a Christmas story every year and this year will be no exception. I always write about the family because this is the one time of the year that the guys put aside for their family.
For the guy’s family is family. And not just blood. When they first started out, they traveled with one of their parents. Sometimes a father and sometimes a mother. And so it was that the mother of one became the mother of three and so it was also with the fathers. Three families joined as one. But eventually the parents stayed home, and one person took over for all six parents ~ Barbara Vitali.
But now I’m getting ahead of the story….
As we all know, after the guys won Ti Lascio una Canzone, they embarked on the tour of a lifetime. Why do I say a lifetime? Because since the first time they came to America they have continued to come back year after year and each time they are as welcome as they were the first time.
Partof that first journey brought the guys to Los Angeles where, at the invitation of Quincy Jones’, they joined “We are The World for Haiti” a charity event. They performed alongside 80 other international artists including Celine Dion, Bono, Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand, Usher, Natalie Cole, and more.
Il Volo were the only Italian artists to be invited.
The three voices from the background caused such a sensation that everyone was asking, “Who was that?” They couldn’t believe what they were hearing but, “Who were they?” Soon they would find out!
Barbara Streisand took notice of them and in 2012, she invited the guys to join her on her “Back to Brooklyn Tour,” which included twelve performances in the United States and Canada. They were not an opening act, no, they shared the stage with Barbara. To the guys this was a dream come true!
By 2012, only three years after they were joined together, they had become quite an item.
The guys were riding high, and they were preparing to record “We Are Love” at the beginning of 2013 but suddenly things changed. Not only their lives, but their whole relationship. Their lives took on a whole new meaning….
One night in autumn in Miami everything changed, and the guys would become brothers and Barbara Vitali would become a mother who they dearly needed and loved. Her actions along with those of Piero and Gianluca made them a family that night.
This is one of those sad stories, but it is a story that turned out well.
I’ll let the guys tell you about that night.
Let’s begin with Ignazio since it is his story….
After the tour we started thinking about the second album and if I remember correctly, in April the album was released and in August the new tour began, from Vancouver, Canada. We will never forget that tour.
In September there was an episode that marked the relationship between us guys. It united us even more and made us understand that we three are the strength!
Miami, September 24th, was an evening like many others. We decided to go out with a group of friends to one of the most “in” Italian restaurants in South Beach.
The evening started well. We were having a lot of fun. The owner knew us well. He had us sit in the club that was on the top floor of the building where only members went. There were about fifty people there. We had dinner and from that point I remember only when I got on the sofa and when I woke up.
Piero continues….
Each of us lives bad, unhappy moments, sad moments, but I think that day, that night in Miami was the worst of my life. I remember every little detail and in a hundred years I will still remember it. We were in a famous restaurant in Miami, which was a restaurant and a disco, and at some point, after dancing a bit, we went out to move to another nightclub with some friends. I got in a taxi with one of them. Ignazio got into a car with someone else who had a two-seater car. We made our way in the taxi to the disco, which was very close to the restaurant.
So, we arrive in front of the room and I state that we do not drink. A glass of wine at the table, yes, but always in moderation. Sometimes we like to joke and pretend to be drunk. That night Ignazio was doing it with me, like talking on the phone with his wallet.
I know him very well, but for a moment I thought he was really drunk, but the bad thing was that he was not at all, and we only found out much later.
So, the taxi leaves me in front of the disco. Ignazio and his friend drive around the block to find parking. I wait in front of the door to see them turn the corner and then come together.
At a certain point, I saw our friend coming, but I no longer saw Ignazio.
I say: Excuse me, but where is Ignazio?
The Friend: He took a taxi and went to the hotel.
Ah okay. But then I had a doubt! It came to me that flash of Ignazio pretending to talk on the phone with his wallet.
Excuse me:I’m going back to the subject,but did you really see him get in the cab and say the address.
The Friend:No, I left him in front of my car.
The nightmare started then. Do you know what nightmare means?
I pick up the phone, wait for three minutes – the hotel is close to me – I call the reception.
I say:Excuse me, have you seen the guy from 320 come back?
Reception: No, I do not know.
I call our friend, who had entered the disco, and I say to him:Take me straight to the hotel.
I got in the car, and I thought I would immediately notify Gianluca, who was still at the restaurant and was to join us at the disco. I almost called him, but then I thought: What if Ignazio is in the hotel? Better to wait to sound the alarm.
I arrive at the hotel and ask again:Did you see the guy from 320 enter?
Reception: No, I do not think so, we have not seen anyone here.
At three-fifteen in the morning not many people pass by the entrance of a hotel, among those few people if Ignazio enters, you notice him, he is not one that goes unnoticed.
I say:Excuse me, could you give me the key to the room and let me in? At least I can see if he is asleep.
Reception: No, we cannot give it to you.
We are in the same group. You know very well he is my colleague.
Reception: No, unfortunately for privacy we cannot.
I begged the gentleman, I begged him, but he did not give me the key.
I go up, I go to Ignazio’s door with our friend, and we knock.
Igna’! Igna’! We shouted, beat and shouted, but no one answered.
In that chaos, however, from under the door we saw that the light was on. Ignazio is in the room!
I seemed to see him sleeping on the bed, or at least I hoped it, I hoped so much.
At that point, the doubt came to me,What if the room is really empty and he’s in some corner of Miami that felt bad? So, I took my friend and told him:Let’s go back to the disco street and check around it. But it’s not that we only made the disco area, no, we made almost all of Miami up and down to find Ignazio. But nothing! Three hours and no results. I had anguish that took my breath away.
At that point I had to warn the others, and I started with Gianluca.
Gianluca….
It was not until six o’clock. My heart stopped.
I suspected something had happened because I had waited for Ignazio and Piero at the disco, but they never arrived. I thought they changed their mind, perhaps they were tired or something. Never, however, to think that it was such a serious thing.
At that time, when Piero called me, I was in bed, recently, but was in bed.
I did not even think for a moment that Piero was joking. It was too serious, and Piero is not the kind to joke about such things.
I said only:I wait you below, I dressed and went down to the hotel lobby.
You cannot imagine what I thought in just a few minutes when I waited for him.
It was the first time in four years that we did not know where one of us was.
It was a, very, bad feeling!
Piero continues the story….
It was at that point that, together with Gianluca, we decided to wake Barbara.
Barbara, we cannot find Ignazio. I told her.
It was half past six in the morning. We had not heard from him for more than three hours.
Barbara says:A joke?
No, we cannot find him.
We only worried about Ignazio, but Barbara then had another problem to manage. That morning at 9:50 we had to fly to New York because the next day we had a concert at Radio City Music Hall. And not just any show, sold out, and all our parents were going to New York and to Washington, our lawyers had arrived, and all those who work with us. And Michele, of course, because this was the most important concert of the whole tour.
Piero tells Barbara: However, I tell her, from under the door you can see the light, maybe he’s asleep on the bed, only they won’t give us the key to the room.
First thing, Barbara gets up, gets dressed, and runs to open Ignazio’s door.
She basically threatens the one at the front desk, so she goes to room 320 with a bodyguard from the hotel and they open the room.
Ignazio was not there: my world collapsed there. My blood is frozen.
At that point Barbara calls Michele in New York.Michele, there’s a problem Ignazio cannot be found.
Michele: It’s a joke.
From there Michele mobilizes everyone. He calls all his friends in Miami, everyone. Meanwhile, Michele also had to understand whether or not to cancel the concert and how to cancel it. I could not put my head around it, my only fear, and my biggest nightmare was the fact that Ignazio was not there.
Barbara, in the meantime, calls Flavio, another friend of ours in Miami and he arrives with his motorbike. Let it be known that Barbara has a fear of motorcycles, she had never ridden in her life. She got on the motorbike and went to the police station to ask if they had arrested a boy in a green shirt and then she went to all the hospitals to see if some ambulance had brought in a guy with a green shirt.
We turned Miami upside down there.
What was I doing?
Gianluca continues the story….
Piero and I took turns at the hotel, watching all the taxis and we hoped that Ignazio would descend.
Piero interrupts…
Every taxi that arrived, we prayed to heaven and earth.
And where was Ignazio? Time for Ignazio to come back into the story…
The police woke me up the next morning on the lawn of South Beach’s main street, telling me that if I did not get up, they would have to take me to jail. At 9:50 on that September 25th we had a flight to New York and, on the 27th we had the most important concert of the tour at Radio City Music Hall. The concert was sold out for a few weeks. There were six thousand people.
Time to wake up and I realize that everything is gone, my cell phone, wallet, and jacket. They had stolen everything. What do I do? And above all, what time is it? Something told me it was late. So, I start running.
But where are you going? I told myself at a certain point. I stopped to see where I was. I was between the seventh and eighth, quite the opposite of the restaurant and our hotel that was on the nineteenth. I definitely had to hurry up. So, I start running again, but the problem remained to understand what time it was.
I stop and ask a gentleman, who answers me:It’s 9:50, man!
The first thought? The flight! In the sense of the plane … Then I start to run, but this time like a bolt in the Olympics, but I realize that the hotel is too far. A taxi, a taxi was needed.
I glanced down the road and one was passing on the opposite lane. I start running wildly without checking if any cars are coming. Fortunately, there was no one. This street in Miami is always busy but, at that precise moment no one passed. Do we want to call it ass? (Luck)
Anyway, I get the taxi. Driving was an African American woman and I’m asking her to take me to the hotel. In fact, I do not even know how I could remember the name of the hotel.
Piero interrupts….
It was already 9:30, the plane was already gone, and Ignazio was still not found.
I was desperate. I no longer knew who to pray to or what to think. They have kidnapped him, they will have killed him, they will be threatening him.
Barbara arrived back at the hotel from the hospital and the police station without news.
So now I’m going up, riding on the bike with Flavio. What do I do? This time I start going around the alleys of Miami. The nightclub was on the Sixteenth Street. The hotel was on the nineteenth, so three blocks away, it was close. I asked every bum I met:Excuse me, have you seen a boy with a green shirt?
A dollar, I heard a lot of times. And while I was shooting there, Gianluca was waiting in front of the hotel for all the taxis coming hoping to see Ignazio descend, while Barbara had been on the phone for so long that she no longer knew who to call.
Hope was already lost in New York.
Ignazio returns to say….
When I arrived at the hotel, I saw Barbara and Gianluca sitting on a bench as if waiting for someone. Then I got out of the taxi and asked them:Excuse me, do you have any dollars to pay for the taxi? They both looked up together ….
Gianluca interrupts…
… I burst into tears; I started screaming. It was as if they had taken a weight off my shoulders that crushed me to the ground and prevented me from breathing.
Ignazio….
Barbara paid for the taxi and started to call Michele, who I later realized, in the midst of all that concern, also had to find a way to solve the problems that would have caused a possible cancellation of the concert in New York.
My mother, who was already there, had understood everything, because I did not answer the phone and she had news of what happened from Gaetano and Leonora, Piero’s parents and Gianluca’s mother.
Piero….
While I was riding on the Lincoln Road, with Flavio, my phone rings: it was half past ten.
Gianluca shrieked: He has arrived, he has arrived, he is here!
I scream from the bike to vent all the evil I had inside. I cried. Do you know when you run with the bike and you have all the tears? What’s this? And I punched Flavio, I gave punches from happiness.
We arrive at the hotel, and I see Ignazio in front of the reception with that blessed green jersey. He had gone out the night before with a blue jacket and they had stolen it, along with his wallet and cell phone.
What did I do? I called my mom because Ignazio was not well. I understood that they had given him something. My mother tells me to let him drink a lot of water and give him a spoonful of honey. And you see Ignazio lying on the bed and I with the spoon, you know when you give the syrup to your son? With the honey spoon to make him eat everything he could swallow.
Too sad and also hard to tell.
Ignazio….
The boys accompanied me to my room, they helped me take a shower because when I looked in the mirror, I realized that I was full of bruises and scratches on my face and body, some bumps here and there and I was also half lame.
The two of them together with Barbara had gone around Miami all night, from three thirty in the morning to ten, in taxis, motorbikes, between hospitals and various police departments to look for me, while I was sleeping in the fresh air on a green lawn.
That night they beat me with blows. They threw me right and left. But I had not gotten drunk, I had just accepted a drink that had been drugged without my noticing it. Do you know one thing? From that day on, if I go to a pub or a disco, I always ask for closed drinks, I have to open them myself.
My biggest rage of that night is I do not remember anything, as if they had cut the film of a camera roll and had it attached to a later piece. It’s not nice to not be able to remember.
Barbara, in the end, managed to move the flight, we left later and arrived at the hotel. Our parents were waiting outside, with shining eyes and the desire to hug us like never before. Shortly afterwards, my father arrived. He was stuck in London and, poor man, had to travel from London to New York without knowing if they had found me.
In the end it’s the result that matters. I can say that this experience made us grow a lot and made us want more good things for each other.
That concert at Radio City Music Hall was one of the most beautiful concerts we’ve ever done. We sang like never before maybe because we had just found out what it meant to lose everything in a moment.
During that concert Ignazio had a special message for the guys and everyone involved with Il Volo.
So here we are at the end of the story. The guy’s got through the night because they were a family! Three brothers looking out for one another and a mother who would not give up until she found her missing sheep and returned him to the fold. Becoming a Family wasn’t easy for the guy’s but when they realized their own strength they knew they had come to a new reality in their lives. They knew they could depend on one another, and they had a mother to turn to in difficult moments.
So, I began this story by saying Christmas will be different this year. Yes, Barbara is gone and the three have lost a mother and it will be very difficult to pass the holidays without her. But they have each other to lean on.
Very soon Ignazio will marry the beautiful Michelle Bertollini, and she will become a part of the Il Volo family and as each guy marries, the family will continue to grow! It’s the wheel of life! One gets off, one gets on and each one is a treasure!
For your listening pleasure the entire September 27, 2013 concert from Radio City Music Hall.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
What I have written here are excerpts from the book the guys wrote about their lives. “Il Volo, Un’avventura Straordinario, La Nostra Storia.” (An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story)
So often I write about the journalists who have no respect for Il Volo and treat them very rudely. But today I want to write about a journalist who is a champion for our guys.
Marino Bartoletti has always been A True Defender of Il Volo.
Marino Bartoletti is a true friend to the guys, often standing up for them on television and defending them before the Sanremo jury. A distinguished Italian journalist and writer known for his integrity and refinement; Marino deeply admires Il Volo. In the realm of entertainment and communication, he emphasizes that “the value of affection, esteem, and sincerity is immense. Human relationships and friendship hold great significance.”
To give you a bit of background, Marino Bartoletti is a renowned journalist, a profound music connoisseur, and an expert on the Sanremo Festival. Above all, he is a man of great culture and humanity.
In a January 2024 interview with Paola Stranges of italiani.it, Marino discussed his illustrious career and his latest book, “The Supper of the Gods.”
Marino explained,The Great Old Man is a creation that gives me immense satisfaction, reflecting a lot of who I am. It’s a story about a provincial boy who, even before he grew a mustache, wondered about the fate of our entertainment, music, and sports champions. I’ve envisioned the Great Old Man, Enzo Ferrari, who has spent over forty years in his world, contemplating a celestial dinner with people he admires, including those he has known and others he wishes he had met.
He continued, Ferrari, as the Great Old Man, sets up this ideal dinner in Olympus, even if his strong personality sometimes clashes with the other Great Old Man up there. Despite this, the dinner turns out well, with carefully chosen characters sharing true stories.
Paola:Sanremo is upon us for the first time in a different guise. Will the magic of music reach the audience from home?
Marino: …. After thirty years it will be the first time that I don’t go there, I will watch it from my home. Sanremo has to do it, they have been doing it for 71 years or at least it is the seventy-first edition. It started in 1951, it’s almost my age, I think I’ve seen almost all of them since the age of reason, I’ve seen more than thirty professionally. I am wary of those who distrust Sanremo because it means that they have not understood its social as well as artistic value. It is right that it should be done, not for commercial reasons which also exist, but for this very reason artistic value and for this social value that must be preserved. We think that just sixty years ago, the organizer threw some singers into the fray so there was someone who tore his clothes saying: “But who is this Celentano, who is this Giorgio Gaber, who is this Gino Paoli with dark glasses, who is this Milva, who is this Little Tony, who is this Pino Donaggio, who is this Umberto Bindi, who is this Edoardo Vianello, they were the ones who made the fifty years of history of Italian pop music next one. We old people have to be careful, at this moment I am seized by a flash of irresistible youthfulness.
In November 2017, during a book promotion event in San Lazzaro di Savena near Bologna, Marino was pleasantly surprised when Piero and Ignazio along with their manager Michele Torpedine, showed up to support him. Marino noted, Although Gianluca Ginoble couldn’t attend due to prior commitments, he sent a heartfelt message. It was heartwarming to see these incredible artists, who were performing in Buenos Aires and soon traveling to Miami and Kiev, supporting me despite their busy schedule.
Marino expressed his appreciation for their presence, stating,Their talent and dedication to promoting Italian music worldwide is admirable. They are preparing to release a new album after a successful tour in Central and South America. I always feel a deep sense of joy seeing them, not just for their talent but for who they are as people. They are genuine and wonderful individuals.
In April 2018, Marino had dinner with Piero and Ignazio at a tavern. He humorously remarked about Ignazio’s habit of blasting their CD in his car, saying the volume was so high it could be heard from the Madonna di San Luca Church (high on the hill) in Bologna. Marino reflected on their time together, appreciating their simplicity and enjoying their stories. He found it amusing when people who had never met them labeled them as ‘pretentious’ or ‘arrogant.’
Marino described Piero as more serious with unexpected bursts of irony, while Ignazio was a sweet trickster who, by the end of the evening, shared a video of a model airplane he built with his dad, humorously lamenting how it used to fly better when they had less money.
Marino also gifted the group a beautiful sketch by Giorgio Serra, affectionately known as ‘Matitaccia.’ He proclaimed, We all shared smiles. Please, keep being ‘bad’ in the eyes of those who don’t yet appreciate you. But never change! If you continue to achieve success worldwide, it’s simply a sign of your exceptionalism. Those who doubt you will eventually come around because you truly are BRAVI.
Marino admitted, Initially, I had some reservations about them. However, after meeting them during my book presentation, I was struck by their authenticity and courtesy. They were generous with their time and open to chatting with everyone present—qualities that are rare these days. Their compassion and skill make their global success well-deserved. Well done.
So, where did this relationship begin?
In an August 2019 interview with Luca Maggitti, Marino Bartoletti discussed Il Volo. Maggitti reflected on Bartoletti’s initial visit to Roseto, noting how this place had become special for him, particularly because of his connection with Gianluca Ginoble.
Marino said:Everyone knows of my respect for him, but it’s more than that—it’s a deep friendship and affection.
Maggitti then asked,What makes Il Volo so special? They’ve completed eleven consecutive world tours and continue to fill theaters everywhere. As a music expert and journalist, why do you think they’re so beloved and famous globally?
Maggitti also questioned why some journalists still fail to fully grasp their success and talent. He acknowledged his own attachment to them as stemming from affection, friendship, and admiration, but also recognized their embodiment of great bel canto: skill, and the ability to showcase Italian genius abroad. He wondered why this same genius isn’t more appreciated in Italy and what more these young men need to prove.
Bartoletti:I could answer you by reversing the question, that is, by asking me how there are still people (even our journalist colleagues) who still do not understand, this success of theirs and their talent. I admit that I am attached to them by affection, friendship and admiration towards them, but they have everything that is asked of bel canto, skill, the ability to transmit the Italian genius abroad. But it’s the same Italian genius that should be better understood in Italy, and then I wonder, what else do these guys have to prove?
They are boys who have reached their tenth year, and sold out everywhere, even here in Italy. I can only say that I admire them very much, that I admire their “spirit of sacrifice” which is extraordinary, because they could “sit on their laurels”, instead they continue to improve, to improve. This year they were very good, even in Sanremo where they achieved third place, so very elegantly. I would like the Italian guys to look more like them, especially as the families of the Italian boys were more like the families of Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio, because I always say this publicly, that the strength of these guys is what they have behind them, family, culture, education, humility.
Marino has always been there for the guys, and they truly appreciate his friendship and his love and affection for them. He is by far A True Defender of Il Volo. We need more journalists like him.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
For your listening pleasure, Il Volo in Moscow their Concert 2019.
Credit to owners of photos of videos and photos.
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