Time passes quickly and there is very little left until the start of the U.S. tour. For this very reason I want to reiterate some important things.
Since there will be new fans approaching the concerts, and certainly these new fans, pleasantly surprised and full of admiration, will look for news of Il Volo on any platform, site, blog, fan pages.
For this reason, once again I want to warn everyone, new and old fans, so that they do not fall into the countless scams carried out behind Il Volo’s back and in particular to the detriment of Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio.
Scrolling on Google I found this article written a year ago immediately after the Sanremo 2024 performance. It is interesting and was published by ACTA.
ACTA: Action Against Affective Scams and Fight Cybercrime
Il Volo, huge scam for fans: many risked losing everything.
— Requests for help from people scammed with this drama are also arriving at ACTA and fans of the band risk falling into the same sophisticated emotional scam.
They are also among the most loved artists of the recent Sanremo Festival. We are talking about Il Volo, the band that literally enchanted the audience at the Ariston theater with the song “Capolavoro”. In the singing competition, Gianluca Ginoble, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone earned a well-deserved eighth step on the podium. Much loved and in demand all over the world, the two tenors and the baritone have an agenda full of commitments and exciting singing appointments.
When you are at the peak of success, however, it is inevitable that mechanisms are unleashed that can have repercussions – and even seriously – on the fans of certain artists. This is exactly what happened for the band protagonist of the 74th Italian Song Festival. Ginoble, Boschetto and Barone, in this case, found themselves involved in a huge online scam.
Posing as the agent of the three Il Volo artists and convincing fans that a “simple” payment would be enough to meet their favorites. By means of bank transfer, obviously, or bitcoin. It might seem like a movie script, but instead this is what recently happened to supporters of the beloved band.
The investigation, carried out by a journalist from Novella 2000, allowed the fake profile of Michele Torpedine to be identified. The latter, posing as the agent of Il Volo, made users believe that, to have a moment face to face with the band, all they had to do was shell out money. We started from a minimum of 2 thousand euros, and then gradually increased the amount if requests from the public increased. And obviously, also based on the time that each admirer wanted to spend with Ginoble, Barone and Boschetto. A huge scam which, unfortunately, has deceived a significant number of people, enticed by the proposal of being able to spend time with the three singers.
Once the wrongdoings of the alleged Il Volo agent had been brought to light, the Novella 2000 staff proceeded to inform not only the investigators, but also the entourage of the band itself. A terrible deception, the one concocted against the admirers of the singers, which saw many people defrauded.
When you are at the height of success, on the other hand, the haters are as numerous as the fans. Unfortunately, predicting the onset of certain mechanisms is literally impossible. The investigation conducted by Novella 2000, at this juncture, proved to be nothing short of providential.
So, once again I want to warn everyone against these scammers who pass themselves off as Il Volo, Torpedine and above all Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble.
Remember that: Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca NEVER ASK ANYONE FOR MONEY
THEY NEVER CHAT WITH ANY FANS BY INVITING THEM ON OTHER SITES BEWARE OF FAKE VIDEOS spread with their images and voices, where they compliment you and ask you to follow them on private sites. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence allows them to make these fake videos that seem real, BUT THEY ARE NOT REALLY THEM.
Below is an example of a fake video.
Only join credible and series fan pages that do not pretend to be our guys.
Be wary of anyone who offers you (even with the faces of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca) concert tickets or VIP badges, only go to the official channels, which will refer you to secure ticket resellers.
Don’t like photos that are published generically, only like them on serious fan pages, don’t waste likes on photos that attract you because they are beautiful, but for cheaters it’s a reason to hook you up.
This photo that I attach is false or otherwise falsified.
Don’t friend anyone Il Volo, Michele Torpedine, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto or Gianluca Ginoble, they are all FAKE!!!
I myself receive friend requests every day from fake Piero, Ignazio or Gianluca, even from Torpedine and even from Ercole Ginoble!!!
Remember that Il Volo has only one official website, this one:
The guys also have official Instagram accounts with the blue check mark, also known as the verified badge, which indicates that an account is authentic.
Soon Il Volo will be with you and therefore I ask you to spread the word as much as possible to alert old and new fans about this type of scam.
I also want to thank Cindi Dominguez for her efforts on this matter, your email reached me, and as you can see, I thought it best to write another post on this topic, thank you!!
And now I want to lighten the mood a little by publishing some videos of reactions to the performance of THE SOUND OF SILENCE by Clara and Il Volo in Sanremo.
I’ll start with the review by Giacomo Rossi, the good Vocal Coach who also publishes under the name Jack’s Reaction – Vocal Coach. His analyzes are always detailed and honest. In his personal ranking he places Clara and Il Volo in 5th place, but activate the subtitles to read his beautiful words about Il Volo, he talks about them at the beginning, immediately after the introduction of the video.
I wrote to Giacomo Rossi thanking him for the kind words on Il Volo and told him that I would publish the video on Flight Crew, so if you can comment under the YouTube video, he will be happy.
I also liked this video and it doesn’t need translation for you. He doesn’t know Il Volo but immediately admires it!
Two more nice reactions!
There are just a few days left until Il Volo arrives in the U.S. for the first concert of their tour!!
Are you ready!!!
Did you get the tickets?
Just a few more days and they will be with you, brightening your evenings with their splendid voices!!
And the Sanremo cover evening is over too. What about the evening?
Il Volo with Clara were amazing, very good, beautiful interpretation and Clara’s voice blended well with that of Il Volo!!
Elegant, beautiful, talented, and they sang very well. Thunderous applause!!
I remind you that Il Volo was not in the race. On the evening dedicated to Covers (already famous songs), the rules require the competing singer to duet with other singers. Clara, who you all know by now because last year in the Arena she did a duet with Gianluca, asked Il Volo to duet with her.
From Clara’s words in an interview, it seems that she has established a beautiful friendship with our boys, there is a lot of esteem and respect and also camaraderie between them. 🥰
But here is the video of the evening.
Overwhelming, skin-deep shivers and applause demonstrate that the audience liked it!!! 👏👏👏👏
Immediately after singing, the interview with RADIO RAI 2. (turn on subtitles)
Such beauty and skill, as we always know by now, does not correspond to the vote, in fact CLARA and IL VOLO will only place ninth!!!! INCREDIBLE, once again the juries did not support them!!!! 🤬🤬🤬
I already know that many of you will be thinking: “But why do they go to Sanremo? They don’t need it.”
I can tell you that Sanremo, for better or worse, has very strong media exposure and therefore in addition to being seen by millions of Italians on TV, it offers many opportunities for radio interviews and online listening, certainly by people who are not fans of Il Volo.
In fact, I am attaching a series of radio interviews done by Il Volo on the occasion of the Sanremo evening, where you can activate the subtitles, because they are interviews that don’t say anything new, but are certainly useful to get to know and get people talking about Il Volo!!
First we start from the arrival of Clara and Il Volo in Sanremo.
And here is the roundup of radio and TV interviews. (where possible activate the automatic translator)
STORIE ITALIANE
RTL 102.5
RADIO SUBASIO
RADIO 101
RADIO 105
CIAO COMO
RAI RADIO2
RADIO MONTECARLO
RADIO ITALIA
RADIO FESTIVAL
And then they were interviewed by Stefano Fisico for Radio Number One, unfortunately it is an audio file, but I remind you that last year Stefano Fisico had interviewed Gianluca and Piero and from that badly interpreted interview the rumor of the division of Il Volo was born and although Stefano Fisico had threatened his fellow journalists and speakers of fake news, the rumor that spread was that Il Volo was arguing and was dividing.
In the current interview, Stefano and the boys good-naturedly make fun of last year’s interview and say that people still think that Il Volo has split….. incredible.
Furthermore, Il Volo also had the opportunity to do a CD signing in Sanremo!!
And now a nice roundup of photos and videos backstage before going on stage!
And here Clara, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca send best wishes to all lovers and not (in short for everyone), for VALENTINE’S DAY.❤️
Another beautiful moment was theSORRISI E CANZONI interview.
The answers from Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio were funny. I translate for you, also imagining the probable questions.😉
QUESTION = What is never missing in your suitcase?
GIANLUCA= I don’t know….any books?
PIERO= I don’t lack…shoes to go running. That’s a must.
IGNAZIO= For me on tour definitely electronic material, computers for recording and making music.
QUESTION= How long does it take you to pack?
GIANLUCA= Ah, we are very fast now, there is always a suitcase ready at home, already open. In fact, when guests come we apologize: “Sorry, there’s an open suitcase, because every now and then, close, open….”.
IGNAZIO= That’s you, not me, it’ll take me half an hour.
PIERO= I have a list of things to pack, maybe in 10 minutes I can easily pack a suitcase for two months. You know when you go to the pharmacist and tell him: “Will you give me that medicine?” and he does this and takes it? (Piero moves his arm back without turning) So he’s at our house to pack his bags.
QUESTION= Have you ever missed a plane?
GIANLUCA= Uh, in Paris at Charles De Gaulle, how many flights did we miss.
IGNAZIO= In Miami!! (when he was drugged)
PIERO= But not many, if we do a statistic, guys in 16 years maybe 3 or 4 flights we have missed.
IGNAZIO= In 16 years we have lost 0.02%.
PIERO= Exactly
GIANLUCA= No, more!
IGNAZIO= Once because of me (Miami)
PIERO= Once it was his fault (Ignazio) and then…..
GIANLUCA= Obviously we’re not leaving, it’s not like we’re going away and leaving him on the ground, so we have to wait for him.
PIERO= This makes you understand the unity of this group.
GIANLUCA= True love, great love!!
PIERO= Miss a flight so as not to leave anyone behind!
QUESTION= When you are abroad, what do you miss most about Italy?
IGNAZIO= The cuisine is certainly Italian, even if you manage to find good restaurants, but it’s never like the food here. And then Italy, the cuisine of my home, is what I really miss.
GIANLUCA= The sea of Roseto degli Abruzzi, my sea!
PIERO= The gossip!! (it sure is ironic).
IGNAZIO= It is not recommended to go and eat in Italian restaurants outside Italy.
GIANLUCA= No, no, there are good restaurants, but we are not negative, we try everything.
PIERO= Let’s specify!
IGNAZIO= I have never eaten a pizza outside Italy.
PIERO= Because you are a curious boy and since we are devoured by curiosity, we like to try local foods, therefore local customs.
QUESTION = What do you do when you are on the plane?
IGNAZIO= I’m sleeping. I sit down, 20 minutes pass and I fall asleep.
PIERO= So, during take-off I read, before sleeping I watch a film, then I eat and sleep, we are talking about intercontinental flights, so 15 hours of flight: I read, watch a film and eat and then I fall asleep and can sleep for 10-11 hours.
GIANLUCA= The exact same things.
QUESTION= Tell me about your concerts.
IGNAZIO= The last concerts we will do will be in Mantua on 8, 10 and 11 May at Palazzo del Te.
PIERO= we will create the third edition of ALL FOR ONE, we are waiting for you.
GIANLUCA= There will be many guests, we are working on the new repertoire because the objective of this project is to highlight our personalities, but to mix musical genres, which is always very exciting and interesting.
PIERO= 8 – 10 – 11 May
And by the way, by now you all know, in Italy the only concerts that will take place this year have been announced and they are in May on the 8th – 10th – 11th in Mantua at the Palazzo del Te.
In several interviews Il Volo said that in this way they show another piece of Italy.
Mantua is a beautiful town not far from Brescia.
Palazzo del Te is a beautiful building from the 1500s designed for the Gonzaga family.
Summer concerts are held in the exedra of the palace (the garden area behind the palace with the final semicircular construction), let’s hope it doesn’t rain! 🤞
The rooms of Palazzo del Te are beautiful and frescoed, the “Room of the Giants” is famous.
So the next events in Italy are in Mantua and I already have tickets for my husband and I for May 10th, I can’t wait!!
We’re also archiving the Sanremo evening, but you’re preparing for their arrival, it’s very little time until they’ll be with you!!!
The day after the LE IENE broadcast, ZELIG was broadcast. Zelig is a program that favors comedy, so everything said or done must be interpreted as such. Given this, Il Volo was a musical guest and then answered some “questions” (in reality they are not real questions but witty jokes).
The show is presented by Vanessa Incontrada and Claudio Bisio.
I remind you that this broadcast (like LE IENE) is not live, but was recorded in October.
Since Il Volo was not present in the entire episode, I only propose the moments relating to them.
In the video below, the boys answer questions from journalists.
Attention!! As I told you, they are not real journalists and the questions have nothing to do with Il Volo, they are comical moments which Il Volo lends itself to!! 😁
VANESSA= Three world-famous voices are about to enter here in Zelig. They are dear friends of mine and for me it is truly a great, great pleasure to have at Zelig: Il Volo!!
IGNAZIO= Hello, hello everyone.
GIANLUCA= Good evening.
VANESSA= A big round of applause for this incredible trio. Hi Gianluca, hello Ignazio, hello Piero, how are you?
IGNAZIO= How are you? (addressed to the public)
VANESSA= Come forward, come with me, we’re a little too far behind. So, we would have organized a small press conference here in Zelig because there were a few journalists who wanted to ask you some questions.
Mary, can you kindly bring me the stools? These journalists wanted to ask you a few things and I didn’t want to say no.
PIERO= We are ready for anything!
VANESSA= Are you ready?
IGNAZIO= Yes, yes.
VANESSA= The journalists I don’t know where they are….
MAN = Here we are, good evening. I am very happy to be here this evening in the company of three artists with a capital A. Three internationally renowned actors, three actors that the whole world envies us, represent Italy in the world. At this point it arises spontaneously: When will the three of you make a film together again? (laughter) 😁
VANESSA= No. I mean, they will be happy with this compliment, but they are Il Volo, let’s talk about music.
MAN= Ah, aren’t I Kim Rossi Stuart? Claudio Santamaria not even? (they are Italian actors) 😁
VANESSA= No, They are Il Volo: Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero.
PIERO= Nice to meet you!!
MAN= Ah, I apologize!!
VANESSA= Can we at least know who you are?
MAN = Yes, I’m Aldo Bruzzone, I write for Il Rincoglionito (The Stupidity) 😁
IGNAZIO= Ah!!!
VANESSA= I can say that we imagined this! 😂
So please, any more questions?
MAN 2= Here, here. Good evening.
VANESSA = Good evening.
MAN 2= I’m Flavio Ciancio and I write for Boxer which is a magazine about boxing, dogs and underwear (the three meanings of boxer – laughter) 😂
VANESSA= There, perfect!
IGNAZIO= Boxing? 🤔
VANESSA= Do you want to ask a question, or???
MAN 2= Yes, can someone scratch my back? I’m going crazy! 😂
VANESSA= Do any of you (at Il Volo) want to go and scratch his back?
IGNAZIO= I’ll go!
VANESSA= Are you going, Ignazio?
GIANLUCA= With the microphone, with the microphone!
IGNAZIO= At Cannavacciuolo mode? 😂 (He’s a famous Italian chef, his slaps on the back are famous.)
MAN 2= Perfect, thanks! 😁
VANESSA= Ah, what a nice scratch! So let’s move on, more questions please.
MAN 3= Yes, here.
VANESSA= Tell me.
MAN 3= I’m Omar Pirovano and I write for THE INSISTENT. Can I ask a question?
VANESSA= I’m afraid to ask you, but you’re here, so let’s insist.
MAN 3 = Shall I do it?
IGNAZIO= We insist.
MAN 3= I wanted to ask Il Volo: can you tell Claudio Bisio if he’ll let me do the monologue?
PIERO= No.
VANESSA= If you want we can ask Il Volo, Claudio knows they’ll say no.
IGNAZIO= To Il Volo in what sense? Do you want to ask Claudio right away? Or us? (There is a play on words that loses meaning in translation.)
VANESSA= To Claudio and Il Volo.
PIERO= Il Volo tells you no.
GIANLUCA= We insist, that’s not the case.
MAN 3= Oh well, I wanted to do a monologue…..
VANESSA= I know you always try, but you can’t do it….
MAN 3= Bad you are bad.
VANESSA= Oh well! I know that there is also a journalist from New York who has come especially for you.
MAN 4= Yes, I’m here.
CLAUDIO= I translate what he says, not everyone knows….
IGNAZIO= What are you doing?
PIERO= Do you speak English?
CLAUDIO= Why not! Please, please.
IGNAZIO= We’re counting on you (he says this to Claudio, as if Il Volo didn’t know English)
CLAUDIO= One, two, three (makes it clear that he knows English). 😁😁
MAN 4= My name is Billy Ray Valentine…
CLAUDIO= His name is Billy Ray Valentine…
IGNAZIO= And you were born on February 14th? (Saint Valentine) 😁
MAN 4= Exactly! (then says a few meaningless words in English)
CLAUDIO= The question is: What’s the weather like in New York? And what time is it?
PIERO= Right now it’s 9:00 pm.
CLAUDIO= Another question.
MAN 4= But you not to plains over in station (it doesn’t make sense, they’re just English words) Splending in station.
CLAUDIO= I know you often play Playstation…. Fifa? (it’s a football game for PlayStation – Fifa in Italian means fear, so they make the sign of fear with their hand)
MAN 4= (he says it in incorrect English) Before being together, you were alone, how did you become three?
CLAUDIO= Before being together you were alone, how did you become trees? (three = trees)
VANESSA= Let’s do well Claudio!
GIANLUCA= The apple never falls far from the tree. 😁
MAN 4= They come from different Italian regions (always in broken English) Who decided to put them together?
CLAUDIO= Were you born as a cover of Hu?
GIANLUCA= But where did you get this translator?
VANESSA= Well, he’s Claudio!
CLAUDIO= I took an intensive English course.
VANESSA= In one day!
CLAUDIO= It lasted a day!
(some comical lines with double meanings follow to introduce the request to Il Volo to sing a song)
VANESSA= We can move on, there are other journalists.
MAN 5= Good evening, I’m Alberto Pedullà, very happy to be here. An interesting newspaper pleases the infantryman and the infant (Italian rhyming words).
VANESSA= Yes?
MAN 5= Asks questions at all costs, never vulgar, never rude.
VANESSA= Do you have a question for Il Volo?
MAN 5= Yes, I kindly ask the singing trio, an exciting high note!
(Il Volo sings the chorus of Grande Amore) applause!
VANESSA= Are you satisfied?
MAN 5= Very good, but I want to say: the applause is welcome, but given how fashionable I am, a standing ovation is needed here!
VANESSA= (everyone standing) Yay, I’m standing up for you too!
IGNAZIO= I also stand up for them (the audience)
VANESSA= (to man 5) Are you satisfied?
MAN 5= But look, more than satisfied I must say!!
VANESSA= So, are there any last questions we have to close the conference?
CLAUDIO= (he has put on a false beard and this makes the boys laugh a lot). I’m Francesco Cristoforo, known as Fra, I write for Canta Tu.
VANESSA= Do you have a question?
CLAUDIO= Of course (then intones Fra Martino campanaro and Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca sing the song like a choir) 🥰 applause
VANESSA= Thanks to Il Volo for this mega and in my opinion Ignazio, unforgettable press conference.
GIANLUCA= Thanks to all the nice journalists.
CLAUDIO+VANESSA= (they say the names of the comedians who played the journalists).
Followed by the performance of Il Volo with Capolavoro!! ❤️
CLAUDIO= Il Volo live in Zelig.
VANESSA= Il Volo!!
PIERO= Thank you, thank you all! (final greetings and hugs)
Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero then pleasantly answered some questions put to them backstage:
QUESTION= Who is the funniest of the three? (piero raises his hand)
GIANLUCA= Ignazio, come on!
IGNAZIO= (turning to Piero) Compa…..! (friend…..in Sicilian language – and then Ignazio makes an expression as if to say: give up, I’m the funniest)
QUESTION= Which one of you could sing a joke or a joke.
GIANLUCA= (he sings a verse of an Italian song, putting a different ending).
And I look at the world through a porthole……..they locked me inside the washing machine.
IGNAZIO= That’s Dado (the comedian who first distorted the phrase of the song)
GIANLUCA= Well done! (below you can see the comedian Dado singing the piece)
QUESTION= Something that really makes you laugh.
GIANLUCA= Piero’s shirt.
QUESTION= Is it more difficult to make people laugh or move with a song?
G+I+P= Make you laugh.
QUESTION= Do you have a favorite comedian?
PIERO= Cacioppo (Italian comedian) Every evening when I brush my teeth I always watch a video of Cacioppo.
IGNAZIO= Well I have to say my great friend Paolo Cevoli (another Italian comedian)
GIANLUCA= There were very high moments with Ale and Franz (an Italian comedy duo)
QUESTION= Three of your colleagues who could be comedians.
IGNAZIO= Gigi D’Alessio.
PIERO= Mario Biondi
IGNAZIO= and Clementino (they are all Italian singers)
QUESTION = How did you spend your first salary?
PIERO= We have never received a salary. (I think he means in the true sense of a salary.)
QUESTION= How did you spend the last one?
PIERO= With taxes.
QUESTION= The craziest thing a fan has ever asked?
IGNAZIO= If we could go and eat at their house.
GIANLUCA= Or to sing at their wedding.
PIERO= Or on their 18th birthday.
QUESTION= Perform all your life or win the lottery?
G+I+P= Performing all our life.
In this video Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca draw up their rating of the comedians who perform at Zelig. 😁
And finally, we are getting ever closer to the SANREMO moment and the Forbes Italia newspaper has drawn up a ranking of the ten Sanremo winning songs most listened to in streaming and Il Volo con Grande Amore is in eighth place!! Not bad considering that by Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca’s own admission, Il Volo isn’t listened to much on streaming and also considering that 10 years have passed!
I hope you also liked this translation, it is certainly of a completely different genre than that of LE IENE, but this also makes us understand that our boys jokingly lend themselves to any type of show.
Finally we were able to see the 48 hours spent by Nicolò De Devitiis of LE IENE, in the company of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
Everything was filmed during the 2024 European tour, and exactly during the Paris and Sofia stops.
I translated the entire interview, although I saw that there is a video with the automatic interview (which I attached at the bottom for those who want to see it), but I know that some of you find it difficult to follow the interview with subtitles if the words flow quickly, furthermore some things need to be explained to be better understood, in particular with LE IENE who often ask slightly satirical questions.
I’ll give you a premise.
The video begins with the presenter explaining the interview, behind her there is a man who pretends to translate with gestures, this makes you understand what type of interview we are going to see, because in Italy, it is clear that the interviews of LE IENE are often light-hearted and satirical, but they also often highlight the hidden sides of people
Happy viewing and happy reading.🥰
WOMAN= Welcome back to LE IENE, 10.35pm we are live (it’s not true) and we are about to meet the most famous trio in Italian music.
Three guys whose fame in our country is surpassed only by that which they were able to repay from a very young age all over the world. But if you think you know everything about them you are wrong because only we can show you who they are away from the stage and from the embrace of their fans.
We spent 48 hours with Il Volo together with Nicolò De Devitiis. (cheers and opening theme)
NICOLÒ= Imagine what it means to spend 24 hours a day with the same people for 15 years.
GIANLUCA= I have spent more than half my life with them. 😁
NICOLÒ= And the most absurd thing is that you didn’t choose those people, someone simply came along and put them together, like an arranged marriage.
PIERO= We argue every day. 😁
NICOLÒ= This is what happened to Il Volo. The group composed of Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio was created on the drawing board in a talent show. They were only 14 years old and didn’t know each other.
NICOLÒ= Are you more colleagues or friends?
IGNAZIO= It depends, we go in periods. 😁
NICOLÒ= Is there something you never told the two of them? (he tells Piero and the writing appears: Were you moved?) 😍
NICOLÒ= Were you moved? (this time he tells Gianluca)😍
GIANLUCA= Yes 😍
NICOLÒ= Why?
GIANLUCA= Why……why yes! 😍
NICOLÒ= I meet them in Paris, a stop on their tour.
GIANLUCA= Sorry, so we will spend 48 hours with you? Do we have to do it?
NICOLÒ= I want to meet you separately.
PIERO= Who do you want to start with? Do you want to start with me?
NICOLÒ= It only takes me a moment to understand the different characters, Piero is the control freak.🤩
PIERO= See you at the reception in 8 minutes.
NICOLÒ= Ignazio is lazy.🤩
IGNAZIO= I’m going to sleep.
NICOLÒ= And Gianluca the mysterious one.🤩
GIANLUCA= Then we’ll see, we’ll see!!
NICOLÒ= First thing I take Piero to his room.
PIERO= Before entering you will see many bottles of water and the room without carpets.
NICOLÒ= Are these the requests that an artist makes before entering?
PIERO= Yes, I suffer from a dust allergy, I can’t sleep with the carpet.
NICOLÒ= Are you a precise type?
PIERO= Too much
NICOLÒ= He takes out some running shoes, one of his true passions. Do you always run?
PIERO= Always.
NICOLÒ= I will follow him too and he obviously organized everything.
PIERO= Between 1 km and 7 we are at the Eiffel Tower.
NICOLÒ=Are you always like this?
PIERO= Yes.
NICOLÒ= I’m super active, but the problem is beating you, give me a high five! We will do great things. (starts running)
PIERO= Yesterday I ran in Lisbon, then when we arrive in Sofia the day after tomorrow, I’ll go for a run in Sofia. This is the only way to visit it (the city).
NICOLÒ= Because when you live like this, you are always traveling but in truth you don’t see anywhere.
PIERO= Do you know that I don’t know how to buy a plane ticket? I don’t like going on holiday.
NICOLÒ= Why are you forced to go there all year round? (he means that Piero travels around the world all year round so he prefers to stay at home on holiday).
PIERO= Like this all year round.
NICOLÒ= Do you ever have time for yourself?
PIERO= What do you mean by time for me?
NICOLÒ= For a game of soccer with friends.
PIERO= No, never.
NICOLÒ= A trip to Paris to do some shopping.
PIERO= No.
NICOLÒ= But then he asks me a question.
PIERO= What do people in general think of Il Volo? 🤔
NICOLÒ=Are you asking me? From the outside you seem like three quiet guys…
PIERO= Too good guys, right? That we don’t flex…..😂💪
NICOLÒ= Flexare is a term created by trappers to indicate the gesture of showing off something with pride, boasting, in short, anyone who flexes is cool, something that has very little to do with Il Volo.
PIERO= It doesn’t belong to me (to show off).
NICOLÒ= He confesses to me that one of the criticisms they receive most often is that of being a group for elderly people.
Why in the collective imagination, as you said before, is it thought that Il Volo is a group for old people?
PIERO= In Italy! (he means that in Italy there is this thought). In Mexico they are 70% girls, a very young audience, boys and girls.
NICOLÒ= Like tearing their hair out?…..like Backstreet boys!!
PIERO= We can’t sing!! (for the screams)
NICOLÒ= When did you tell your parents that you wanted to be a singer?
PIERO= Never, my grandfather understood it.
NICOLÒ= At what age?
PIERO= At 8 – 10 years old.
NICOLÒ= He takes part in TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE and as we said he is put in a group with Gianluca and Ignazio.
PIERO= Everything was born like this, we didn’t choose….
NICOLÒ= So you haven’t always been friends??
PIERO= No, we met there.
NICOLÒ= You have to put up with it!
They are very different people, with very different audiences.
PIERO= Gianluca is the one I like the most….
NICOLÒ= To the old women?….
PIERO= No, no, to the girls. 🥰
IGNAZIO=?
PIERO= The grandmothers go crazy for Ignazio!🥰
NICOLÒ= You have a bit of everything, you’re the handsome one, come on!! 🥰
But now he has to pass the baton and accompany me to Ignazio.
PIERO= In practice you will find him on the bed. He never comes to dinner, he always does room service. Now that he sees you come in he’ll be the most annoyed man in the world. (Piero knocks on Ignazio’s door). Ignazio!! (Ignazio opens the door)
NICOLÒ= But you didn’t even change?
PIERO= Let’s see if he has at least opened the suitcase.😁
NICOLÒ= While we crossed Paris, he (Ignazio) remained still on the bed.
PIERO= See you at the restaurant at 8.15pm.
NICOLÒ= Damn, Piero is a schedule.
PIERO= You have 12 minutes on the tablet.
NICOLÒ= In short, Ignazio is someone who loves tranquility and silence. (Meanwhile NICOLÒ takes a shower in Ignazio’s room and sings)
IGNAZIO= I hope you fall, don’t hurt yourself, but fall! You got everything wet on the ground!!!
NICOLÒ= But why do you shower with dry clothes?
IGNAZIO= (he dries on the ground) Damn you, damn you.
NICOLÒ= They say (Piero and Gianluca) that you absolutely don’t go to dinner.
IGNAZIO= I almost never go to dinner, because living together for 15 years isn’t easy, it’s essential to have your own space.
NICOLÒ= Ignazio, unlike his companions, sometimes has to remain alone, but tonight he will make an exception and go out with us.
IGNAZIO= Because when we’re together we always get rowdy, we eat too much, we drink, also because I’m doing intermittent fasting, so I start eating at 3 and finish at 11.
NICOLÒ= Gianluca is waiting for us outside and we immediately understand the relationship between the two of them.😍
GIANLUCA= (turning to Ignazio) Forgive me, but don’t you feel so cold?
IGNAZIO= But forgive me, but you mind your own business….😂
NICOLÒ= What did you do this afternoon? (he tells Gianluca)
IGNAZIO= He meditated!😁
GIANLUCA= I meditate 45 minutes a day.
NICOLÒ= What do you meditate on?
IGNAZIO= How to break the balls to me….after 😂
NICOLÒ= Piero is already waiting for us in the restaurant he booked.
Marvelous!
PIERO= We don’t joke here.
NICOLÒ= But some people don’t like it.
IGNAZIO= These are places where the light is low and you don’t even see the menu. (Ignazio takes some of Gianluca’s dessert) 😁
NICOLÒ= Go Ignazio….. you didn’t want to go out, and then you say you fast intermittently….
IGNAZIO= Exactly intermittently!! 😁😋
NICOLÒ= In the end he had fun too!!
NICOLÒ= After the hyperactive Piero, and the hermit Ignazio, I enter the world of the dreamy Gianluca.
Good evening, hello! (NICOLÒ enters Gianluca’s room)
So what do you normally do when you walk into your room first thing?
GIANLUCA= I put on some relaxing music, this music here, I do my own things, I do my skin care, I wash myself, I read a book….
NICOLÒ= Saying it like that, a kiss….(he starts dancing)
GIANLUCA= You understood!!
NICOLÒ= He (Gianluca) loves to test others, knowing that Ignazio is sleeping in the connecting room…..(Gianluca goes to the connecting door with Ignazio and starts singing out loud). Immediately a voice message arrives from Ignazio: 😂
GIANLUCA= Ready?
IGNAZIO= Gianlu, it’s not so much for me, Gianlu, they’re kicking us out!! 😩😁
NICOLÒ= Then comes an almost sacred moment, skin care, as he calls it, he cares a lot about skin care.
GIANLUCA= Listen, but do you want to put the detergent on?
NICOLÒ= If you ask me like that, how can I say no?
GIANLUCA = Here, come on!
NICOLÒ= What does this do to the skin?
GIANLUCA= This changes your characteristics, that is, you wake up tomorrow and have the face of Ignazio!
NICOLÒ= And what are you doing now?
GIANLUCA= You can’t put this, this is medicine (and he runs a drop dispenser through his hair).
NICOLÒ= is there a trick? But what is hair doping?
GIANLUCA= You put it on and it strengthens your hair. Still, it’s strange to see a man who cares, isn’t it?
NICOLÒ= Let’s say he’s not very macho!
GIANLUCA= In my opinion they see it as something unmanly, as if that were what determines virility in a man, understand?
NICOLÒ= What determines a man’s virility in your opinion?
GIANLUCA= In my opinion sensitivity, depth of soul, propensity to listen.😍
NICOLÒ= You seem very shy to me.
GIANLUCA= At school, when it became known that I knew how to sing, the teachers told me: “Gianluca sing us a song” and I hid behind the blackboard because my face turned red and I went behind the blackboard, facing the wall…❤️
NICOLÒ= From behind the blackboard he found himself catapulted onto the stage of the Ariston (Sanremo), with two boys he had only recently known.
GIANLUCA= I won Sanremo with them. Not even my brother felt that feeling with me on stage. 🥰
NICOLÒ= Bonds are created….
GIANLUCA= …..unbreakable bonds.❤️
In my opinion there are also ancient unresolved scars between us, you know those childhood traumas that come out at forty and you don’t even realize it.
NICOLÒ= He doesn’t explain to me what these scars are, but we’ll have time tomorrow.
Do you read a lot?
GIANLUCA= Yes.
NICOLÒ= You have a degree, have you studied?
GIANLUCA= Unfortunately not me, consider that I wasn’t even able to get my diploma because when we started it was right after finishing eighth grade.
So the goal is to get the diploma and possibly graduate in philosophy, I would like to.
NICOLÒ= I also noticed some books in Piero’s room. (he reads a title of the book) PSYCHOLOGY OF OBEDIENCE, what do you do???
PIERO= I study.
NICOLÒ= Are you enrolled at university? Are you getting a degree in psychology?
PIERO= Yes. 🤩
NICOLÒ= If you hadn’t been a singer, what would you have done?
PIERO= Maybe this.
NICOLÒ= The psychologist!
PIERO= Yes, I like to understand who I have in front of me. 😍
NICOLÒ= But let’s go back to Gianluca for the evening meditation session.
GIANLUCA= Now you have to take a deep breath for like two seconds, like this (he takes the breath) for 28 times. One, two, three, follow my breath.
NICOLÒ= Now we’re going to sleep.
GIANLUCA= They tell us we’re old, it’s two in the morning and we’re still awake! Younger than you, we are! 💪🥰
NICOLÒ= Yes! (In fact Nicolò is older than them) In the morning we immerse ourselves in the Parisian spirit: “A chocolate bread” (they eat the bread) Let’s continue the discussion about his two companions.
GIANLUCA= Ignazio is cheerful, even if maybe inside he hides some pain and shadows like everyone else, when he is in company he makes you smile.🥰
If Piero has a goal he takes it to the end, I have never seen a person like that.🥰
At the beginning, consider that they were always together, because being Sicilian, they spoke the same language, the dialect, they hung out together, so I was a bit of an outcast, now I’m not, but as a child this thing… I felt very alone! ❤️
NICOLÒ= Do you think you are not understood by them?
GIANLUCA= Yes. In reality we often don’t get along with Ignazio, but ultimately due to a character issue, not because we don’t love each other. ❤️
Ignazio sometimes withdraws into himself. I have different needs.
NICOLÒ= Gianluca would like to talk and Ignazio doesn’t, but you can see that there is enormous affection. 😍😍
Were you moved?
GIANLUCA= Yes
NICOLÒ= Why?
GIANLUCA= Oh why…….why yes!!
NICOLÒ= But why?
GIANLUCA= Well that’s how it is, you made me move.❤️
NICOLÒ= For what? What did I tell you? Is there something you haven’t told the other two that you would like to tell them?
GIANLUCA= I love Ignazio and Piero more than they think. ❤️❤️❤️
NICOLÒ= However I didn’t think you were that deep, I thought you were more glossy.
GIANLUCA= Really? It means I have to let myself go more!
NICOLÒ= And anyway it’s really true, Paris is too romantic. (they meet a young couple and sing Grande Amore with them)
Look her in the eyes, kiss!
Long live love.
And here, tourists from all over the world are in love with Il Volo!
After the American twins, also a fan from Brazil! International!!
I meet Piero who loves to have breakfast alone.
You are the most serious of the three.
PIERO= And it is my condemnation.
I’m like that in life, I like to be in control of everything.
NICOLÒ = And this need for control becomes evident when the moment of the concert approaches.
PIERO= I have to get ready, I have a list of my things. This is the list. First I shave, then I wash….
NICOLÒ= All activities that he wrote in a list on the I-Pad. Another thing to do is review the speech that opens the concert (it’s in French and Nicolò mocks him for his pronunciation).
Then there’s the shower and then she has to pack her bag for the stage.
Obviously he is the first to be ready. But where will Ignazio be?
IGNAZIO= Very punctual!! (it’s 5pm)
NICOLÒ= We arrive at the theater, the rehearsals really begin.
PIERO= This is your house, do you like it?
NICOLÒ= Wow, that’s nice, but do people even sit up there?
PIERO= Of course
(Ignazio rehearses the song purposely out of tune)
Do you know that here in the audience there is a girl who saw …. today is her ninety-eighth concert.😲
NICOLÒ= Which is she?
PIERO= The one with the blue shirt.
NICOLÒ= This girl follows them practically everywhere, yesterday she saw them in Lisbon, today she came to Paris
PIERO= Which is your favorite??
GIRL= The one who is talking. (Piero) 🥰
PIERO= Wait, I’ll flex a bit!! 😁
NICOLÒ= But now the show is really about to begin.
GIANLUCA= (he is using the hairdryer) I have to give myself a blow dry at the back and it’s difficult at the back.
NICOLÒ= Do you do it all by yourself?
GIANLUCA= Oh yes!
NICOLÒ= But why? Let’s see here! Do you wear this?
GIANLUCA= Can we bet that Ignazio is still in his underwear? (in fact they open the door and Ignazio is in his underwear and putting on his socks.)
IGNAZIO= Me, I have my times!!
All right?
NICOLÒ= Nice! Good luck guys!! (Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca shake hands in their gesture before the concert)
We go on stage. The theater is packed.
GIANLUCA= but did you have fun?
NICOLÒ= Beautiful!
GIANLUCA= We had fun with you, you know what I’ll tell you: we love you!! 🥰
IGNAZIO= Speak for yourself, it’s not like you can speak for everyone!!
NICOLÒ= Two more days to go.
But there isn’t even time to celebrate.
PIERO= Jokes aside, tomorrow morning we leave the hotel at 7:00.
NICOLÒ= No toasts, no crowds, no fans in love, straight to bed. (Nicolò is with Piero)
What relationship do you have with girls? Are you someone who picks up a lot of girls?
PIERO= This whole story started when we were 16 years old.
Imagine a 16-year-old boy who is immediately thrown onto a stage, with all the girls wanting to hug you, be on top of you, do whatever…… So when I was 20….
NICOLÒ= You were there! When did you lose your virginity?
PIERO= A little late, a month before turning 18.
NICOLÒ= And how was it?
PIERO= Behind a bush. 😁
NICOLÒ= Oh my goodness!! It was at the release of a German television program.
PIERO= We were guests, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Michelle Hunziker presented.
NICOLÒ= So has Michelle Hunziker seen you as a virgin for the last time? (laughter) 😁
PIERO= After the first time at 18 or 19 years old, we had fun. Now at 30 or 31 years old, everything has changed completely, because now I don’t feel like finishing a concert and meeting someone, spending a couple of hours together and then ending it there. 🤩
NICOLÒ= Are you looking for love?
PIERO= Yes.❤️ If I had to tell you one of my fears…that of not being able to start a family. 😲
NICOLÒ= Not finding the right woman?
PIERO= Yes, I expected that at this age something would have already started.
NICOLÒ= After a few hours we are already at the airport.
PIERO= Good morning
IGNAZIO= Good morning damn…..how can you say good morning after only 4 hours of sleep?
NICOLÒ= To wake up we look at the album of memories. Here they are, just fifteen years old, with the biggest stars in the world.
GIANLUCA= It’s Beyoncé.
NICOLÒ= Look at him, handsome, (Piero), you as usual (Gianluca) and here he is (Ignazio).
PIERO= Lady Gaga.
NICOLÒ= Holy shit, Piero.
GIANLUCA= Heading from Paris to Sofia.
NICOLÒ= Even on the plane divided and different: this is the man on the phone obviously (Piero) the artist reads (Gianluca) the little guy is sleeping (Ignazio). As soon as we got off (the plane) the controversy broke out.
PIERO= (to Ignazio) You’re an old man, old inside, we have to make a tik-tok, you’re a sloth. 😁
IGNAZIO= Do you want to see how I flex you??😁
NICOLÒ= And between one laugh and another we arrive in the Bulgarian capital.
PIERO= I asked you what people think of us…..that we are all precise….can I do something I never do, can we have a chat?
NICOLÒ= Yes. (and Piero sits on the floor to talk)
Come on, sit down, actually wait, I’ll do something first (Piero sprays disinfectant on the part where he sits)
NICOLÒ= Is there something you never told the other two?
PIERO= I never told them: “I love you”❤️
NICOLÒ= Why?
PIERO= Because I struggle to open up to people.
NICOLÒ= Tenderness aside, now that we are close, we have to untie a very controversial issue.
The story of the hotel room you broke.
In 2015 all the newspapers published this news: THE THREE DESTROY A HOTEL ROOM. FECES ON THE WALL AND MATTRESSES THROWN EVERYWHERE. 🤬🤬🤬
What have you done?
PIERO= Do you want the truth?
NICOLÒ= Well I would like it from you.
PIERO= Did I tell you about the problem of the carpet for asthma?
NICOLÒ= Yes.
PIERO= When we arrived at that hotel at three in the morning, they gave me the room with the carpet. I couldn’t sleep. I come down at three in the morning (to the reception) and ask: “Sir, excuse me, can you give me a different room?” and he replied that there were no rooms without carpet, so, without saying anything, we left. The owner couldn’t digest it and let this news out.
NICOLÒ= What bullshit!! I made them on the wall???
PIERO= But I can defecate on the wall??? But do you think so??🤬
NICOLÒ= For goodness sake I believe him, but since we still have one night left to spend in the hotel, it’s better to avoid problems.
Do you know where I’m taking you?
PIERO= Where?
NICOLÒ= There, a RAGE ROOM, that is, one of those rooms that can be rented to destroy things.
PIERO= But can I really break everything here?
NICOLÒ= Here you can!
PIERO= Do you know that I have never done anything like this?
NICOLÒ= You let off steam, do what you want and tomorrow you will sing peacefully.
He immediately plans the strategy.
So what do we start with?
PIERO= With the baseball bat. Mom, how beautiful.
NICOLÒ= Oh Piero, be careful though! (Now NICOLÒ says a lot of bad things to let Piero vent his strength)
For all those who didn’t vote for you! Capolavoro came eighth in Sanremo, not even in the top three.
Go! The Italian press says you are losers. To the young people who don’t listen to you! For me who broke your soul for 48 hours. (hug with NICOLÒ)
PIERO= beautiful, it’s a beautiful feeling.
NICOLÒ= So you don’t break hotel rooms anymore.
PIERO= Come on, can I say it? Go fuck your ass!!
NICOLÒ= And from one hotel room, we move on to another. (Ignazio’s room)
Here is the room service, the others went out for dinner, we……
IGNAZIO= You’ll see it’s cooler!!
NICOLÒ= But above all it’s a way to really get to know each other.
IGNAZIO= I can often seem like a tough person, but in the end I am very fragile, even if I don’t show it. I had to grow up fast, you understand, so maybe…….
NICOLÒ= Why did you have to grow up so quickly?
IGNAZIO= My mother had cancer at 35, so she went back and forth between hospitals. Either you grow up fast, or you grow up fast, you can’t be a 5 year old when you have to help your sister run the house, my father worked, so I grew up with responsibility.❤️
NICOLÒ= I tell him about the time Gianluca got emotional talking about their relationship.
IGNAZIO= On a human level we have disagreements.
NICOLÒ= He suffers a lot from this.
IGNAZIO= Yes, yes, but me too, it’s as if you have a hard-headed brother and you can’t make him understand things.😁 I have also often been very harsh with Gianluca. 🤔
NICOLÒ= But Ignazio is trying to change, also thanks to his wife Michelle.
IGNAZIO= I learned to live life differently thanks to her. ❤️ First I needed sadness to move forward. I swear, with Michelle, with my wife it was one thing….from day one I understood it was her. ❤️
NICOLÒ= You got married within…..
IGNAZIO= After a month and a half I asked her to marry me.
NICOLÒ= After a month and a half?
IGNAZIO= Yes
NICOLÒ=Have you been together for a year now?
IGNAZIO= Today!
Today marks one year.
NICOLÒ= Best wishes!
IGNAZIO= I sent her flowers this morning.❤️
NICOLÒ= Despite his happiness, Ignazio went through a bad time last year.
IGNAZIO= I was alone, I didn’t do anything, I spent 12 hours glued to the computer playing. I hit rock bottom this year in January (2024).😩
NICOLÒ= When the panic attacks arrived (for Ignazio).
IGNAZIO= I had everything I wanted, a wonderful woman, a perfect job, everything, and I didn’t understand why I felt this way.
NICOLÒ= But suddenly they arrived?
IGNAZIO= Suddenly.
NICOLÒ= And now he’s learning to live with it.
IGNAZIO= Accept that you feel like this, I say to myself “OK, everything is fine, my life is wonderful, I don’t miss anything, it’s just a moment” and I move on.😩
NICOLÒ= Do you want children?
IGNAZIO= To die for! I would like a house full of children. We’re trying, we’re trying. This is beautiful, I can’t wait! 😍
NICOLÒ= Your eyes shine every time you talk about your wife.
IGNAZIO= I can’t wait!
NICOLÒ= This is beautiful. Good night!
IGNAZIO= Goodnight buddy!
NICOLÒ= We manage to sleep for a good 10 hours, the next morning we are in great shape.
What a peaceful life like this! Rest and now we’ll eat everything.
However, Ignazio’s relationship with food has always been complicated.
IGNAZIO= I was obese, and because of my weight I would be obese even now.
NICOLÒ= How did you live it?
IGNAZIO= Bad, bad because I never wanted to go out.
NICOLÒ= Were you ashamed?
IGNAZIO= Yes. There was a moment when I went to buy clothes and in normal shops the clothes didn’t fit, in plus size shops they were too big. It was a period that….
NICOLÒ=Did you feel wrong?
IGNAZIO= Yes😩
NICOLÒ= What did you do?
IGNAZIO= I thought: “Either I do something for myself or it ends badly.” and from there I started a journey that led me to feel a little more confident, even if today that security is never there, because in any case those who have been obese will always be seen obese, that is, I look in the mirror and see myself as fat, I don’t see myself as plump or robust, I see myself as fat.
NICOLÒ= Ignazio surprised me because he is really much more sensitive than he appears. After breakfast we join the others and go to the theatre.
Two concerts, one at 3.00 pm and one tonight at 8.00 pm, a real marathon.
GIANLUCA= (backstage) Do you see that the litter box is there?
NICOLÒ= To pee.
PIERO= During the concert, between one moment and another. Let’s go!!
NICOLÒ= Good luck (Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca shake hands)
GIANLUCA= The wolf dies.
NICOLÒ= They basically perform for almost 5 hours. In the front row in Sofia, the same girl who was in Paris and Lisbon and always follows them. It’s clear that Il Volo’s audience is very loyal and who cares how old they are?
A true triumph of music and of three guys who managed to differentiate themselves from the others with their style.
The video of the interview with subtitles.
These words were published by Nicolò De Devitiis after the broadcast of the broadcast:
“I knew that these 3 guys had something special, different from what I could imagine or from what I had always seen over the years… so, while I was in the Philippines I decided to contact them. We spoke and something immediately clicked, it must have also been that:
‘We can’t wait to do it Nic!’
We had never met before, so we did it on air (as often happens in these “48 hours with”) as you saw by spending time with each of us individually. them 48h (a a bit in Sofia and a bit in Paris) and once we had overcome the first “fears” or uncertainties, little by little they opened up, told us… getting to know us and telling us things (that you have seen or not) hour after hour a beautiful bond was born, which I hope will last a long time.
Great guys, thanks for everything, it was nice to really get to know you for who you are, you pleasantly surprised me (and this amazement, this “surprise” in rediscovering them I hope has also reached you at home)..and above all thanks for trusting me from the minute zero and having indulged in my every madness… you had fun in the end but eh…. damn you. ❤️”
I really liked this type of interview, certainly different from the usual, but which led us to understand the profound thoughts towards life and the way of being of our kids. Furthermore, once again we experienced the total and sincere affection that unites these three men.
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio did not know each other, but they learned to respect and love each other and their bond is immediately understood even by those who, like Nicolò De Devitiis, did not know them personally, but by speaking with them he discovered three unique people who between them have a special relationship.
Thank you Nicolò for this lovely interview and thank you for your kind final personal words, I’m sure that now Il Volo has one more friend!!
Daniela 🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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