As I promised, for the next three weeks I will post a story about each of the guys when they were children. I begin this journey with Ignazio because his story begins at his birth.
Let me start by saying each one of the guys is unique in how he presents his story in their book, “Il Volo, Un’avventura Straordinario, La Nostra Storia.” Ignazio chose to write his story. He comes in and out of the story speaking to the reader and asking questions. He is an excellent writer.
Thirteen years old and totally amazing! Notice how well he articulates. Mr. Perfection!
All of what is said here was said by Ignazio in his story. I did not change the thoughts or feelings of Ignazio or any of the guys in any of their stories. Its’ all in their own words. You might say I’m relating the story as seen through my eyes. Ignazio as the narrator gives you the facts and I follow him by giving you information that is important to the story and makes for a better narrative.
This is a very, sensitive and sincere story! This is Ignazio’s Story. So, let’s begin, in Ignazio’s own words!
If life is a story and, if every story need’s someone to tell it, here I am to tell you mine, all of it from the beginning.
My story is not a fictional story even if it seems to be one of those dreams that you never want to wake up from. My story is sincere. It is the story of my life just as I experienced it before Il Volo and inside Il Volo.
My flight (every reference is purely coincidental) starts with a Christmas Letter.
It seems Ignazio’s mother, Caterina, and his father, Vito, were thinking about expanding their family. It is Christmas time 1993. Ignazio’s sister Antonia, who everyone calls Nina, is at school and the children are told to write a letter to Santa and the Baby Jesus. What Nina writes is a miracle and the beginning of one of the most beautiful and sincere relationships between a brother and sister. Nina, 7 years old, writes:
Dear Santa and Baby Jesus,
I do not want any presents for Christmas. Give my gifts to poor children. I want a baby brother for Christmas.
Nina
Ignazio continues, “Said and done!”
Shortly after New Year’s Caterina discovers she is pregnant. When Nina is told she wants to confirm that her request has come true. Nina asks her mother if she can join her for her first ultrasound. During the checkup, Nina asks the doctor, “May I know what it is?”
“What do you want, honey?” the doctor asks.
“I want a little brother.”
“Then come, I’ll show you the string bean.”
Nina’s first wish is granted but her second wish, not exactly! Nina wants her brother to be born on October 1st, her birthday. It seems Ignazio had another idea.
My name is Ignazio Boschetto. I was born on October 4, 1994, in Bologna, Italy.
No, I didn’t make it for Nina’s birthday. I was wrong. What can I tell you? When they brought me home, I was better than any doll to Nina. Everyone was happy but soon, there are some worries. During the first visit, the doctor found that I had a strange kidney malfunction. After several checkups, they found I was born with a single kidney, but the one kidney I had was larger than normal and it works as if it were two kidneys.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, I was born with the squint of Venus, but I was fine, a Bolognese, brand new. The truth is, I could have been born Sicilian – Sienese. How would you see me with a Tuscan accent?
Is it the same if the images that I will never forget are … the memories of my parents? It’s not that I’m crazy or strange, it’s right that my story would never have existed without my parents.
In 1990 when Nina was four years old and before Ignazio was born, his parents made the decision to leave Marsala. They left with the hope of a better life for their family. As Ignazio says, “The family they had only begun to create.” Things were not going well in Marsala, and it was difficult to make a living for a family. They decided to go to Siena because a good friend of Ignazio’s maternal grandfather, who was a building contractor, offered Mr. Boschetto a job. Ignazio’s parents would do anything to make the families’ life better. Ignazio says, “of the sacrifices they have made there were many and big for me and for my sister, I do not spend a day when I do not think about how proud I am of them.”
On arrival in Buoncovento, Mr. Boschetto worked as a mason. Mrs. Boschetto did many different jobs. By 1992 they realized they did not earn enough to keep going. And, Ignazio would say, “that’s why I was born in Bologna.” They made the decision to move to San Martino on Agrine near Bologna. Upon arrival, Mr. Boschetto, being a mason, immediately found a job. Mrs. Boschetto. was always a determined person who had a great desire to keep busy. She reinvented herself. She was a good cook and she found herself a job as a chef in a restaurant not far from home.
Within a few years they managed to achieve economic stability and decided to move into a house. Finally, a house just for them in Guarda di Molinella. Ignazio says, “The house was very small, but it was my first house, the one in which I was born.”
By far, Ignazio was the most pampered member of the family. He was a lively child who laughed all the time, Ignazio says, “I never stopped laughing.” He learned very quickly to talk and walk. He was never silent.
When I was three or four years old – I played with the piano my parents had given Nina. My mother says I was one years old when I played. Nina taught me to play Happy Birthday with one finger. I was a happy child. My mother told me, ‘You’ve never been a child,’ in the sense that I was always quite serious and responsible. I ask you, ‘Would you ever say that?’ In all, I was a happy child. It seemed the situation started getting better. It wasn’t all roses and flowers but in four years it had changed a lot and so the moves were not finished. The moves were always to make a better life for me and Nina. The moves continued even after my birth. When it seemed that we were fine, it was always time to leave.
Of all the houses I lived in, one particular address remains in my mind: Via Marconi 94 in Molinella. It was a big and very beautiful house. We moved there just before I started elementary school. I do not remember the first day of school, but I certainly did not take long to get noticed. If you’re thinking of scenes of me being put in the middle of the class to sing, forget it. I had a passion for music but, I had an even greater passion for pranks. I tell you, since I started talking and walking, mine was an escalation of agitation. It was official I was not the most mischievous in class that would be my friend Nicholas. I was second. It was always an open challenge, a race to the red crosses. Now the question arises: What are the red crosses? The teachers had a billboard and on it they listed all the students in alphabetical order. If you were good in your school and good in your grades, you got a blue cross, however, if you had taken an insufficiency or if you behaved badly, evil was everywhere! Nicolas and I were the most popular! Our billboard line was a red fire specimen.
With the passage of time, I found something good to do at school, that is, an activity that was able to hold my interest enough to prevent me from slipping into some disaster. I joined the school choir. I always liked to sing, to be ‘in the middle’ of the music. And more and more passionately I began to understand how to make better use of Nina’s famous pianola. I learned how to start the musical bases and flip through them. And that’s when I discovered La Donna E ‘Mobile. I liked it so much that I sang with the base and invented words. I don’t remember the words but, it certainly was a song about Pavarotti. Having seen Pavarotti on TV, I knew he always had a big handkerchief so I would invent text and sing on the air La Donna E ‘Mobile.
Now I would not want you to get the wrong idea of me as a child. A saint I was not, mind you, but thinking about it now if I was mischievous at school, maybe there was a reason.
Around 1998, when Ignazio was four years old and had just started kindergarten, the climate in the house changed. There was a problem in the family. Ignazio’s mom was diagnosed with facial cancer. For a child of Ignazio’s age, it was hard to understand what was happening. He realized that something was wrong when he began to see less and less of his mother. She was going back and forth to the hospital for months without finding a solution. Ignazio said, “Mom did something she always did with us, for as long as I can remember, she explained the situation to us, speaking openly. This is a great merit that I must acknowledge about my family, but perhaps a little more to mom, because the fact of speaking clearly with us children and telling us the truth about things that affected our family and life in general taught us to face up to early adult conversations. With mom we always talked about sex, about society, a little bit of everything that life had in store for us as children.”
Now, I’m going to step out of the story because there are no words that I can say that will express the emotion and the sensitivity of Ignazio words. So, I chose to have Ignazio talk directly to you.
I do not even have to tell you that since my mother’s conversation, my life has changed. I was small, but I could not afford to think like the other children of my age. As for my sister the situation was even more complicated because since 1998, the year of our mother’s first hospitalization, until 2003, the year when all the bad story is over, my mother has become Nina. For the first two years of elementary school, those dotted with red crosses, I have not often seen mom, a little because I went to school, a little because she had to return frequently to the hospital and stay there for long periods. Dad worked and my sister, despite her twelve years, had to be a housewife. She has become my biggest reference point. We had to grow both of us very quickly, without thinking about toys and different entertainment, and not so to speak, but really. The truth is that we were not interested in anything that usually affects two children of that age, because the only thing we wanted was to have mom at home.
It is difficult to say what was the worst moment because her absence was always felt. For sure, however, I was particularly impressed by a quarrel with my sister. I was four and she was twelve and I was playing with a toy, she was fed up because I made noise, she took the toy, and we had a fight. After responding badly to her, I immediately repented. For me Nina was very important, really like a mother. In the end I did not sleep for a week. But I never told her, at least until now.
After five surgeries and one hundred and fifty points in the face, mom has returned home. Too bad they did not leave me much time to enjoy her. I wanted to sit her on the sofa and, I wanted all the kisses, hugs and everything I haven’t had in those years. Mom is mine and woe to those who touch her! And instead, a few years earlier, mom had started working in a pizzeria and, not even the time to leave the hospital, she rightly started working again. What could I do?
Most of the time Ignazio stayed with Sabrina, his nanny, who was the girlfriend of the pizza maker who worked with his mom. But there were days when Ignazio was allowed to go to work with his mom. Since Ignazio never wanted to lose sight of his mother again, he would stand by the fridge where the drinks were held and, from there he had a perfect view of the cash desk. At the time, his mother did not work in the kitchen. She was now managing the pizzeria, so most of the time she was at the cash desk or answering the phone. And Ignazio never took his eyes off her. He was so happy that he could talk to her, and he did a good job of selling drinks to the customers.
So, let’s take a look at the situation. Ignazio’s mother is home, the pizzeria has become Ignazio’s second home, he certainly was good at selling drinks and everything seemed to finally be the best it could be.
Ignazio concludes, “at school, then, as I told you, I was part of the choir, and I was more passionate about my music. In short, finally a little tranquility. How long has it lasted? Four years, more or less.”
In July 2004 we were on the road again.
So here we are, it’s 2004, Ignazio is 10 years old, and his life is about to take a major turn. La Forza del destino!
So now we will leave Ignazio’s Story but not before I give you an update on Bosky TV.
In our community which Ignazio formed we believe “Together is Better.”
The video has English subtitles so you will understand all that is said by Ignazio! Basically he says, “Thanks to our community that we have created so recently, we have been able to contribute to the aid of people affected by a terrible tragedy.”
So here is Ignazio again asking for your help for the victims of the earthquake!
This is why I love this guy! Only Ignazio would take time out of his tour and busy schedule to help people who have been hit by a most devasting earthquake! He is truly blessed by God! The Lord said, “Love your neighbor!” For Ignazio the world is his neighbor. He tries to help everyone! I thank you God for putting him on this earth!
If you want to help people affected by this terrible tragedy, you can do it through this foundation https://www.fondazionepek.it/ PEREZ-KOSKOWSKA P&K FOUNDATION
“SOLIDARITY DOESN’T SHAKE, HELP US TO HELP!” Current account in the name of: Fondazione Perez-Koskowska ets Banca di Bologna IBAN: IT94 E088 8337 0600 4000 0403 993 Reason: Colletta Earthquake Turkey and Syria 2023
Or you can contribute in the following places. Watch the video to understand how this is done.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure! Next time we will explore Piero’s beginnings
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
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) This is just a small piece of each mans’ story. The book is written in Italian. If you can read Italian, I would highly recommend that you read it. It’s wonderful! If not, I can only hope that someday it will be translated into English. Or you can use Google Translate to translate it.
I also recommend you read their second book “IL Volo: Quello Che Porto Nel Cuore” (What I Carry in My Heart).
And let’s not forget the new album. Available on Spotify, Amazon, and other music media!
So here we are in 2023 and we’re getting ready for new concerts and new surprises. The guys have gotten really good at surprising us. All of this will play out over the next year but until then, let’s step back 10 years and see what the guys were up to.
For one, they spent a lot of time doing shows in America. That’s right! They had already done all the morning and night shows, and now, they were spending a lot of time on the local family shows. So, for today, let’s Step Back in Time to 2013 to see some of these shows.
Actually, before we move on to America, I want to post an article that Daniela did on the guys in 2013. Daniela did most of the translation for this article. I just added comments here and there. This is a very funny video of the guys on the FIORELLO Show.
I will give you the translation first, so you understand what is going on. The show is so funny you really don’t need the translation to appreciate it.
THE BOYS IN 2013 ~ by DANIELA
We are in December 2013 and the guys are promoting their latest CD “Buon Natale.”
The guys are in the study of a famous radio program in Milan, the program is called the newsstand and the entertainer is called FIORELLO.
FIORELLO is a talented showman not only on radio but also TV and he is very kid friendly and personable and …. of course … Sicilian.
The studio is located on the ground floor of the building and the people can come in and enjoy themselves, in fact the people around are people passing by (lucky them).
Fiorello began by saying today there are few artists who manage to cross the Italian borders. You know some of them Bocelli, Pausini, Ramazzotti.
Fiorello says that Il Volo’s disk does not contain some songs he calls ghost track and submits a song whose title makes me laugh so much and everybody sings it in a very playful manner especially Piero.
The song is a Sicilian tarantella and is titled TIRICHITOLLA. I don’t think you can translate the meaning but, know that it is a very typical Sicilian song and rather racy, and it is for this reason that Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca and Fiorello laugh a lot.
Piero at one-point attempts to translate the saying to mean “give me a kiss, I’m sick” it’s not really the true meaning of the phrase but it gives it some sense.
Keep the laughs on the double meaning of the sentence. Piero is unstoppable, and Fiorello says to be careful because these guys are crazy (in the sense of naughty, cheeky) more than he. Piero tells a few jokes, to joke, and Laurie says that is not funny.
Ignazio seems oddly calm.
Fiorello said that they are unleashing on his program because abroad they cannot sing this song and not even with Vespa in Porta Porta and they continue to laugh at this, and the people say that even with Barbara Streisand they could sing this song.
At this point a girl from the audience wants to sing WOMEN IN LOVE and the boys in a beautiful, beautiful moment accompany her.
Even Fiorello sings with them (he’s also a singer), but the magic moment is over and it’s back to TIRICHITOLLA.
Fiorello jokes that from now on he will open all his shows singing TIRICHITOLLA.
Fiorello says, “the boys speak English well! How did you learn English so well?” Gianluca says he speaks “very fluent“ and Piero (who is actually very cheerful) says “when we go to London, people speak more sophisticated, and they don’t understand and they look at us and they are saying “what the f***.” (sorry but those are Piero’s words).”
Then Fiorello says FELIZ NAVIDAD is his daughters’ favorite song. He says, “do you promise that when you go to America at the end of your concerts you will dedicate a song to friends from Sicily.”
Piero replies, “What? Which?” And again, they sing TIRICHITOLLA.
The guys announced that on Christmas day they will sing in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Gianluca went on to say that their wish would be to do a series of concerts in their homeland – Italy, because they’re always abroad (wishes come true), and Fiorello said that he would close the concerts with TIRICHITOLLA.
Fiorello closes by saying, “They are really nice. I like them. I really like you a lot but again you must promise me the next time you’ll be hosting in America you have to say we dedicate a particular song to our Sicilian friends.
(What a lucky Sicilian!) We thank Il Volo. Here they are, so we wish you good luck with everything. Good luck with Bruno Vespa, tonight.
We remind you that the guys will do something for one of our Italian friends ~ St. Frances. On Christmas Day after the mass of the Holy Father, you will be guests at the concert from the Basilica of San Francesco.”
Gianluca: We do all we can especially for Italians because who we love our land, and we remember you always when we are abroad.
Beautiful ending with a small bit of Nessun Dorma.
Daniela said, “I do not know if you can understand the meaning of this video, but there is no doubt that the boys enjoyed themselves and also really appreciated Fiorello’s jokes and that he recognized the value of Il Volo.
This is a really funny video!
So, let’s go to America!
Among the shows that they did was the “Home and Family Show,” on the Hallmark channel. The first show is from June 2013. They cooked ravioli with Cristina Ferrare and of course they were interviewed, and what would the show be if they didn’t sing. They talked about their concerts in America and how much they love America. There was a lot of joking around between the guys and actor, Maz Jobrani.
So, sit back and watch the guys make ravioli with Cristina and have one of their famous Fruit Launches!
And in November 2013, the guys went back to do a Holiday Show on Home & Family.
They got the Latin American Music Award nomination for Latin Pop Album for Arist of the Year Duo or Group.
Let’s not forget their beautiful Tribute to Jose Jose at the Latin Billboard Awards in May 2013.
In July 2013 the guys sang on the Kris Jenner Show. They truly charmed her!
On the 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards the guys sang “Mas Que Amor” (“We Are Love”) for the 2013 Memorial for those TV actors who died during the year.
In December the guys stopped by Border Crossings to do an interview with Larry London. They discussed their new Christmas album and performed a few songs in the studio. This interview was part of Larry London’s 2013 Christmas Special.
And like this past year, the guys were part of the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade 2013.
Back at home they did a special Christmas Concert at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
I would also like to include one special event from April 2013. It seems fitting that it would be included!
In this show Piero was surprised by the host who has Piero’s grandparents sitting in the audience.
The host tells Piero he has a surprise for him. A special moment.
There is shock on Piero’s face when he sees his grandparents in the audience.
The Host said, Here it is a hug with the grandfather (Pietro Ognibene) who gave you the passion of the life of music.
The Host (continues): We also gave him a gift. He has never experienced the emotion of a live concert and we are giving it to him today. He said he heard him sing when he was small, and he understood that he had something more.
Pietro Ognibene: I always, always believed in it, but I always say it’s difficult climb high up but easy to find the ground. Be careful what you do and always walk in your own steps.
I always tell all my grandchildren to be careful because the stepmother is found in front of the door when leaving the house, the stepmother is sometimes with those who start walking and carry on with life, but we are strong, these young men will keep the honor of the family.
The guys then sang for him!
It was a very beautiful moment!
So that was our Step Back in Time to 2013.
Before I close I would like to answer a question that many of you have asked me over the last week. You want to know what Bosky_TV is about and where it can be found.
Bosky_TV is a Live CHAT on TWITCH which is hosted by Ignazio. No, it is not about Il Volo although questions obviously come up about Il Volo. On Bosky_TV Ignazio invites interesting guest to join him, and all the viewers are able to participate either as a listener, with questions or as subscribers who can be more interactive.
The CHAT is in Italian, but people can ask questions in English, Spanish, Portuguese or whatever language Ignazio has learned that day! If your question is in English it will be answered in English. In fact, Ignazio said he will have a CHAT in English soon.
This past week Ignazio hosted a show with a doctor who spoke about nutrition. It was a very interesting show and I personally learned a lot from it!
He had another show that was about social media.
And he did some shows with his friends Stefano and Marco!
The show isn’t at all serious, as you would expect coming from Ignazio. He dances and plays games. There’s music but not Il Volo music. We play BINGO.
And, if you don’t like something that Ignazio said or just for the fun of it, you can throw a TOMATO or other items at him. And of course, if you’re happy you can also APPLAUD him.
What is the show really about! It’s about Ignazio being Ignazio! Ignazio talks about whatever he wants to talk about or whatever we want to discuss with him. We can pose a question if we like. Every day is a new experience.
So where do we find this? TWITCH, Instagram, TikTok and later this week you will be able to follow on YouTube.
On your iPhone or iPad you can download the TWITCH App at the App Store and FOLLOW Bosky_TV.
If you follow Ignazio on Instagram you can click the link in his story and follow the CHAT Live. You can FOLLOW Ignazio on Instagram @ignazioboschetto. Look for the Blue Check mark after his name to make sure it is Ignazio. If there’s no Blue Check, it’s not Ignazio.
@ignazioboschetto
So don’t be left out! Join the CHAT today!
I also want to mention that I have started a new FaceBook page. Susan.on.Live. The Il Volo stories continue to take up a lot of my time and I get many questions about what things are trending, like the question this week about Bosky_TV. I also get questions about Il Volo interviews and newspaper articles so, I decided to start a page where I can post everything that needs to be posted, and you can go on there at any time and look at information or ask questions. Each week I will also post my story Through the Fields of My Mind but, of course, you can read this story on www.ilvoloflightcrw.com or the individual fan page. And I will also post Daniela’s Italian stories that she translates. This should put everything in one place for you.
On this page you can also find updates on my book, and my new book!
So FOLLOW me on FaceBook at Susan.on.Live. On Instagram you can FOLLOW me @susan_debartoli.
Join me next week 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
Credit to the owners of Videos and Photos. Most of the photos in this story came from IL VOLO~From Ti Lascio to World. Thank you, Judy!
Happy New Year!
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
