The European tour continues at a rapid pace and continues to generate success.
The series of concerts in Germany has also concluded, and Il Volo is heading to the Czech Republic.
November 13th PRAGUE
The concert was in the 02 Arena.
Let’s go on stage!
CAPOLAVORO
SE accompanied by cellist Jodok
I PUFFI 🤣😂🤣 In this short chat video from Il Volo, Ignazio jokes about the color of the clothes worn by the boys, saying that the three of them look like Smurfs (in Italian PUFFI) who are, in fact, blue. 😂💙💙💙😂
LIBIAM DE LIETI CALICI together with a guest soprano Elina Nechayeva
“✨ IL VOLO will return to Prague in 2027! The trio of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble will once again grace the O2 Arena on October 18, 2027. It will be their fourth concert in Prague and once again a great treat for all pop opera lovers.
Today’s performance was full of emotion, elegance, and unforgettable musical moments. IL VOLO shone with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague under the guidance of Martin Šanda, and special guests: Swiss cello virtuoso Jodok Vuille and Estonian soprano Elina Nechayeva.
In 2027, fans will once again be able to experience the charm of Italy, the power of the three voices, and the exceptional musical atmosphere that combines classical tradition with a modern twist.”
Gianluca hugs a fan and Piero’s sweet memory of Barbara. ❤️🙏
Il Volo thanks Prague and Budapest with this fun video!!
MVM DOME posted these beautiful photos announcing a future concert in 2027 with these words:
“The bar was already high last year, but yesterday they easily cleared it. 🙌🏻 What will be here in 2027? 🤭”
Once again, two amazing concerts, once again the magic of their voices was confirmed, and the large audience responded with so much love!!
Now there are no concerts until November 23rd, so our guys can get some rest…do you think that’s possible????
Indeed!!!
The ATP Tennis FINALS were held in Turin in November, and the match between the two finalist champions, SINNER(Italian) and ALCARAZ(Spanish), took place on Sunday, November 16th. To everyone’s surprise, because the news hadn’t been widely spread, the live TV broadcast of the event began with the entrance of IL Volo, who sang the Italian National Anthem: FRATELLI D’ITALIA
Il Volo’s anthem before the match between Sinner and Alcaraz: “What a thrill! Like us, they started at 14.”
It certainly wasn’t the first time the Il Volo boys had sung the Mameli Anthem, but this time, in the center of Turin’s Inalpi Arena, shortly before the thrilling match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2025 ATP Finals, the artists were also filled with emotion. “We weren’t used to it, and we weren’t in front of our usual crowd, but it was even more beautiful. We felt all the emotion and immense affection.”
We spoke with Gianluca Ginoble and Piero Barone, who explained how they were asked to sing at the last minute: “We’re currently busy with our European tour,” Piero explains. “Yesterday we were in Budapest and we received the offer to sing at the ATP Finals; we wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world. We’ve never responded so quickly to a request.”
All three singers are passionate about tennis, and it seems they play regularly. They’re pretty good, in short. Gianluca, a little less so: “Ignazio and Piero often play together. You could say that Piero is a bit like our Sinner, while Ignazio is instinctive; he even shouts a bit, like Alcaraz. For now, I’m the umpire.” They say that, finding themselves on this unconventional stage, they’ve noticed the differences but, above all, the similarities in the situations; sport and music aren’t that far apart after all.
“It’s clear that these two young champions were born to do what they do,” Piero reflects. “They discovered that they were practically children and are able to live off their passion, dedicating themselves to it, putting everything they have into it. They are an inspiration. That’s what we try to do too: we started at 14, discovering our calling, and we see a lot of ourselves in them. It’s a tough journey, but a beautiful one.” Gianluca quotes Morricone in “Silence is Music,” when he describes the sacredness of the exchange and the respect of thousands of people who almost held their breath so as not to disturb. “It seems like a meditative practice. Which is then interrupted by explosions of joy: a fantastic experience that is very similar to a standing ovation.”
And here in the backstage are Sinner and Il Volo waiting to greet the champion.
And once again, our beloved guys amazed and thrilled us with two more fantastic concerts, but above all, with a truly Italian sense of pride for the closing of the 2025 ATP Finals tennis tournament.🎾
A few days off (perhaps) and then the European Tour continues from Oradea, Romania.
Come with me to three Il Volo concerts: Florence – Summer tour 2024, Prague – Tutti per uno tour 2024, Florence – Ad Astra tour 2025
Dear Flight Crew members and readers,
You don’t know me because I have never commented or interacted with anyone here, but I have been visiting this site for some time … I found this amazing site because I was looking for a translation of an article. And since then, I’m frequently coming here and checking how well (or not) I understood an article, an interview, or a video in Italian.
My name is Klára, I’m from the Czech Republic and live with my cat, Mr. Paw, in a small town near Pilsen – the city of beer. I’m a translator, I translate mostly from German into Czech and vice versa. I love reading, travelling, cats, figure skating and, of course, Il Volo.
I heard about Il Volo first when I was listening to a song by Andrea Bocelli on YouTube and the next suggested video was his message to Gianluca in Ti lascio una canzone. That was maybe eight years ago; I googled and found out that Gianluca was part of a musical group. Then I listened to some songs, read some interviews… My interest sparked again around 2020 when Italian pair skaters Rebecca Ghilardi and Philippo Ambrosini skated their free program to Grande Amore. And since then, I wanted to attend a concert in person.
Happy in Milano
As everyone here, I also love reading all the wonderful recaps and summaries of concerts and reports from people who were there in person. And even though it’s not really the most recent event, I thought that you might be interested in reading about three Il Volo concerts I have attended.
I want to share my excitement, recount some memories from the travels (from the point of view of someone who’s learning Italian) and I hope this article conveys how much I like Italy and Il Volo.
I’d like to take you with me back in time to Florence, Prague and to Florence again and show you the three concerts I have attended; show you the places, tell you how adventurous or not it was to get there, which songs stood out for me, which solos I loved the most, what happened at the soundcheck etc.
I have to admit I don’t have many photos of the concerts… But we could read here amazing reviews of the concerts with many videos and photos attached already, so I hope you won’t mind that this text contains so few pictures.
How it started
It all started last year in spring.
Before that I had watched Il Volo in videos on the internet from time to time… Then I had bought a ticket for the concert in Prague in 2023 (their first concert in the Czech Republic) but in the end I couldn’t go because my grandpa was ill. Fortunately, the guys decided to return in October 2024, I bought a ticket early in spring… and then, as I said, it started!
In anticipation of the concert in Prague, I was watching a lot of videos from earlier concerts and bits of interviews and realized (which wasn’t that big of a big discovery) that in Prague the guys were going to speak English – and that’s great because it’s certainly the language most people there would understand… But I’m a translator, love languages, challenges, and above all, I love Italy. At that time, I had been learning Italian for a while and just urgently felt that I needed to see the boys in Italy, in their home country, speaking their native language even though my Italian was quite basic.
And once you decide to do something, you find more and more reasons why you absolutely have to do it, right? 😉
Apart from Italian and Italy, my main reason was that I also wanted to hear Gianluca sing La cura and was a bit worried he wouldn’t sing it outside Italy. So, I spontaneously bought a ticket for a concert in Florence (Pratolino) for July 2024… And then I was hooked. 😊
Florence/Pratolino: At home under the moon (22nd July 2024)
The whole trip was a 100% Italian experience. It was so hot – 38°C! A friend of mine very kindly invited me to stay with her for a few days before going to Florence for the concert… I hopped on a bus in Prague and about 20 hours later I met my friend. We went to the sea, visited the San Galgano monastery and Siena, cooked pasta with home-made basil pesto, screamed Il Mondo and Grande Amore while she was driving and I was trying to read the map, and the day before the concert we went to the theatre in Siena for Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale, sort of a starter before the main course. 😉 And then, finally, I went to Florence.
Siena, sea, opera in Siena, San Galgano
Place: Florence/Pratolino
The summer concert in Florence was part of the Musart festival that was for the first time in its nine-year old history taking place in Parco Mediceo di Pratolino. I bought a ticket for the concert in Florence and then was very surprised when all pieces of information were talking about Pratolino. ‘What’s that? What’s going on?’ I thought as I repeatedly received emails about limited parking possibilities and instructions on how to get there by car. (As if I had an. 😉) And so, I discovered that Pratolino is about fifteen kilometres away from the city centre of Florence and that it was possible to get there by public transport. But going back? There was no public transport that late in the evening.
Fortunately, I visited the website of the festival and learned what ‘navetta’ meant. Shuttle buses! Indeed, there was a special train going from Florence to Vaglia and from there shuttle buses were going to Pratolino.
In reality, it was a bit more complicated, as the shuttle buses weren’t waiting directly at the train station… Fortunately, there was a lady travelling in the train who had attended a concert in Pratolino the day before, so she safely guided us to the buses.
When we arrived at Pratolino, there were carabinieri everywhere managing the traffic, signalling for the cars which temporary car park they should use, guiding the buses through… And I thought: If I were one of the boys and saw this chaos, I’d fall unconscious and would be unable to sing! At this moment I truly realized how famous Il Volo was.
We got off the bus and there was about one kilometer walk through the park waiting for us and then, finally, I saw the stage!
The park is a lovely place and it’s getting gradually reconstructed. There are statues, a beautiful Villa Demidoff and a chapel that was open for the concert visitors.
I’d say there were about five thousand people of all ages, and from the snippets of conversation my impression was that for many of them it wasn’t their first Il Volo concert.
Park Pratolino
The Florence vs. Pratolino thing made even Piero confused 😉 Here’s what he asked at the beginning of the concert.
Piero: I don’t want to offend anyone so what’s correct? Florence or Pratolino? Audience: Florence! Piero: Good, because I said at home that I was going to sing in Florence.
The concert
The concert started at 9:30 p.m.; it was already dark and still so warm…
It was my first time hearing the boys live and this is a part of the message I immediately sent to my friend. It just sums up my impressions:
And I can’t even describe the singing. What Ignazio can do 🤯🤯 And hearing Piero singing the arias live 😮 And Gianluca such a soothing voice 🥰🥰🥰 And the best was going back to the bus and just hearing bits of conversation of the many fans and all of them were so excited.
The boys were so relaxed, natural, warm and friendly, they talked about the songs a lot, joked, and didn’t rush. I have to say I was quite proud of myself because I understood more or less everything they said in Italian.
Songs that stood out and solos
The boys came on the stage and immediately started singing Nelle tue mani, it was such a powerful beginning; Caruso was very moving… I love the Ad Astra album and was so happy that they sang about half of the songs from it: Succede, Il mondo all’incontrario, Capolavoro and especially Frammenti di universe, I love the part where Gianluca’s and Ignazio’s voices interact with each other.
The concert also contained six solos. As I said, La cura was one of the main reasons I travelled to Italy, and I got everything I wanted and more. My friend told me that La cura is often sung at weddings because of the lyrics. Whenever Gianluca sings “Perché sei un essere speciale“(because you are a special human being) I always add in my mind: yes, you, Gianluca, you are a special human being.
I was equally enchanted by Piero’s E lucevan le stelle. And then Ignazio’s Almeno tu nell’universo…, you have to listen to it, it cannot be described. From the first second you understand that this song has a deeply personal and special meaning for Ignazio, and he makes you feel it, too.
We also heard Ovunque sarai, Amor vida de mi vida and Can’t help falling in love.
The public was so energetic and warm, applauding, cheering and very often singing with the boys; everyone knew the lyrics of Capolavoro, and of Ignazio’s solos.
And then came one of the best experiences of my life: the guys invited everyone to stand up, come closer to the stage and join them in singing the last song. And so, together with about five thousand people, I was singing/screaming Grande Amore at the top of my lungs, standing on my feet, clapping my hands. It was such an exciting ending of the whole concert.
All of us on our feet, singing Grande amore
Fun
The concert was a perfect mix of brilliant singing, relaxed atmosphere and some fun.
When the guys started talking about the song Ad Astra, they said: “We were in Mexico” and a whole row of people waved, so they interrupted the introduction of the song and greeted Mexico and the Mexican fans who were there.
Then Gianluca started listing countries, asking if there was someone from the US, Canada etc. etc. and people were waving and raising their hands.
Ignazio: That’s a lot of people. Is there even anyone from Tuscany? (the region around Florence) Gianluca immediately: And from Abruzzo?
Then there was another very funny moment, and I haven’t seen any video of it so here’s a summary.
Piero: There’s somewhere a friend of mine in the audience. He’s a waiter. Can you get up? We met a month ago when we were doing a press conference here. And he’s the best waiter in the world. He prepared breakfast for me. And if I remember correctly, it’s Massimo’s birthday today.
Meanwhile, the man got up.
Il Volo started singing and the whole audience stood up and joined the guys in singing Tanti auguri(Happy birthday).
When they finished, Gianluca heard something and then said: What? Your name is not Massimo? It’s Tomasso!! Piero: Well, the breakfast was at 6.30 a.m…. but I did remember the birthday correctly. Gianluca asking Tomasso: I still don’t understand. But why did you get up when he said Massimo? Tomasso: He also said that I was a waiter which is correct.
Then the guys were about to introduce another song, Se from Ennio Morricone.
Ignazio to Piero: No, you don’t say his name.
Kindness
It was a funny moment, but it also shows how kind and friendly Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio are. And kindness doesn’t stop with them, also all the volunteers were very nice, not to speak about all the people who organized the transport to Pratolino. There may not have been that many pieces of information, and being in a foreign country, the journey felt like an adventure at the beginning, but everything worked out.
I was a bit worried whether the buses were going to wait for everyone after the end of the concert but then I convinced myself that there were worse things than waiting at the station for some early train in the morning, especially as the evening and night were so warm. Of course, the buses waited.
And then while sitting back in the train, well past midnight, suddenly an applause erupted there – it could rival the standing ovations the boys received just an hour ago – the train staff decided that the train wasn’t going to terminate at the Campo Marte station but was going to continue to the main train station in the city center! For many people it was much more convenient.
Booklet
We were given a 50-page long booklet containing the programme and introduction of the Musart festival, the individual artists, the Demidoff villa…
Here is a translation of the part about Il Volo:
(translated by me, revision done by my Italian friend)
Since forever, flying or the flight (il volo) has been one of the biggest dreams of humankind. Not only in the physical sense but also in the metaphorical one.
Flying (il volo) represents liberty, surpassing the limits, and the aspirations to reach something higher.
Flying (il volo) is not only a matter of wings or motors but also of soul and desire. Paulo Coelho once said: “The man has an inner greatness that moves him to fly, even though his wings are invisible.” These words reflect the truth about every dreamer: flying (il volo) is, first of all, an act of believing in oneself.
Music, like flying, lifts us up and transports us in unexpected places. It’s by means of our voice that we reach the highest, farthest goals, breath-taking and alienating, while communicating through one of our most profound senses.
It’s incredible how much freedom may lie in those few lines that represent the stave. The voice flies, soars, contorts itself into the various notes, adjusts to the tonality and communicates its feelings through the minor and major chords.
Flying (il volo) is the utmost representation of the human desire to rise above the circumstances of everyday life and reach something sublime. In every note, in every melody, in every word, we can find a piece of sky. And thus, we join the choir, soaring high, guided by the art and the beauty of the flight.
And Il Volo(now with the capital letter) is also the beautiful story of these boys – young men now – who with harmony and on the sound of high notes perform all over the world and shortly they will be welcomed in the park of the Demidoff villa. I share with them the experience of participating at the San Remo festival. I also was part of a trio but that wasn’t a long-term project but only a brief intermezzo. And also, we didn’t have such a beautiful and inspiring name!
Luca Canonici, opera singer
Prague: Warm encounter with old friends (12th October 2024)
The “old friends” in the title refer to the songs, as Il Volo was celebrating 15 years of career, and the guys sang there all the important songs of their journey… and “old friends” also refer to the European capitals as Il Volo had had much success there in previous tours.
Prague was more of a “standard” concert I’d say – no more open air but a huge modern arena.
The public was very appreciative, but I missed a bit the spontaneity of the predominantly Italian public from Florence and their readiness to join the boys in singing various songs.
Place
O2 Arena, before the concert, from my seat
The O2 arena in Prague is modern, spacious, with a subway station nearby… The capacity of the arena is about 18.000 (though at first, the organizers weren’t selling tickets for the second gallery seats, so the number of spectators was lower).
This is off topic but next year, the World figure skating championship will take place there and given the Olympics are in Italy I expect a lot of skaters to choose Italian music next season, maybe even from Il Volo.
Prague is a beautiful city, though as I didn’t have to make such an effort to get there, the concerts in Florence feel – subjectively – even more special to me.
I was very happy when Gianluca shared pictures from the National Gallery in Prague. And then he also posted a picture of a statue and even though I lived in Prague for two years, at first, I didn’t know where it was! The guys discovered more places in Prague in two days than me in two years 😉
Gianluca’s photo of the Kafka statue
Soundcheck
I wholeheartedly recommend going to the soundcheck if you have the chance. On one hand it’s much less expensive than meet and greet and on the other hand wherever you sit then during the concert you’ll still have this unique experience of sitting in the first or second row and seeing Il Volo from close.
You can see a bit of what is going on behind the scenes, you see the guys in casual clothes, leaning on the piano, scrolling on the phone while waiting for something, discussing details with the technicians…
This was my first time attending a soundcheck and I was amazed! We quietly walked into semi-darkness, and suddenly we heard The Sound of Silence. It was so clear and loud and absolutely mesmerizing. Meanwhile we sat down and then the boys sang Opera – arguing good-naturedly about the lyrics, Piero suggested trying the ending of Hallelujah and then he did a solo. And afterwards they sang with the guest, Elina Nechayeva, and were so sweet and attentive to her.
Concert: Songs that stood out and solos
The song that stood out for me was definitely The Sound of Silence.
The boys stand in a semi-circle close together, they start singing, it’s almost dark on the stage and you can hear only their voices. And if you haven’t thought about it before, now you realize that this is all they need. They don’t need crazy costumes and hairdos, dancers or aerial artists on the stage, flashy lights; just with their voices and personality they make the show.
Un amore così grande made me, literally, cry; then there was the playful La donna è mobile that made me smile. And the cherry on the top was Opera. Again, it’s dark, and suddenly you hear Opera! Opera! Opera! loud and decisive reverberating in the whole arena.
The Estonian singer Elina Nechayeva joined Il Volo for Libiamo ne’ lieti calici and she also proposed a toast in Czech! During the brief pause in the song she danced with Piero and Ignazio and danced with Gianluca 😉
There was one song I had been looking forward to so much – The Music of the Night – hoping Gianluca would sing it. And he did. He sang so beautifully; his voice was soft and yet powerful. The lyrics are, in my opinion, so complex and difficult and yet Gianluca’s pronunciation is so clear (clearer than of many native speakers I dare say) and you can understand every word.
Then came a big surprise. I was expecting maybe Can’t Help Falling in Love but instead, Gianluca gifted us Bridge Over Troubled Water. And because it was so unexpected I think I enjoyed the song even more.
Piero received thunderous applause for both E lucevan le stelle and Amor vida de mi vida and Ignazio sang Memory.
Kindness
In Prague there were some people holding posters saying they were from Molise (which is a region neighbouring Gianluca’s Abruzzo) so he switched to Italian and thanked them for coming to the concert. Then, back in English, Ignazio explained that Gianluca greets friends everywhere and that during the summer tour in Italy he had friends in every city.
After that the guys remembered that their friend from Mexico was also at the concert, so they switched to Spanish and greeted him, too.
It’s just one gesture but I think it really sums up so well what makes the guys so special. They genuinely care for their fans; they don’t see us as consumers of their music. And they are also able to spontaneously communicate with the public, in three languages no less!
After this concert in October, I wanted to write an article summarizing the concerts in Florence and Prague. This was supposed to be the end of the article:
The only thing to decide is: where to go for the next concert? Italy in January (because night bus rides through the Alps in winter are truly magical), Tutti per uno concert in May (because this way I’d get to know more about other Italian artists) or Germany/Austria in November (because it’s always nice to visit the neighbouring country) 😉.
I didn’t finish the article at that time, instead I did buy bus tickets to Italy again and a ticket for the concert on 15th January in Florence as I couldn’t miss the opportunity to hear more songs from the brilliant Ad Astra album. (And I might have bought a ticket for Tutti per uno in Mantua, too.)
Florence Ad Astra tour: Reaching new horizons (15th January 2025)
The January tour was dedicated to new songs from the Ad Astra album and what an amazing idea it was! Personally, I love all these songs, would choose them over any other and love discovering new words in Italian and the feeling that the more I’m listening to them the more I understand.
With the visuals and themes of planets, universe, and stars it was a perfect opportunity to use abstract images on five big screens, changing colours, lights and laser lights resulting in a unique show. To add a bit of a dramatic touch the boys start singing Chiaro di luna while hidden in a drapery that, after a few lines, falls down.
I said earlier that the boys didn’t need any “tricks” or dramatic shows, but they wanted to try something new, and it was great indeed. (Though I have to admit that while all the laser lights and huge screens looked amazing in the photos, I enjoyed it a bit less in person. However, I think it was caused by the placement of my seat, either from further away or from closer it would probably look better. I was in the 29th row and while concentrating hard on just seeing the boys on the stage I didn’t have enough time to appreciate the light show properly.)
The concert lasted two and a half hours! The boys sang an incredible number of songs, compared to the summer concert they didn’t talk that much, there simply wasn’t any time for longer conversations!
The light show as seen from my seat
Place
This concert in Florence took place really in Florence, in the Nelson Mandela stadium, and, coincidently, quite close to the hostel I was staying in so I could just go there on foot.
The capacity of the stadium is about 8,000 seats; it was full, and the spectators were very enthusiastic, knowing all the lyrics of the songs.
Nelson Mandela stadium
This time, I didn’t see anything else in Florence, I came really just for one afternoon, though I spent the following day with my friend in Bologna.
Bologna
Soundcheck
First, the boys sang Saturno e venere and then it wasn’t a soundcheck anymore but rather Ignazio’s show. 😉 He was in a really good mood. Piero wanted to do his solo E lucevan le stelle and while he was singing Ignazio was accompanying him with ballet moves, then Ignazio sang E lucevan le stelle as a solo, too. It was amazing! And then Ignazio sang Un amore così grande on Il mondo music and tried to convince Piero to join him, finally he sang all three parts of Il mondo imitating Gianluca and Piero. Gianluca was observing all this from the auditorium with his brother.
The concert: Songs that stood out and solos
Cecille was a guest and sort of an opening act in Florence. When the curtains were still closed, without the live orchestra, she sang two songs, A Natural Woman and her own song Solamente farfalle. I really liked them, especially the Italian one (another artist to add to the library on Spotify 😊). Later she joined the boys and sang E più ti penso with them.
I absolutely cannot pick just a few songs that stood out for me in Florence because I love the whole Ad Astra album. And out of the ten original songs we got nine! Including the instrumental Per Aspera that the orchestra played before the guys appeared on the podium and including Saturno e venere with the boys also singing Irama’s part. (The only song left out was L’infinito.☹) Hearing Tra le onde and Se/Nuovo cinema paradiso live was also very special.
I was fortunate enough to hear La cura live for the second time. Gianluca congratulated his mom on her birthday and dedicated this song to her.
And then another surprise from Gianluca! Eleanor Rigby. I fell in love with this song while watching the Tutti per uno concerts and especially listening to Gianluca’s introduction of the song.
Piero doesn’t change a winning team. 😉 He sang E lucevan le stelle again and it was amazing again. And his second solo was No puede ser.
Ignazio sang The Show Must GoOn and what a show it was! And then rocker Ignazio disappeared, and we got a tender E penso a te with many spectators knowing the lyrics and joining him. Ignazio’s versatility is truly breathtaking.
Some more interesting bits and pieces
After the soundcheck we had to leave the stadium. I remained waiting near the gate and slowly, people who had tickets only for the concert started gathering there, too. The gate was still closed, though, as it was really early.
Then I noticed a beautiful lady in an elegant coat standing nearby. ‘She looks like Veronica Berti, Andrea Bocelli’s wife’ crossed my mind. ‘But that can’t be her, that’s crazy, right?’ I thought. Curious, I checked Veronica Berti’s Instagram and saw a picture from Miami published two days ago and concluded that this lady was just a bit similar to her and “the real Veronica” and Andrea Bocelli were probably still in the US.
However, after a few minutes at least five people came to the gate, opened it just for this lady and accompanied her inside. And I had some doubts again…
After the concert I looked at Veronica Berti’s Instagram again and saw a story! There was a photo of the boys. She was at the concert indeed!
Here’s what she wrote: Two hours and a half of music flew by… how amazing it is to listen to you. Thank you for the beautiful evening.
Veronica Berti’s Instagram story
What an amazing coincidence that I caught the three or five minutes when she was waiting in front of the gate.
They are stars but also much more
I’m sure we all share this feeling: The guys are stars. And we, the spectators, admire them, of course. I think though that the guys don’t want the spectators to leave the concerts “only” with admiration but want the people to be happy. They are making us feel happy during the concerts and for days to come. They joke, walk through the crowd, accept gifts while on the stage, adjust the set list to the place where they are performing…
It’s also so considerate of them that when they leave the stage and sing among the public, they don’t stop in the first rows but really sing in the middle of the people, going through the whole arena so that as many people as possible can see them up close.
And it’s amazing that they communicate with the public so much and do so in three languages! They joked in Prague in English as much as they did in Florence in Italian.
I really liked the moments when they talked about the individual songs and introduced them. And on all three occasions I loved listening to bits and pieces of conversations while leaving the venue. Everyone was happy and praised Il Volo!
Front row?
We usually get stories from fans in the first rows, but I’d like to assure you that the seat is not that important. Wherever you sit you won’t be disappointed. In Pratolino I sat in row fifteen, it was great. In Prague I was far away – in the gallery across the whole ground floor. And yet, during Here’s to you Gianluca came all the way through the whole ground floor and waved to the people sitting in the gallery. And in Florence I sat in row twenty-nine on the ground floor. (There was a big screen but only on the other side of the arena.) During the Vicinissimo mix Piero passed by half a meter from me! So really, there are no bad seats.
Alone?
Even if you don’t have anyone to go with, don’t worry about it! I was alone at all three concerts, but you are never really alone, there’s a friendly atmosphere, you smile at one person, hear this remark, reply to that remark… In the train to Pratolino, I said literally one word in Italian and was already pulled into a conversation and ended up having a nice chat in English-Italian about Prague with a fellow fan. And because there were so many people at the concerts, I felt safe even walking to the hostel at 1 a.m.
Italian
I’m sure I’m not the only one learning Italian (mainly to understand the lyrics and the interviews). And I know I said that during the July concert in Florence I understood more or less everything the guys said. But let’s be honest, it’s because I’ve seen a lot of videos from previous concerts and also because you can kind of know what to expect. The guys (most) certainly won’t talk about physics or mineralogy… So, my Italian wasn’t put to the test there that much… But a guided tour? That’s a different story.
When we visited Bologna, my friend and I booked a two-hour long guided city tour. It was in January, so there were very few tourists and no possibility to book the tour in English. Even for the Italian one there were only four other people beside us. I was a bit worried.
Because in July last year when we visited the San Galgano monastery, I tuned out the Italian guide after twenty minutes… I understood quite a lot of words, yet I couldn’t get the meaning of the whole speech, and he was talking in Tuscan dialect which didn’t help…
Guess what happened six months later in Bologna? While listening to the guide, I laughed when the Italians laughed, I was surprised when the Italians were surprised, I exclaimed “oh no” when the Italians did… I understood the guide!
The boys and their songs are a great motivation to continue studying and I hope that I’ve motivated some of you with this story.
In case you want to compare, here’s a list of songs the guys sang at the concerts…
List of songs Florence, summer tour:
New:Capolavoro, Ad Astra, Frammenti di universo, Il mondo all’incontrario, Succede
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, Grande amore, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Caruso, Here’s to You, Ecstasy of Gold, Se telefonando
Solos:E lucevan le stelle, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Ovunque sarai, Amor vida de mi vida, La cura, Almeno tu nell’universo
List of songs in Prague:
New: Opera, Capolavoro, Ad astra
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, Grande Amore, The Sound of Silence, My Way, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Caruso, Funiculì funiculà, La donna è mobile, Libiamo with Elina, Here’s to You, O sole mio
Solos: E lucevan le stelle, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Memory, Amor vida de mi vida, Phantom of the Opera
List of songs in Florence Ad astra tour:
New:Per Aspera, Chiaro di luna + Opera, Capolavoro, Frammenti di universo, Ad astra, Tra le onde, Saturno e venere, Succede, Il mondo all’incontrario
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, E più ti penso with Cecille, Grande Amore, The Sound of Silence, My Way, L’amore si muove + Vicinissimo + Musica che resta + Per te ci sarò, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Se telefonando
Solos:E lucevan le stelle, Eleanor Rigby, The Show Must Go On, No puede ser, La cura, E penso a te
I would like to share my emotions and feelings after two fantastic Il Volo concerts I was lucky to attend. Of course both concerts ware fabulous, full of great music and heavenly voices. You could see and listen to some songs on my videos, and pics, but some “special” moments I want to describe more.
~ ~ PRAGUE ~ ~
Concert in Prague started with sound check, for me very intimate experience to see how my favourite artists are working, but there was funny moment too. One lady asked Ignazio if Michelle was with him, after Igna answered NO, she started to complain, “because we all are waiting for Ignazio Junior” …. Igna answered with beautiful smile, that he is working very hard on that topic … Our sweetheart will be father soon. 😉 He mentioned this few times during concert too, I think we can count days to hear happiest info from Boschetto family, that Igna and Michelle expecting their first child.
Concert was fantastic, Il Volo started with Gladiator song, Nelle tue mani (Now we are free), then Nessun Dorma. I’m very happy that Ignazio came back to perform Memories, song from Cats, but the best solo, in my opinion, was Music of the Night, song from the Phantom of the Opera, performed by Gianluca. It is true masterpiece. Entire audience was mesmerised by the performance. Standing ovation and a lot of flowers and gifts to Gian. All three received many gifts and flowers, definitely fans in Prague Love Il Volo. Ignazio received plum vodka with short note from fan. The message was for all three guys and Ignazio, of course, made funny jokes with twisting Piero’s and Gianluca’s names.
NELLE TUE MANI
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT
IL MONDO
They sang a few songs from album Tribute to Ennio Morricone and from new album Ad Astra.During Here’s to You they went to the audience and sang with us. During the beautiful Hallelujah we had tears in our eyes, song dedicated to all our beloved ones who are not with us anymore. Entire O2 Arena was shining with flash lights, very touching moment.
SOUND OF SILENCE
OPERA
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER
Two hours passed by to fast, “suddenly” we heard O Sole Mio and Good night from our Boys…. too soon… of course. They came back for BIS (shouted during performance when we want artist to come back to the stage) with Grande Amore and the magical evening has ended. Emotions did not let me to fall asleep till 4am, but we (me and my friend Maria) experienced another surprise during breakfast. We chose same hotel that our Boys and Il Volo crew…. We didn’t want to interrupt them during eating, but we had the possibility to chat a bit with Gian and Gianpiero Grani in the elevator. Of course we said big thank you for fantastic show, send kisses from entire Polish Fan Club and see you in Berlin.
MEMORIES
GRANDE AMORE
~ ~ BERLIN ~ ~
Sound check in Berlin was more formal, Piero did not feel well already and everybody was focused on adapting the set list to not harm his voice more. We arrived to Berlin with 12 people, with official fan club T-shirts, immediately we were recognized by our Boys. Well, Polish Fans rule!
SOUND OF SILENCE
OPERA
Concert set list was a bit shorter than in Prague, the boys did not go down to the audience (pity), Piero did not sing Tosca, probably too difficult in his condition. But have to admit, Piero is a lion, so strong and uncompromising. As always HE WAS PERFECT with every single note, but after concert he immediately went with Michele to hospital. We were very afraid about our beloved tenor, but John had a call from Michele that problems are under control. Unfortunately Piero did not attend Meet and Greet too.
CAPOLAVORO
NO PUEDE SER
LIBIAMO NE’ LIETI CALICI
GRANDE AMORE – BIS
Well what can I say about M&G… best experience in years, our 12 people team called “Polish mafia” dominated M&G entirely, we have fantastic pics with Ignazio, Gian and John, lot of hugs, kisses and chats. Of course we gave small gifts to our precious singers. By accident we all bought chocolate with vodka (barrels with different type of alcohols by Polish company E. Wedel). When Gian opened another box and saw AGAIN chocolate with vodka he started to laugh and said that we want them to be drunk and fat. In the end we sang for Ignazio “Sto lat” to greet his wedding and birthday … and we went to our hotels singing and smiling. See You in Lodz!
LIBIAM DE LIETI CALICI with the soprano Elina Netsajeva
CAPOLAVORO
MEMORY
Always nice to hear this beautiful song from Ignazio’s voice! ❤️
E LUCEVAN LE STELLE
Piero with his powerful lyrical voice, what a dream! ❤️
This video is really special and in its entirety, Gianluca singing THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT wonderfully, rejoice!❤️
And what to say about this other single by Gianluca sung in Budapest:BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS❤️
I found this video and I left it for last because I find it really wonderful, finally we can listen to THE SOUND OF SILENCE in its entirety and at the beginning the voices of Il Volo are subdued, and then follow with all the strength, I like it very much !! ❤️
the final
Backstage with Il Volo, Cellist Jodok Vuille, the soprano Elina Netsajeva and Marcelito Pomoy, who went to see the concert.
Marcelito Pomoy is a very famous Filipino singer, he won Philippines Got’s Talent and participated in America’s Got Talent, his peculiarity is that he sings with both a baritone voice and a mezzo-soprano voice and therefore plays both in the same song roles for men and women!!!
October 12, Czech Republic: PRAGUE
The concert is held in the beautiful and largest arena in Prague, Arena 02.
Here too, great public participation, great warmth, great love!
02 Arena, after the concert published these words:
“A spectacular show full of Italian passion from Il Volo lit up the O2 arena just last night.”
I found this video of a fan filming her concert experience from outside the arena and then several songs.
It’s nice to hear so much applause for our dear young men. Our dear friend, Alicja, was kind enough to provide the translation/summary of the words of this Ukranian lady.
Summary:
Hello, I came to Prague alone, for concert of Italian pop opera trio. It is trio of 3 boys who sing pop opera. I could not attend concerts since 3 years, this time I bought ticket as well very late, I have my seat very high in the arena. Look behind it is O2 Arena, it is famous venue for concerts, hockey games and other shows. I think I will enjoy this evening. Look how many people are already in the queues and still coming from all directions. Concert is sold out. Here you see escalators, I will go up to my sector. Here you can buy snacks and drinks, even alcoholic drinks you can buy before event. Now I want to show you the view of entire Arena. I like such big venues, feel small here. I still have time so will walk a bit around Arena.
AFTER CONCERT: I’m so amazed, concert was incomparable to anything I saw before, fantastic performance, great young boys, great singers.
But how sweet is this child who wants to give flowers to his favorite… Piero takes the flowers, but the child has clear ideas, his favorite is Gianluca!!❤️😂😂😍
MISERERE
HERE’S TO YOU
Il Volo with maestro Martin Sanda who conducted the orchestra.
Only two days of break, incredible to think how Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio can move places in just two days, rehearse with a different orchestra and maybe with a few different songs and always be at the top. By the way, as some of you asked, they also manage to visit the cities where they hold concerts, as demonstrated by the photos that they themselves publish of the monuments or typical places of the various cities, and we are happy that they manage to do so.
14 October Spain: BARCELONA
The concert is held in AUDITORI FORUM.
The beginning of the concert:
NELLE TUE MANI from Il Gladiatore
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER
AD ASTRA
OPERA
GRANADA
GRANDE AMORE in Spanish, Italian and English 😂
CCIB (Barcelona International Convention Centre) published these words:
“🎶 Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, the renowned members of the Italian opera trio Il Volo were the protagonists of a memorable performance last night at the #CCIB Forum Auditorium, as part of the Festival della Croce d’Autunno Concerts Cruïlla. Thank you for giving Barcelona this special musical evening!”
And the event organizer CONCERT CRUILLA wrote this:
“Last night @ilvolomusic transformed the @ccib_auditori into a refuge for lovers of opera, intergenerational hits and the Italian essence that only they can transport all over the world. 🐚
The sensitivity of this trio contrasted with their lyrical skill and a staging that won us over from the start!”
And so three more concerts have concluded and I would say in an impressive way as regards the participation of the fans and the professionalism of our beloved ones.
Even in Barcelona Il Volo was greeted with warm applause and affection.
Only two days after Spain and then there will be the next concert in Germany…….but do you think there will be a whole day of rest???
But not by chance, because on October 15th Il Volo returned to Italy, to Rome for a private event in the beautiful Palazzo Colonna, of which we can only give you this short video.
And then back to Germany for the next concert.
But there is still something new!
From the next concert in Germany there will be a regular guest in Il Volo concerts, her name is Cecille (Cecilia Sordoni), a good singer from the Marche region.
Il Volo, the singer Cecille will be the guest of all the European dates starting from tonight’s live show in Dusseldorf.
After London, Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Barcelona, Il Volo continues the World Tour and announces that Cecille, a young singer from the Marche region, will be a regular guest on all the upcoming European dates starting from tonight’s live at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf until last show on November 6th at the Wizink Center in Madrid.
The meeting between Il Volo and Cecille was born by chance, when Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto, always looking for new sounds and talents, came across some of her videos on Andrea Bocelli’s social media.
Impressed by her interpretation and voice, they decided to contact her and offer her the opportunity to perform with them on all the upcoming dates of the European tour.
“We all agreed that she was the perfect talent to accompany us on our concerts in Europe and we are happy that she immediately accepted our proposal with enthusiasm,” explains the trio who later discovered that Cecille is part of the Bocelli family. (in the sense that she often sang with Bocelli)
The singer has already conquered international audiences with extraordinary performances, including one at the White House in 2023, when she sang in front of First Lady Jill Biden interpreting Lucio Dalla’s Caruso.
While the 2024/2025 World Tour continues with European appointments until November, for Italian fans of Il Volo the appointment is set for January 2025 with Tutti per uno – ad Astra live in sports halls, the tour in the main Italian arenas produced by Friends & Partners. The World Tour will then continue in the USA, Canada and Latin America.
And now look at how cute this video is with Cecille breaking the news to Bocelli.
CECILLE= Hi Andrea, I came to say hello, I have a flight not to miss. (flight in Italian = Volo, she plays on the double meaning of the word).
BOCELLI= Do you have a flight not to miss? Where to?
PIERO= Andrea is coming to us, don’t worry.
IGNAZIO= Yes, in any case it was a misunderstanding, the flight (Il Volo) is us, not intended as an airline…
GIANLUCA= Andrea, Cecille will come with us on tour in Europe. Get ready to fly.
BOCELLI= In this case, how to say…..(he starts playing the song VOLARE on the piano). Good luck everyone!
CECILLE= Ciao!
And here are the words published by Cecille:
“Once again reality surpasses all my dreams, all my imaginations.
I can’t find the words to describe the emotion and honor of being part of this extraordinary journey with Il Volo for inviting me to join their European Tour.
Piero, Gianluca, Ignazio, the words ‘Thank you’ will never be enough.
All my gratitude to Andrea Bocelli whose music and support have always inspired me throughout my journey.
And now we get ready to fly…Düsseldorf we arrive!✈️🎶🌍✨❤️”
Little by little, Il Volo has reached the last 3 concerts of the European tour.
There were great satisfactions and everything on tour went well.
9 October, Hungary: BUDAPEST
A nice surprise from Gianluca during the soundcheck in Budapest, he sang and played SIGN OF THE TIMES, very good!! 😍
From the concert:
ECSTASY OF GOLD
HALLELUJAH
HERE’S TO YOU
There was a guest, the Hungarian singer, Gabi Tóth with whom they sang the beautiful song: CANZONE PER TE. Beautiful quartet, congratulations to all four. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
GABI published this video on her Facebook page, with this comment:
Il Volo had a fantastic concert last night and I am grateful to have been able to sing this wonderful song with them, with just one rehearsal and without speaking the same language, but we understood each other in the language of music! Thanks for the opportunity, Roland Horvat. (her manager)
This was published by KONCERTPROMO.HU
Il Volo hosted a fantastic evening in Budapest! 🎉
Budapest, October 10, 2023. It was a magical evening on October 9, when the trio of IL VOLO, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble performed at the Budapest Sportarena. The evening was opened by the energetic performance of the talented Vavra Bence, where the excitement and anticipation of the audience could be felt from the very beginning. The tension reached its peak when the long-awaited moment finally arrived and IL VOLO took the stage. The world-famous trio, which conquered the Hungarian audience for the first time in 2019, once again proved that it rightfully belongs among the greatest. As Piero Barone, a member of IL VOLO, said in his interview to Index: “We are very happy to have come to Hungary again, and we are sure that the audience will enjoy the evening.”
At the end of the evening, Roland Horváth, director of Koncert Promo, enthusiastically declared: “IL VOLO concerts are always special, but this evening was exceptional. Their music, their voice, their splendor is unique. We are sure that the audience had a unique experience during the concert.” The production, the organizers and the artists concluded the evening satisfied. Budapest will surely remember this special concert for a long time and we hope we won’t have to wait long for the trio’s return!
**IL VOLO’s concert was an evening that music lovers should not miss. Thank you for being with us and being a part of this unforgettable musical experience!**
October 10: Czech Republic: PRAGUE
Our young men always send photographs of the cities where they will have concerts, “tourists by day, singers by night”.
But sometimes, walking around the streets of the old part of the city of PRAGUE, you can have special encounters that make your heart happy, and this is how mum Eleonora and dad Ercole reached their son, to the joy of a happy Gianluca! 😍😍
The concert was held in the beautiful and modern O2 Arena.
O SOLE MIO
VOLARE
GRANDE AMORE
Also in Prague CANZONE PER TE was sung with a good singer from the Czech Republic: Tereza Maskova. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Tereza posted this on her Facebook page.
I’m realizing this really happened. 🙈❤️ My childhood dream has come true. 🙏
I’ve been smiling from ear to ear since the morning and remember yesterday’s concert @ilvolomusic I’m watching videos and I still can’t believe it. 😍 I wonder, but was I really next to them? Did I really sing with them? Well, for sure yes. 😁❤️
Thank you so much for this experience it was an honor. ❤️
02 ARENA Prague, published this comment:
The musical group Il Volo presented its long-awaited debut in Prague! We will long remember this wonderful evening full of Italian passion and extraordinary musical experience!
How did you like the concert?✨
This instead was published by IREPORT.CZ Musica and Style Magazine, which I translated for you.
Il Volo created a magical atmosphere in the O2 arena, the trio was accompanied by Tereza Mašková.
Il Volo visited the Czech Republic for the first time. The trio, who represented Italy at Eurovision 2015, amazed Prague not only with their singing talent, but also with their spirit. The singers accompanied by the orchestra were not afraid to communicate regularly with the audience, both in English and in their native Italian. At each concert of the Il Volo tour, a selected song is accompanied by a local artist.
For the Prague show they chose Tereza Mašková, who has been a fan of theirs for a long time. Together they sang the song CANZONE PER TE. Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and Sinatra’s My Way were also performed. The fans rewarded the trio with a standing ovation and incessant applause for the beautiful evening.
Among many concerts and great successes with the public and affection, we are slowly moving towards the last scheduled concert, as the concert in Tel Aviv, as you know, has been postponed for now. 😞🙏
And so here we are at the last European concert.
October 12, LITHUANIA: Kaunas
IL MONDO
MY WAY
CARUSO
MISERERE
A nice summary of some songs.
Standing Ovation 👏🏻
In this photo you can see Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio with the journalist Ramunas Zilnys who published the photo with these words:
“It’s nice to meet the Il Volo guys in person after an 8-year break. Beautiful concert in Kaunas tonight / Nice to see Il Volo again (we met at Eurovision 8 years ago). Great concert in Kaunas.”
While Il Volo on its Facebook page thanks all the fans for the love they had during the European concerts, Barbara Vitali publishes this photo which highlights the flights carried out by Il Volo for this tour, remarkable!!
And we are right at the end of the European tour. I would say that Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio can be happy with how this tour went, because the affection of their fans has been reconfirmed.
And now??? What will they do??
Maybe they should rest a little……but no, there is already some news that will make us happy, on October 29th they will be in Mexico for the closing of the Festival Internacional Chihuahua.
And that’s all for now but, as you may have understood, we’ll talk to you soon:
Daniela 🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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