It’s that time of the year again and I am traveling! This year I will be at World Youth Day in Lisbon. If you recall, the guys performed at World Youth Day in Panama. Unfortunately, they will not be in Lisbon.
As you know, when I travel, I bring you some of the old stories and I always advise you to visit the Archives of http://www.ilvoloflightcrw.com for all of my stories and Daniela’s stories as well as other contributors over the years.
I wanted to start with a story that the new fans have not heard before. The guy’s celebrating Domenico Dolce’s 62nd birthday in his native Polizzi Generosa. The guys were special guests of Domenico. Some of the videos from the original story are gone but the important ones have survived.
To make up for the lost videos, I will post some Morricone songs which fit into the time frame of this event!
So, without further ado let’s join the guys for An Extraordinary Event!
Let’s begin with the musical part of our story. The most popular song to come out of the Il Volo Sings Morricone CD, was TheEcstasy of Gold but the most requested song, the one everyone knows the words to, the one with the most meaning for Il Volo fans is Your Love. The song always brings back memories of our guys on the Sanremo stage singing through their tears and each and every one of us cried along with them! We’ll never forget the love and support the guys gave, and all the fans gave, to Ignazio. In memory of Vito Boschetto, let’s begin with Your Love.
In August 2020 many of us had the opportunity to witness a spectacular event on Instagram and Facebook. It was an event that will live long in my mind. This was the culmination of a five-city tour of the movie “Devotion” the story of Dolce & Gabbana. It was a love story for Sicily.
People waited in long lines in Piazza Trinità to grab tickets for the event of the year in Polizzi Generosa, namely the screening of the film “Devotion” by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
From the early hours of dawn, many people stormed the square for the opening of the Info Point. Seven hundred applicants arrived around noon. In addition to the issue of the single ticket, the delivery of the related Covid-19 self-declaration form to be completed and presented for entry.
Given the number of seats in the square and the number of people booked, the film was screened in three sessions with the first show starting at 9.15 pm.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca were special guests of Domenico and Stefano. They were there to celebrate Domenico’s birthday and to join the family and to participate in many events.
After the squares of Syracuse, Caltagirone, Castellammare del Golfo and Palermo, the Dolce & Gabbana tour ended in Polizzi Generosa, the birthplace of Domenico Dolce, in the fifth stage of the most beautiful places in Sicily. “Devotion” was a great success with the public. “Devotion” reflects the history, originality and love of Dolce for his country, together with his inseparable colleague Stefano Gabbana, “Sicilian by adoption”.
The event brought an influx of people, from the early hours of the day. The guys spent part of the day walking around the town and meeting the people. Stopping to take photos with anyone who asked them.
Piero had a great time traveling around town in a truck decorated with the colors of Sicily.
He was accompanied by some of the Dolce family. Gianluca walked around town and stopped to take some interesting pictures including one of him on a balcony posing as the Holy Father at a Sunday Angelus! And Ignazio walked around the town stopping to talk to people along the way.
There was a big treat for Piero when the local Pastry shop brought him some yummy treats.
From the balcony of Domenico’s house, the guys sang, “Grande Amore” and were accompanied by the whole town.
And the highlight of the afternoon was Ignazio singing with the Gabbana children. I don’t know who had more fun! Ignazio or the kids. I haven’t seen the boys have this much fun in a long time.
During the week Domenico Dolce shuttled between his town and the first four Sicilian stops and, inaugurated the Dolce Foundation, and in the context he celebrated his 62nd birthday among his fellow citizens, with party, joy, and the music of Riccardo Termini another Polizzano artist now known to all who, with his friscaletto (wind instrument, typical Sicilian) played in a week of joy for everyone.
The parade commenced with Domenico walking through the town with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. Then the festivities began. Spectacular performances by Sicilian folklore groups. Men and women in traditional Sicilian costumes danced to traditional folklore music. Their costumes were all the splendid colors of Sicily. The horses were in grand regalia. Domenico’s family and the guys watched all the events below from the balcony.
After dinner everyone sang Happy Birthday to Domenico and the guys presented Domenico with a painting by Fabio Ingrassia.
The painting depicts Domenico at 6 years old making his first trousers helped by tailors from his fathers’ tailor shop. On Instagram, Gianluca points out one of the men in the painting who looks very much like Fabio Ingrassia. A statement in the painting! Why not, all great artists represent themselves in their work. After the presentation, Piero sang a beautiful, Sicilian, folk song for Domenico.
In the evening everyone went to the square to watch the movie which was followed by a grand fireworks display. As Ignazio was watching and recording he was singing along with the music some of the old Sicilian songs.
The event was a Testimonial of Sicily in Italy and in the world. A truly once in a lifetime event, An Extraordinary Event and we got to witness it along with our dear guys!! Thank you for bringing us along!
Just a few weeks before Domenico’s birthday, the guys were at the Taormina Film Festival where Devotion was released.
Photos from the Taormina Film Festival 2020
The guys only sang three songs. The one I chose for this story is E Vui Durmiti Ancora. It’s a song I love. The words of this Sicilian song are really beautiful. This song was often used by young Sicilian males to serenade their girlfriends who listened to them from the window or from the balcony. Very romantic!
My friend Katerina Tsaousi published the text and the video. The original text and the translation was made by Rita Spera. Many thanks to my very special friends Katerina and Rita! See you in Athens!
E VUI DURMITI ANCORA
Gianluca: Lu suli è già spuntatu di lu mari E vui, bidduzza mia, durmiti ancora, L’aceddi sunnu stanchi di cantari E affriddateddi aspettanu ccà fora;
Ignazio: Supra ‘ssu barcuneddu su pusati E aspettanu quann’è ca v’affacciati.
Piero: Lassati stari, non durmiti cchiui, Ca ‘nzemi a iddi, dintra sta vanedda, Ci sugnu puru iù, c’aspettu a vui, Ppi viriri ‘ssa facci accussì bedda;
G + I + P: Passu cca fora tutti li nuttati E aspettu suru quannu v’affacciati.
English Translation:
AND YOU SLEEP, AGAIN
The sun has already risen above the sea And you my beautiful, You sleep, again Birds are tired of singing And full of cold, they wait out here Above the small balcony, they are supported And they wait when it is That you, you lean out of the balcony.
You stop, Don’t sleep anymore because in their midst Inside this little street I’m here too, I’m waiting for you To see your face so beautiful. I spend all the nights out here To see when you look out on the balcony.
And now for your listening pleasure the full concert Tributo a Ennio Morricone.
This video is about Pollizi Generosa. The guys come in and out of this video.
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
But today, Sunday 5th, is also the day of Venice, and therefore we travel vertically in Italy and arrive in Venice yesterday with the beautiful images of Gianluca and Piero.
In St. Mark’s square, with Storaro and Torpedine.
And here they are Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca upon their arrival at the conference.
Our boys are dressed very casually.
Gianluca always stands out for elegance.
A short interview with the boys.
MAN = This is not Sanremo, this is the cinema exhibition !! 😁
PIERO = But it seems a little Sanremo, we meet, all familiar faces.
GIANLUCA = We are preparing a very ambitious recording project which is a tribute to maestro Ennio Morricone. We had the opportunity to collaborate with Vittorio Storaro in a music video, so we are here in the company of a great master of cinema, Vittorio Storaro.
IGNAZIO = He chose our voices for a tribute of a video of YOUR LOVE, which is shot in the Frasassi Caves, and therefore it is beautiful, it is not the first time we come, and it is always a beautiful atmosphere, Venice is a place stupendous.
And here is the short video of the conference with Tiziana Rocca as the awards presenter.
TR = With us: IL VOLO ❤
Guys, this year you made this tribute, thanks to a teacher who we will then present, so you are lucky enough to bring Morricone’s music to the world.
GIANLUCA = We are undertaking a rather ambitious project, with great responsibility, we also have the support of the Morricone family, a musical project with all the most beautiful soundtracks, sung in English and Italian, we presented it at the Arena di Verona, this recording project will be released in November with: Cinema Paradiso, Once upon a time in America, L’estasi dell’oro, sung for the first time.
PIERO = We thank the master Vittorio Storaro for choosing us for this tribute to his great friend Ennio Morricone, for this short film in the Frasassi Caves.
TR = In fact, I also want to thank the mayor of Genga (where Frasassi is) Marco Filipponi and also the presence of the Marche region. Tonight we will see this special video of yours that you brought us, this gem, this gift from the master Storaro.
PIERO = Thank you master, thank you all.
IGNAZIO = Thank you.
GIANLUCA = It is a pleasure to be here with all of you, really.
TR = Our master: Vittorio Storaro. Maestro, the two of us have known each other for many years, you are a legend.
The video with the words of the director Vittorio Storaro.
The idea actually comes from what we have been through all this last year, the disgrace that has happened to us from the pandemic, which has closed all the arts a little.
But then there is an idea and it comes from Pirandello, who said: One, Nobody, One Hundred Thousand (it is the title of a novel by Pirandello), in this case it becomes a Once upon a time, as the project of Il Volo , of the music of Ennio Morricone, starts from Once upon a Time in the West, directed by a great director, Sergio Leone, with the music of Morricone, the subject of Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, so there is a whole series of characters that carry some new message.
A message that also becomes a hope, not only in the present, but also in the future, because if before, once upon a time Nobody, an art enters, which is Music and Singing, which is represented by Il Volo, which in a song with the music of Ennio Morricone from Your Love, it brings a new energy, energy that practically becomes: Once upon a time there was no one, – Il Volo, – Centomila.
So we will see that Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio multiply. When they descend from that blessed rope where the first boys went down here in the caves many years ago (50), it is a little like entering a seed into mother earth and thus forming a new generation, which is the generation of the future.
Il Volo, in this case, becomes a symbol, as, not only does it enter the womb of the earth, it regenerates the energy of life, but it can do it in all the squares, in all the theaters, in all the places of the world, in that, certainly what is music, nevertheless carries a great message of love.
Il Volo, – Ennio Morricone, – Once upon a time …….
And here they are ready for the evening, the moment in which the short film by Vittorio Storaro, interpreted by Il Volo, shot in the Frasassi caves, in memory of Ennio Morricone, for the event Premio Filming Italy Best Movie.
And here they are on the red carpet, with Storaro and his daughter.
Very elegant Piero Ignazio and Gianluca in their Dolce and Gabbana evening dress.
Ignazio has cut his beard, bravo !!
But how beautiful and elegant are these three ??? ❤❤❤
And here is the moment of the award ceremony.
Premio Filming Italy Best Movie Awards
In this video all the winners and among them also Il Volo.
Lots of images, there was no doubt, for such a special evening.
All elegant for the evening of the screening and the award ceremony, but unfortunately we cannot have any advance for the short film.
Too bad, we would have closed a great day in style, but I think we will have to wait a little longer to see the images shot inside the Frasassi Caves.
Meanwhile, in an interview, Il Volo stated that their new CD will be released on November 5th.
We take note, we look forward to it.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
