The years are truly flying by! This is my fourth Christmas writing for Flight Crew about Il Volo. I love writing the Christmas article every year because, besides talking about the guys, I get to talk about people I don’t talk about the rest of the year! The amazing people who contribute to these articles.
Much of what is written in this article will be from past articles because the facts are what they are, and they don’t change from year to year! And like the facts in this article, we can be certain of one other thing, the guys will be with their families for Christmas, and they will follow traditions that have been in their families for generations!
As you know I mostly look to the past for my stories. After all the stories are “Through the Fields of My Mind” but sometimes my stories are new and as we start to move forward over the next few years, I’m thinking there will be many new stories. New work, new ideas and new productions, and of course new love interests!
Moving forward the guys will be more serious and more involved. What is now their family will one day, in the not too far future, turn into a new family which will include their wives and children, their own families. The past joining the future! Old traditions passed on to the next generation!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could say we will be around to see the end of their stories but no, most of us will be long gone before their stories end. We’ll have to watch the end unfold from above! But how fortunate we are that we have seen the beginning of their beautiful stories.
I love talking about their futures because I see bright, beautiful, futures for all of them. The Lord put them on this earth and gave them those beautiful voices to bring Joy to the World and what they’ve shared with us, their fans, is a joy beyond compare! And what they will share with their future families is a joy they can’t even begin to understand or imagine! Can you imagine how beautiful their families will be?
Among the stories Through the Fields of My Mind that I will recall today are their traditional Christmases. In some cases, I have their actual Christmas traditions but in most it’s more about the tradition in their region of Italy.
Before I begin, I would like to talk for a minute about La Vigilia. La Vigilia is the Italian traditional Christmas Eve dinner. This dinner consists of fish. Why? Because Italy is primarily a Catholic country and Christmas Eve, up until Vatican II, was always a day of fast to prepare for the coming of Christ. So, even after Vatican II, we continue to keep the tradition of only eating fish on Christmas Eve!
So, how did La Vigilia come to be an Italian tradition? This is a tradition that started in southern Italy in the regions of Sicily, Calabria and parts of Campania. In these regions, people who live beside the sea are primarily fishermen, and they live off the sea. So, on the eve they not only celebrate the coming of Christ, but they also thank the Lord for the abundance of fish they received from the sea which sustains their families year-round.
In the early 1900’s when Italian immigrants came to America, they brought this tradition with them, and the next generation added to this tradition by celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fish. The number seven is symbolic in the Roman Catholic Church. It represents the seven days of creation, the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, etc.
By continuing La Vigilia in America, it allowed the immigrants to rekindle the old country’s Christmas Eve tradition so they would feel close to their homes and the families they left behind. Today, it’s considered one of the oldest Italian traditions because most Italians still keep the tradition! I certainly do!
Now, let’s step back into the past to see how our guys celebrate Christmas.
No need to update this story, it doesn’t change. Tradition is tradition! Three years ago, two people helped me write this story so I decided that I would not change anything in it. It turned out because of them the Christmas message was amazing! The two wonderful friends who helped me were our special little nonna, Maura Pucci and Giovanni Granaro local historian and my go to man in Naro. Over ten thousand fans responded to the story! It gave us a look at the different Italian traditions and an insight into our guy’s Christmas. So, I am republishing the article with a few new and interesting facts added.
This story talks about the tradition that each guy has on Christmas. Each tradition is different depending on what region they come from but, they do have one tradition in common and they share that tradition with Italians all over the world. It is La Vigilia which I already have mentioned.
So, without further ado, let’s join Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca for Christmas with our Italian Family!
Yes, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are our family! Why do I call them family? We’re their fans, yes but, we are more than fans. We certainly do all the things that fans do but it goes deeper than that because our guys are different than any other entertainers. The difference is the guys think of us as their extended family because they grew up with us. They spend more time with us than they do with their families. And they show us their love in everything they do. Think of how they treat us! When you meet them, they embrace you. Most entertainers just want your praise and accolades. Not our guys! They want to know about us! They ask about our lives and our families. They listen to us and do things to please us. And think about how much time you spend listening to their music!
So, what is family? Family are the people who are there when you need them. When you’re sad you can always feel their love and their encouragement! Family is not just blood it’s the people who are there for us!
So, let’s take a look at how our Italian family spends their Christmas.
The Christmas season starts in Italy on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8th) which is also a holiday in Italy. This is the day that many Italians put up their Christmas trees and the cities light up their streets with colored lights. Why? Because Mary is the mother of the Light, Jesus! But there are other traditions that are celebrated on this day!
Let’s go to Naro, Piero’s city, to see how they open the Christmas season.
Every year, on the 7th, 8th and 9th of December, every inhabitant in Naro stocks up on muffuletti. Muffuletti is bread which is stuffed with meat and vegetables. Some people go to their local baker to buy them, and some people prepare them at home. The tradition is linked to religion. Naro’s sandwiches are blessed and distributed in Churches at the end of the Mass on the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. The bakers donate the muffuletti to the Churches as a gesture of generosity towards their fellow countrymen but, above all, of love towards “a bedda matri ‘Mmaculata”, the Most Holy Immaculate, Mary.
During the month of December, the Christmas markets are held in Naro. The Fair is set up inside the cloister of the Town Hall. Many people go to the Franciscan cloister where, every evening, to the delight of the children, there is a special snowfall that whitens the baroque courtyard. On the final evening there is a concert of Sicilian folk music, and an award is given for the best photo taken at the large Christmas tree in Piazza Garibaldi.
During this magical period the streets are colored by many Christmas lights, and everyone visits the living nativity scene of Borgo Castello. There is Mass on Christmas Eve and between hugs, kisses and best wishes there are a thousand good intentions. And then, on Christmas day, the family gathers together for a dinner laden with many local delicacies.
And what would Piero do on Christmas day? Most likely, he will walk around Naro and visit some older people and his friends. He certainly would have decorated his home so I’m sure he will make a video for all of us to see. He will most likely sing at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Mass. In the past, Piero sang with his grandfather, Pietro. Piero will certainly remember his grandfather when he is singing because he was so important to him and to his career.
Christmas in Bologna! How does Ignazio celebrate Christmas?
Unlike Piero and Gianluca, Ignazio and his family live in a big city and like cities in America there are many events.
The Christmas tradition in Bologna has deep roots. The Bolognese Nativity Scene (Presepe) goes back to the Middle Ages. The tradition of the Presepe dates back to the 13th century and one of the oldest Presepe in the world is preserved in Bologna.
What makes the Bolognese Nativity different? It is life size and includes clothes that are different from the traditional Neapolitan style. They are dressed in a medieval style. In Porretta Terme in the Emilian Apennines another Presepe, which is one of the oldest Presepe in the world is kept in the church of Capugnano.
I’m sure Ignazio will visit the Christmas Tree in Piazza Nettuno. It is a Bolognese tradition. The beautiful tree is a welcoming and bright place to meet friends and feel the warmth of Christmas.
So, what will Ignazio’s family eat on Christmas? I’m sure on Christmas Eve there will be fish on the table. This is the tradition in every Italian house on “La Vigilia,” Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Day, there is another tradition. Lunch is the main meal and Pasta in brodo (pasta in broth) will certainly be served. In Bologna, it’s all about meat-filled tortellini in capon broth. These, small, Tortellini, are filled with a mixture of meat, mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese but you will find in Bologna every family has its secret ingredient for them. You’ll recall in an interview Ignazio mentioned his family buying Tortellini every Sunday.
The soup will most likely be followed by a roast and the meal will end with a traditional dessert like Certosino (or Pan speziale) which is made with almonds, pine nuts, dark chocolate and candied fruits. The recipe has its origin in the Middle Ages where Certosino was produced by pharmacists and later by Certosini Friars. Certosino is very popular in Bologna.
I know the part of the meal that Ignazio will like the best is the dessert! A dessert he will share with his family to celebrate Christmas Day!
There is one Sicilian tradition that I would like to talk about since we have two Sicilian men in the group, I think it is important to include it in the article.
For many in Sicily, the Christmas season starts on the Feast of Santa Lucia (St. Lucy). In some regions of Sicily, the feast day is celebrated with Cuccia. The word itself is Sicilian. Cuccìa is typically made with wheat berries, ricotta and sugar. How did this tradition come to be?
In the winter of 1646, Sicily was undergoing a terrible famine. People were dying of hunger after a massive crop failure. The people of Palermo did the only thing they could in the circumstances: they prayed. And then on the morning of December 13th a ship full of grain arrived in Palermo harbor with enough grain to feed the whole city. Rather than wait to have the grain milled into flour to make bread, the hungry people boiled and ate the grain to satisfy their hunger and save their lives. The people were convinced that Santa Lucia, Sicily’s most important saint had saved the city, since the grain arrived on her feast day.
I’m not sure if Piero and Ignazio’s family make Cuccia or eat it but I’m sure they know the tradition.
So, now let’s talk about Gianluca’s Christmas!
A Montepagano tradition is the Nativity scene. At the end of the last century a famous living Nativity play was started in Montepagano which is a real theatrical performance, with a director and a narrator.
In the Abruzzi region, there is a tradition that bagpipers, so called zampognari come into the towns and play their flutes and bagpipes for the people. They symbolize the shepherds who come in search of the newborn baby, Jesus. The bagpipers were once shepherds, today they are musicians who walk the streets of the cities, playing Christmas music. Often, they are in pairs, and one plays the zampognari (bagpipe) and the other the ciaramella (which is similar to a small piccolo).
For certain Gianluca will celebrate December 24th, Christmas Eve with a meal of fish including shellfish because he lives by the sea. As far as food traditions are concerned, on Christmas Day, the typical dish of the whole region of Abruzzo is spaghetti alla chitarra (which is prepared on a particular instrument called a guitar, because it is made of wood with metal strings) but most likely Gianluca will eat Lasagna. The second course will be arrosticini, which are pieces of meat, traditionally lamb, strung on long sticks, similar to a kebab. And for dessert, they will most likely have the traditional Christmas cake, Panettone.
Gianluca will surely spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with his family including his Grandpa Ernesto!
As you know my mother is Abruzzese and I must say, Gianluca’s Christmas is very similar my Christmas.
If you’re wondering where Santa Claus is, in Italy he is known as “Babbo Natale,” Father Christmas, who brings presents to children on Christmas Eve but, in true Italian tradition, gifts were exchanged on January 6th the day of Epiphany when La Befana comes to Italian homes in search of the Christ Child and leaves gifts for the children. This is a tradition that is celebrated in the central regions of Italy.
La Befana is an old woman, with a hooked nose, badly dressed, with a handkerchief on her head, grumpy but good, she is not a witch. On January 6th, riding through the sky, flying on a broom, La Befana lands on the roofs, enters the houses from the chimneys and descends from the fireplace, leaving gifts and sweets in the big socks that the children place in front of the fireplace. If they were good, they got sweets. If they were bad, she leaves coal in the form of a sweet black candy. I’m sure there will be many sweets for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca! No coal for our guys!
I’m going to step away from the story for a minute because while I’m posting I’m watching Rai 1. All the contenders for Sanremo are on to tell us what the name of their song will be for Sanremo 2024.
The guys just announced the song they will sing is “Capolavoro.” English translation “Masterpiece,” and I have no doubt it will be a Masterpiece.
They posted this picture today which I felt needed to be included in this story. Now if that’s not Drop Dead Gorgeous, I don’t know what is!
I’m including the following picture as a good luck omen for Sanremo 2024. We’re all rooting for you to bring home the Lion!
Which brings me to another important member of Il Volo’s family. Michele Torpedine! His family is originally from the region of Puglia. He moved to Bologna when he was twelve years old. So, he will celebrate Christmas with his family and the celebration would be similar to Ignazio’s!
Again, I would like to thank the two people who contributed to this Christmas story. Maura Pucci and Giovanni Granaro. Their knowledge of the regions of Montepagano and Naro and the different Christmas traditions made this story come to life!
Our Team! The best ladies to work with!
Pat Susan Daniela
In closing, I would like to thank my team at Flight Crew! The two ladies who make all my stories come to life! Daniela Perani (a/k/a Sherlock Holmes) who is my second pair of eyes and my English translator for many of my stories and Patricia Farley Ward who edits all of my stories.
I want to wish all of my Christian friends a Merry Christmas and all my Jewish friends a Happy Chanukah! And all my other friends, All the Happiness and Joy of the Season!
And finally, I’m sure you would love to join me in wishing Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with many Concerts and special surprises for us! And I want to thank them for all they do for us! They are truly a Joy to the World!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure! Next week we ring out the old!
Just in time for Christmas, the guys released a new EP 4Xmas Amazing Grace, O Tannenbaum, Feliz Navidad and Happy Xmas (the War is Over) order yours now on Spotify, Amazon, etc.
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
I’ve always said Gianluca is very different from Piero and Ignazio. He had a calm and peaceful childhood. He didn’t have the challenges that Ignazio had or the intense classical education that Piero had. No, Gianluca lived a very simple life.
When Gianluca describes his life it’s almost like a fairy tale. His childhood is about the sea and the sky and faraway places that allure him. His description of his childhood does not include reality! Instead, it takes us inside Gianluca’s mind and leads us Through A Valley of Make Believe to a place where his passions grew and where his love for family, life, music and country came to life before they were revealed to the world.
It was Gianluca’s imaginary world that surfaced and became a phenomenal reality on the day his voice was revealed. It was his secret voice. The voice he hid away out of shyness. The voice that captured so many yet caused Gianluca to turn and hide every time he was asked to reveal it! A phenomenal voice that rose from a small classroom to a local choir and finally made itself known to all the world.
I’ve said this before, in Abruzzo they have an expression. Molto gentile! (very gentle) What they are saying is there are people who are kind and peaceful people. They live what they love through passion and always find a calmness in it. They live simple lives.
They spend time walking in the mountains and immersing themselves in the beauty around them.
There certainly is a lot of beauty around these people from the grandeur of the Gran Sasso to the beautiful beaches along the Adriatic, all that you can see, touch or feel has a beauty and calmness to it!
I understand these Abruzzese people and how they live because they are my people too. So, it seems for Gianluca, from his very early years there was no pressure, no concern for anything other than living this peaceful life.
I believe this allowed Gianluca to spend all his days singing and listening to the music he loved. This beautiful peaceful life would explain why, when Gianluca goes home, he feels like he is on vacation. Montepagano is a very beautiful town. It sits at the top of a hill facing the Adriatic Sea. It is like a picture-perfect postcard! It’s no wonder Gianluca is at peace here. Montepagano is Gianluca’s paradise. Within this peaceful environment, Gianluca developed his great passion for music. And from this came our great passion, which is the embodiment of Gianluca, his music!
As you know, Gianluca’s mother worked, so, he went to after-school session with the nuns. He had a teacher named Gabriella. One afternoon, while Gianluca was doing homework, he suddenly got up and started singing Time to Say Goodbye. The teacher was speechless. “What a voice you have, what a wonderful voice,” she told Gianluca. “But do you know Andrea Bocelli?” She could not believe how it was possible for such a small child to have such a voice and to know a singer of that kind.
“Of course, I know him,” Gianluca said, “he’s my idol, my favorite singer,”
Gianluca said this with a certain pride. “Only I do not have his CD yet.”
Gabriella said, “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, I’ll gift it to you.”
Gianluca says, “I was seven, maybe eight years old and thanks to Gabriella I was able to start listening to Andrea Bocelli as often as I wanted.’
As a child, Gianluca was very shy especially when it came to singing. Let’s listen to what Gianluca had to say about this shyness….
It also happened that at school. The teacher knew about my particular voice and in the classroom, in front of my classmates, about twenty children of my age, I was asked by the teacher to sing: ‘Gianluca, make your voice heard to us, guys, let’s listen to Gianluca’s voice, she said.’
Do you know how I reacted? I sang, of course, because it was the teacher who asked, but first I went to hide behind the blackboard and put myself face to the wall. I was ashamed to die. I still remember that feeling of being hidden while I sang, without seeing anyone. Also, because I was already singing with this voice that tended to the baritone, it was really special. I understood that it was a beautiful thing, which everyone liked, but I was still ashamed. Dad says I also did it at home to turn my face to the wall while I was singing. What could I do? I was a very shy and a little insecure child. I’ve always been looking for confirmations since I was a child.
But now, the shyness is over. I considered this a defect when I was a child but now, I have overcome the shyness.
Yes, this was Gianluca’s passion as a young boy to sing Bocelli songs. And he sang them all the time. But it was music itself that motived Gianluca. In an interview with the “Rosetana Star” Gianluca said: “Music for me is the oxygen of my life.”
And it wasn’t just Bocelli as Gianluca will tell you. As I grew older, I became more passionate about singing, including the great American classics, first of all Frank Sinatra.
Gianluca was in awe of Sinatra but, I personally think Sinatra would be in awe of Gianluca. Love you Frank but Gianluca’s got this one!
So, how did Gianluca get to where he is today!
We know Gianluca never took a singing lesson or entered a competition before Ti Lascio Una Canzone but he was a member of the Piccolo Choir of Roses. And if it wasn’t for this choir, Gianluca may not have been discovered.
Piccolo Choir of Roses is one of the local branches of the Zecchino d’oro. The Mago Zurlì, who was the presenter of the event when Gianluca was in the Choir, was Gianluca’s father, Ercole Ginoble.
But, let me let Gianluca tell you how this all came to be….
When I sing, I don’t forget instinct. What does that mean? As I said, I have never studied singing. I learned to ‘use’ my voice only thanks to my musical ear. I listened to the music, and it transmits everything I know. And I especially thank the Little Choir of Roses.
When I was about eight or nine, all those who knew my voice gave me the same advice: go sing in a choir. In Roseto there was the Piccolo Choir of Roses directed by the master Susy Paola Rizzo. They sang the songs of the ‘Zecchino d’oro’ or other famous songs with arrangements in that style, with music for children. The Mago Zurlì, that was the presenter of the event, was my father. He had been for a couple of seasons.
This is where I started. It was nice because we studied the songs throughout the winter season, not the technique of singing, the songs. It was different, because we did not study the notes and how to do them, rather we studied instinctively, following what the teacher said and what our ear heard.
Then, in the summer, we demonstrated our work in the Municipality of Roseto. We sang in the squares during the local festivals, in the lidos, in the bathing establishments, around the whole of Abruzzo, all these tiny villages.
During the performances with the choir, besides the repertoire of the Zecchino d’oro, we sang the songs of Bocelli: Misere, Il Mare Calmo Della Sera, La Voce Del Silenzio.
The choir brought Gianluca to the center stage because they recognized the value of his voice and on most occasions, he became the lead in the group. It was during one of these events that Gianluca became front and center and would become the main event in the one and only competition he was ever a part of.
I always like to include interviews in my stories but today I want to include an article that was written by Maura (Nonna) Pucci for Flight Crew in June 2020. Maura holds a special place in Gianluca’s heart. He refers to her as Nonna (grandma).
Maura wrote….
…. Gianluca sings with all of himself, with his eyes, with his facial expression, with his hand movements, even with his body posture. He sings a song, he does not perform part of his work, but “brings out” the passion for music that he has in himself, to transfer it to those who listen to him: he is fulfilling a mission…. because he “feels” the music, to the maximum degree.
Maura recalls: I saw Gianluca with an entranced expression, listening with closed eyes, to the splendid voice of Piero, who sang beside him, “O Holy Night.” These are things that move me and are not forgotten.
Gianluca brings to the stage all the behavioral and character characteristics that distinguish him in his private life.
Always in search of perfection, he is PROFESSIONAL to the maximum degree, GENTLEMANLY attitudes, CHEERFUL and SMILING, sometimes even LIVELY, but never too EXUBERANT. WITTY, but with measure; RESERVED, but no longer shy as in the past; ROMANTIC, TENDER, helpful, full of affection for fans, just as he is towards family members, friends, children, the disabled.
I want to add a quality, which with the presence on stage, perhaps not involved, is also sincerely MODEST and not “arrogant” as many insinuate.
Some time ago, he said something that struck me, and now I will try to summarize. I still find it hard to realize that I, who have had idols since I was a child and still have them today, may in turn have become an idol for many people.
Maura concludes: This is “my” Gianluca, as I see him, and, according to my personal tastes, I have found in him all the qualities that make him a son, a brother, an ideal nephew. In fact, I consider him a virtual “grandchild” ……….
We are at the conclusion and until now, I never said that he is also beautiful! Yes, because I wonder how much it costs for a show artist to be BEAUTIFUL too.
It depends. Being beautiful counts a lot for a movie star, how many beautiful actors have been successful without being able to act!
But a singer is asked …… a beautiful voice, that he knows how to use and that enchants those who listen to him.
Like Gianluca’s voice, a healthy bearer of strong and contagious emotions.
If then, the lucky singer is also pleasant in appearance, that is just a plus that does not hurt.
Well Maura, I think you summed this up for me! All those beautiful traits come from the man who can certainly walk Through A Valley of Make Believe and come out a superstar!
In Episode Three of Gianluca’s Story we will meet the woman who heard the voice and knew he needed to step on a stage and make his voice known to others worldwide!
To all the American fans I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyful day with all your friends and families! On this day of Thanksgiving let us all (every fan) pray for peace in this world!
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 man’s 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).
Just in time for Christmas, the guys released a new EP 4Xmas Amazing Grace, O Tannenbaum, Feliz Navidad and Happy Xmas (the War is Over) order yours now on Spotify, Amazon, etc.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure. Next week we rejoin Piero on the road to Stardom!
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 and don’t forget to visit the Archives.
After giving you a quick overview of the whole concert in the Arena on June 5th, here I am back to you, to tell you every moment.
Jo Ann has already translated the “chat” of the boys and Susan has already given you other explanations.
I will recall to you the smallest details of my beautiful evening and I will linger for a long time, because I do not want you to lose even a moment of this fantastic concert.
I start by telling you that Saturday started with the best wishes, a beautiful day, the sky of an intense blue, and so much emotion for the concert that I would see in the evening. A perfect start.
I have already told you other times that Verona is very close to Brescia where I live (only 50 miles), so my husband and I would have gone in the early afternoon and returned after the concert.
Here in Italy there is a curfew at 11pm (from 16 June it will be abolished), but the government had given special permission only to those who were in the Arena for the concert, to return to their homes by 02:00 am.
Right after lunch, I tried to rest, knowing that the evening was long and certainly exciting. But the sky turned gray, the sun was gone, and a little later it started drizzling. An annoying drizzle, but light and really boring. Damn, I hoped it wouldn’t rain in Verona, I was thinking about the guys, after so much work and such a long stop, this inconvenience was not welcome.
The light rain, which almost did not wet the earth, came and went. Every now and then a few drops and then nothing, just to make everyone nervous.
Ready for the evening, and with the best expectations, my husband and I left for Verona.
Arriving, without any problems, we park the car quickly and head towards the Arena.
It goes without saying that Verona always has a magnificent charm. It is a beautiful town that preserves the flavor of the ancient.
Among the old alleys of beautiful Verona, we can all still think of Romeo running to go to his Juliet. The great entrance gate with the scalloped walls, which still continue through the city, and which once closed the whole city, are magnificent.
After the city gate the huge Piazza Bra, with the beautiful buildings that surround it and in the center, the ARENA is imposing and memorable.
The first thing I have to do is contact my friends who are waiting for me to be able to greet me, some of them who have really come from far away, from the US.
The first one we meet, right in front of the Arena, is Laura with her husband Ugo, they are Italians, from Trieste, but Laura met me through Flight Crew, they are our readers and it is really special that we met like this.
Soon after I go in search of my American friends.
Here they are, beautiful and happy, together at the coffee table, looking forward to the evening, Deborah, Wendy and Joanie, whom I already knew personally and Judith, whom I had never met.
Only a few words of greeting, unfortunately, because Nonna Maura is waiting for me in front of her hotel, but what a pleasure to see my sweet friends who have faced such a long journey to be here.
Yes, because Il Volo is also this, the pleasure of meeting each other, of making friends from one end of the world to the other.
So let’s go to Nonna Maura’s hotel, I remind you that she is 90 years old and arrived in the morning by train from Rome. Fantastic Maura, she would not miss a concert of Il Volo and her beloved Gianluca for anything in the world.
Also Maura and I met thanks to Flight Crew, isn’t that great?
The weather continues to give us a few drops of rain, so my husband goes back to our car to get some rain dusters, in case they were needed and then we approach the Arena, the entrance time has already started and the adrenaline starts to rise.
The controls to enter the Arena are meticulous. There are different entrances depending on the places awarded. They check us for fever, documents and related tickets, and if we have the FFP2 mask (only that is allowed) then they see the camera that my husband is holding and tell him to take it in the car, because otherwise they won’t let him in. So my husband goes back to the parking lot to deposit his camera. When he comes back, we can finally enter the Arena.
We reach our seats, we are in the central row, right in front of the stage, row 11, excellent position. Between one occupied seat and another, due to Covid rules, an empty seat is expected.
The orchestra pit (the space between the stage and the first row, where the orchestra is usually placed) is empty, but in the center a round stage is positioned, as if it were a protruding extension, of the current stage, on it already in placed, 3 microphones with the auction, it is clear that often the guys will sing from there, and it is right in front of my position.
On the rear stage, the whole orchestra is positioned. A huge backdrop that continuously changes color and position with two large lateral pillar columns and two large lateral videos, completes the scene. The whole at the top is covered by a roof in which hundreds of lights are placed. If it rains, at least the guys will be protected.
Everything has a really great impact.
A voice on the speakers often reminds us that we must keep the masks well worn and that we cannot leave our seats to greet other friends.
While we wait, I look for the various scattered friends and raise our arms, we greet each other in the distance, and then, we wait patiently for the scheduled time to arrive.
Fortunately it does not rain and it will not rain all evening. There is a good temperature, everything seems to be going well.
At a certain point the boys enter the stage, normally dressed in jeans and a jacket. We are amazed, but they greet us smiling and tell us that they are waiting for the connection with the evening news. Meanwhile, they smile, they tell us they are excited, we take advantage of them to take pictures of them.
The boys look at the audience and recognize their American friends, greet them and say “you came up here for us”, they are happy with this and then on the other side, Alicja from Poland and they say “Ah, also from Poland”.😁
Here is what appeared during the television broadcast.
The guys say they are happy and honored to be doing this concert, so they say hello and invite people home to watch the evening.
After the connection with the TG1 news, the boys greet us and go to change their clothes and get ready. A voice tells us that we have to wait for television time, because this concert is live.
Meanwhile, I see Nonna Maura in the front row, lucky her, she is right in front, I’m really happy for her. Ercole and Eleonora arrive, Gianluca’s parents go in front of the front rows and Eleonora stops to greet Maura.
I also see Michele Torpedine in front of the stage.
Ernie also passes in front of me and also Gaetano Barone, whom I then see, joins his wife already in the front row.
Shortly before the concert begins, Caterina and Nina Boschetto also arrive. Nina is now leaner and prettier with longer hair than usual.
People continue to enter and the Arena is filling up with the 6,000 admitted people.
It begins to get dark, the lights of the stage come on, every now and then you can hear the voices of Piero and Ignazio who from behind the stage make the warble (warmup) for the voice: iiiiii eeee aaaa ……
In silence, the 70 members of the orchestra take their place on the stage and in the orchestra pit (i.e. in front of the stage) the choir takes place, making two wings on either side of the central round stage.
Here we are, everything is starting, what emotion!
The preview is projected on the screens, where Piero Ignazio and Gianluca, in the back of the Arena backstage, meet the actor Marco Giallini and talk about Ignazio’s shoes, nice skit, the boys say they are excited.
And here they are, the lights create the atmosphere, three silhouettes can be seen at the end of the scene, it’s them !!! 😍
The boys advance and the music begins, the applause that welcomes them is a little hesitant, I think we are all a little inhibited due to the Covid restrictions and also the live television. But Gianluca, in a strong and confident voice, begins to sing.
His voice is beautiful and Ignazio and Piero follow, and everything becomes magic. Chills on the skin, the beautiful music of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, fills every corner of the Arena and the voices of our boys, rested after the long period of inactivity, are stronger and safer than ever.
The scenography is beautiful, while the boys sing, on the screens and on part of the scenography, the images of the film scroll, the lights constantly change colors. The voices of the choir rise high.
Piero Ignazio and Gianluca are very elegant in their beautiful midnight blue D&G tuxedos with lapel pins, a beautiful elegance that is increasingly rare in today’s young artists.
The boys are also visibly excited.
The song is beautiful, at the end there is a big round of applause.
Ignazio is the first to speak, these are his exact words.
“Good evening!!
You really can’t understand how happy we are to return after a year and a half of silence, to wait for this very day to arrive. Surely all the guests of honor are all of you tonight. Thank you so much for coming, thank you very much.” (applause)
The emotion of the boys is evident, Gianluca admits that their legs are shaking. Piero thanks the Morricone family. And we proceed immediately with the second song “YOUR LOVE”.
This song, for all of us, is full of profound meaning, given the moment it was sung in Sanremo. It is really moving to see Ignatius who, from the beginning of the song, caresses with his fingers the ring he wears in his right hand, a wedding ring, which we think belonged to his beloved father. Even his eyes often close, as if to make eye contact with the one who is no longer there.❤
It is a very intimate and touching moment, as well as the beautiful music and the words, which seem to be written on purpose:
“….. Your strength has made me strong, though life tore us apart and now when the night seems long, your love shines in my heart …..”
(video made by Deborah Georgini Beaupre)
And then, immediately below here is a tribute from Notte Magica, Ignazio asks the audience who was there that evening, of course I raised my hand !! Piero remembers the beautiful evening in Florence in Piazza Santa Croce, remembers the master Placido Domingo who directed them and begins “NESSUN DORMA”.
At the end of the “Nessun Dorma” there was a long applause and the first beautiful standing ovation .
The standing ovation excites the boys a lot, they hug, they thank and Piero says: “So, you make us excited, they have a lot of effect, these applauses, after a year and a half.”
Enter the actress Laura Chiatti and, with the boys there is a nice “curtain” (nicedialogue) that Jo Ann has translated well.
Laura introduces a short video, an interview with Morricone, where the presenter tells that Morricone that he has a very intense relationship with “doing” (in the sense that he works very hard) and Morricone replies that “doing” (in Italian FARE), is not just a verb, but is the union of two musical notes: the FA (F) and the RE (D).
Ignazio presents the song “SE TELEFONANDO”, which, as Susan has well described, was written by Maurizio Costanzo, set to music by Morricone and sung by Mina many years ago. Beautiful and timeless song.
Ignazio explains that Morricone thought of this music, while he was in the post, queuing to pay a gas bill, and then he concludes by saying that he (Ignazio) only goes to the post office to pay the fines. 😁
Upon returning, the exchange of words on Ignazio is beautiful: he is always a disaster, but also he has an incredible voice, then Piero introduces “IL MONDO”.
While Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca sing Riccardo Cocciante enters and they sing together, but what about, Cocciante performs a verse of the song, but when he finishes the verse, Ignazio begins and for me, Ignazio’s voice is truly unique and powerful.
Cocciante met Morricone personally, but he doesn’t want to remember any anecdotes, because he says that the greatness of an artist is in his works. Then he plays a beautiful song of his.
Marco Giallini enters, he says is very impressive to be in front of the audience of the Verona Arena. Together they introduce “SE”, the song taken from the film Cinema Paradiso. A scene from the film starts with little Totò Cascio. The melody is written by Andrea Morricone, (the son who is conductor).
At the end of the short clip, Totò Cascio enters, now an adult. Totò says that during the shooting of the film, Philippe Noiret acted in French, while Totò in Sicilian and Italian and between them a good feeling had been created and he remembers it with affection. Then Totò also remembers the director Giuseppe Tornatore, whom he calls Peppuccio (Giuseppe in Sicilian) and whom he considers as an older brother.
Here are the lyrics of the song SE.
Se tu fossi nei miei occhi per un giorno, vedresti la bellezza che, piena d’allegria, io trovo dentro gli occhi tuoi, non so se è magia, o realtà. Se tu fossi nel mio cuore per un giorno, potresti avere un’idea, di ciò che sento io, quando mi abbracci forte a te, e petto a petto noi, respiriamo insieme. Protagonista del tuo amor non so se sia magia o realtà. Se tu fossi nella mia anima un giorno, sapresti cosa sento in me, che m’innamorai, da quell’istante insieme a te, e ciò che provo è solamente amore. Da quell’istante insieme a te, e ciò che provo è solamente amore.
Translation:
If you were in my eyes for a day, you would see the beauty that, full of joy, I find inside your eyes, I don’t know if it’s magic or reality. If you were in my heart for a day, you might have an idea, of what I feel, when you hug me tightly to you, and chest to chest we breathe together. Protagonist of your love I don’t know if it’s magic or reality. If you were in my soul someday, would you know what I feel in me, that I fell in love, from that moment together with you, and what I feel is only love. From that moment together with you, and what I feel is only love.
Sweet words, sweet moment and sweet Gianluca, who touches Ignazio’s shoulder with his hand, as if to encourage him.
There is also a beautiful dance moment with the circles.
What to say, the sound and visual combination is very beautiful, and how much interpretation in our boys, everything is perfect!
Laura Chiatti is now in the audience and tells us about a film that made an era, transgressive (for that time), which talks about love triangles.
Two other guests arrive: on stage Raphael Gualazzi and Nina Zilli and all together they perform the song of “METTI UNA SERA A CENA.”
And after this beautiful performance, Piero announces the advertisement and ends the first part of the concert.
I hope you enjoyed reading every moment of the concert, I believe that by combining what JoAnn and Susan have written for you, you can get a fairly complete overview of what happened, but we are only at the first piece of the concert, if you want to read the rest ………… I wait for you in a few days !!!
Scrolling through various publications, I found this post by Maura Pucci really very funny and particular and, of course, she talks about Gianluca!!
I am in the beautiful garden of Santa Severa, a seaside town near Rome, with my historical friends from my holidays, engaged in pleasant conversations. I have my tablet with me, hoping to give it a peek from time to time …
As my most assiduous Facebook friends may have noticed, I have not been present on the internet very much this month of August. Luckily, in a moment in which speeches languish, I have the possibility and I immediately go to Instagram and the screen lights up …. immensely!
It appears to me immediately, the last photo of Gianluca at the sea, as always a dazzling image of Italic and Mediterranean beauty.
I’m used to his breathtaking images that I have by the dozen by now. Personally, I don’t like to talk too much about his beauty.
Everything that could be said about him in this regard has been said by others, even that he resembles a Greek divinity, or Michelangelo’s David ….
I have always preferred to speak of his voice, even if, immodestly, I consider myself sufficiently expert and rational to evaluate CLEARLY, that is with the brain and not with the heart, both one and the other.
These are my premises to get to tell you how it ended …. In a few seconds I decided to seize an unrepeatable opportunity for fun. My friends know Il Volo well, because I’ve been talking to them for years. They follow Il Volo, when they appear on TV (and they automatically think of me: inevitable!).
But they have always rightly seen Gianluca in other clothes, elegant or casual, but never …. without clothes, that is in the version of a “mermaid” 😁😁
I want to amaze them, with … special effects, let’s call them that, and see closely the effect it does ..! 😂😂
I extend to Agnese, the closest friend, my tablet with the beautiful photo. She opens her eyes wide and says, “Damn! And who is this ACTOR??” She looks at me.
I don’t answer, assuming a Sphinx-like expression.
The others interrupt the chatter and look at us curiously. Agnese resumes the exam and adds: “Do you know who remembers me vaguely? Your “Gianluca from Il Volo!”
I don’t understand if the photo really reminds her vaguely, or if she guessed it and jokes, slyly, knowing my weakness ..
Is it him? Of course, it’s him!
My tablet passes into other hands and the general conclusion is this:
He is WASTED TO BE A SINGER.
Perhaps in the future he could be enticed from singing to acting … A request has already been received and rejected due to too many commitments. But if he had to face this new experience, stopping singing, it makes me think that he would be WASTED TO BE AN ACTOR.
Time will tell…..
I laughed, reading this story by Maura, imagining the scene, of her proudly showing the photo of Gianluca!!
Grandma Maura, you are really cool!!😘
And here is my opinion.
I don’t see anything wrong if Gian were to do some part as an actor, but it has to be a decent film, not necessarily a film where there are songs.
However, this must not affect the Il Volo trio. Il Volo is the priority and remains. All three have always stated that there may be small single projects, but the group remains intact.
I also think it really wasted that such a beautiful voice, like Gianluca’s, is silenced for an acting career.
Both things can coexist !! (such as: Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra …. and more).😉
A post published by Maura Pucci made me remember this beautiful feat, made by four very tough women.
Unusual and … amazing aspects of Il Volo’s popularity.
THE NEW SANCTUARIES
We are in 2015.
Four American ladies, from different States, who met on social networks, animated by a great passion for IL VOLO and enthusiastic about the recent victory of the beloved group in Sanremo, decide to join together to undertake a trip to Italy.
Some new Il Volo fans might think: It’s not new! At their concerts in Verona and Taormina there are many fans from abroad and in particular Americans.
It’s true.
Today the Arena of Verona and the ancient theater of Taormina are places of great appeal for the fans of Il Volo from all over the world, who arrive there in droves, both to attend a concert in scenarios such as only Italy can offer, and to meet the virtual friends, frequented on Facebook.
But in the spring of 2015 things were still not exactly like that. And the four ladies embark on an Atlantic flight, for the ONLY purpose of visiting the places of residence of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, with the same spirit with which the romantic young people of Northern Europe, three or four centuries ago, left for the Grand Tour at vault of Italy, to be satisfied with beauty and culture, but at the same time with the same religiosity of those who want to embark on the journey of Santiago de Compostela.
Because, let’s face it, when it comes to doing this, it means that the three characters have already risen to the glory of the altars and that their places of life have become three new Sanctuaries, pilgrimage destinations …
Montepagano, Marsala and Naro, three small towns in the Italian province have become places of international resonance.
Okay, I just wanted to joke around.
But there are still many fans, especially Italian, but also foreigners, who go, or dream of going to Montepagano, favored by its proximity to Rome. And some of them even went as far as Naro.
Unfortunately, after five years, the sanctuary of Marsala today is not very frequent because S. Ignazio moved to Bologna.😂😂
When I read the news of this trip in 2015, I fully understood the attractive power of these extraordinary and unique guys.
Maura
That trip, was undertaken by Deborah Georgini Beaupre, Joan Brenin, Madeline Vitella and Maria Lagostini Leps.
In Italy, it was an event, it had never been heard that fans came to get to know the countries of their favorites. Also Sanremo had just ended with the victory and therefore, the local newspapers talked about this trip, here are the articles.
FROM AMERICA TO ROSETO, TO SEE THE PLACES OF GIANLUCA GINOBLE
(I translate for you.)
Saturday, May 16, 2015
“I crossed the Atlantic Ocean to see you” is film stuff. Indeed, no?
Because four American ladies have been stronger than exaggerated idioms, making something that even in the best dreams come true: they came from theUnited States of America to Roseto just to see the places whereGianluca Ginoble, a member of Il Volo, grew up, then headed straight to Sicily and do the same in the native places ofPiero Barone andIgnazio Boschetto.
The super fans are Maria Agostini Leps from Pennsylvania, Joan Brenin from Florida, Madeline Vitella from New Jersey and Deborah Georgini Beaupre from Texas, who say: “We met on Facebook in 2014, thanks to an article written by Maria after a concert by Il Volo. Having the same passion, we decided to meet and organize this trip to Italy, to see the places of our three darlings. It was enough for us to have the photo all together with the sign of the name of the three cities, but today a dream has come true.”
The dream was to meet Gianluca Ginoble and it became reality again thanks to Facebook, given that Maria wrote to Ercole, the father of the singer, saying of their presence in Roseto.
And since fate sometimes puts a good word on it, chance has meant that Gianluca was in Roseto in these days, before leaving again for the artistic and promotional commitments of Il Volo.
So, at five in the evening, on the Roseto seafront, the meeting of a thousand hugs and smiles, with selfies, dedications on records and photos.
Deborah shows a photo of the license plate of her car in Texas: “IL VOLO”, saying that after the death of her husband the songs of the group gave her strength.
Maria confesses that she returned to Italy after 50 years (she left at 9) for this. All four have seen many Il Volo concerts and love the three singers.
Gianluca Ginoble says: “It is such a great thing that I can only thank these splendid ladies, because in the face of such demonstrations of affection there is the risk of getting your head up.” (feeling overly important)
FROM AMERICA TO MARSALA, IN THE LAND OF IGNAZIO BOSCHETTO
They came from the USA to make their dream come true: to visit the places where the members of Il Volo, were born and raised.
In Marsala, in the city of Ignazio Boschetto, the first stop of the four American ladies was the visit to the representative office of the municipal administration which appointed the singer Ignazio “ambassador of Marsala in the world”.
The American ladies will leave tomorrow for Naro, the birthplace of Piero Barone; while in recent days they had already visited Roseto degli Abruzzi, the land of Gianluca Ginoble.
He, Piero and ours Ignazio, meanwhile, are already in Austria to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, where Il Volo is finalist by right with the winning song of Sanremo “Grande Amore”.
FROM AMERICA TO NARO, ON THE TRAIL OF PIERO BARONE FROM IL VOLO
The last stop on the Italian – Sicilian journey was Naro, the city of Piero Barone. Here too the reception of the girls from “Il Volo Naro Fan Club” was warm.
In the town hall the solemn ceremony with the mayor Lillo Cremona, the vice-mayor Lidia Mirabile and the mother of Piero, Eleonora Ognibene. Then a tour to discover the baroque of Naro and its monuments: the Castle, the old C athedral.
The Sicilian tour will end with a visit to the city of Agrigento and then to Taormina. Then the return to Rome for the US.
What women!
Admirable. They were the first, but then many others came.
I don’t think I would have had their courage, but I’m happy that they got what they wanted.
I bet that many of us would like to make this nice trip, and maybe be so lucky to be able to meet Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca ……… but sometimes dreams come true!
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and articles.
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