On April 29, on the show LE IENE, a report was aired that once again took stock of the situation of FAKE PROFILES that take advantage of unsuspecting people to take MONEY from them.
The report is hosted by Veronica Ruggeri and Piero Barone is involved in the scam!!
Even though with great regret, because these things MUST NOT happen, I firmly publish this video because we must disseminate these SCAMS as much as possible in order to alert as many people as possible!!!
Thanks to LE IENE for their excellent service!
MAN= She still believes that he is the real Piero Barone, he made her all kinds of promises.
AMALIA= I have definitely spoken to him, I am absolutely convinced.
VERONICA= This sweet lady is called Amalia, she is 78 years old and lives in Palermo (Sicily) and for 6 months she has been convinced that she is the girlfriend of Piero who is 31 years old and is a famous singer all over the world. (in the video: Piero singing Grande Amore)
Yes, Piero Barone from Il Volo.
AMALIA= You are the right woman for me (phrase that the fake Piero allegedly said to her).
MAN= “Auntie, look, Piero Barone is young, he has money and will NEVER ask for money”…….but we can’t convince her!
VERONICA= Mrs. Amalia is the victim of an emotional or romantic-sentimental scam as one might say, one of those scams that have become increasingly widespread in recent years, which first strike the HEART and then empty the WALLET.
Mrs. Amalia has been a widow for 9 years now and since she lost her beloved husband she has not had a partner in her life.
MAN= No, no, nothing, she has always been faithful, very faithful.
VERONICA= At a certain point what happens?
MAN= We saw that the aunt was posting videos of Piero Barone…..
VERONICA= Several videos, and not because she is just a fan, but because a FAKE profile that pretends to be Piero Barone, this one (the profile in the photo), hooked her up 6 months ago and since then she has been convinced she is messaging the famous singer every day.
In fact, listen to how she talks about him on the phone with a dear friend of hers:
AMALIA= “He’s so polite, he’s ashamed, I swear to you….”
MAN= He promised to take her to America to some of his concerts.
AMALIA= He takes me on tour with him.
MAN= And he makes her understand that a certain type of relationship can be established, even a sentimental one.
AMALIA= He wants to marry me one day.
AMALIA ‘S FRIEND(on the phone) = With all the women he has, does he prefer someone like you?”
AMALIA= Because girls are only looking for money, he told me.
MAN= He even suggested phone sex.
AMALIA= He wants to make love, he wants to have sex.
VERONICA= And when friends and family, who luckily Amalia immediately confided in, tried to open her eyes…..
MAN= Auntie, you see that it’s FALSE!!
VERONICA= She reacted like this:
MAN= No, it’s true!
AMALIA= I’m sure it’s him, 100%.
AMALIA’S FRIEND(on the phone) = Amalia, let’s not get our hopes up about all these things. BE CAREFUL!!
AMALIA = At this point, I have nothing to lose.
VERONICA = Instead, she has lost, indeed! Because the person behind this FAKE profile is a professional scammer who did all this just to get money from her.
MAN = Her children saw these transfers and asked her: Mom, what are you doing? And she: I’m making payments to Piero Barone because he wants to invite me to one of his concerts, I have to make payments because he has to give me the VIP CARD.
VERONICA = Obviously there is no VIP CARD, but Mrs. Amalia doesn’t know this and agrees to pay.
MAN= More than 2,000 euros (about 2,000 dollars) the last payments were made two days ago of 30 euros each…
VERONICA= For a lady who lives only on her pension.
MAN= She lives on her pension. Let’s say it’s a criminal organization.
VERONICA= A criminal organization that with only the smartphone and writing with the help of automatic translators, deceives and defrauds hundreds, thousands of people all over the world every day.
MAN= Even the tobacconist told her: “Madam, don’t make these payments, they’re fake.”
There was no reason, she goes to the tobacconist at 8:40 in the morning and it’s the first thought she has in the morning.
VERONICA= She’s really in love!
MAN= She’s in love.
VERONICA= And it’s no coincidence that the victims are often people who are a bit lonely.
MAN= She has our affection, maybe she misses what Piero Barone FALSE is making her relive, from when she was young.
VERONICA= But she just can’t go on like this.
MAN= The only attempt that can be made is to have her video call the real Piero Barone, because only he can dismantle this thing, no one else can do it. It’s the only hope.
VERONICA= First of all, let’s get some sweets for Amalia, also to make the revelation that awaits her less bitter in some way.
How these things make me nervous, to death.
(Veronica and the television crew enter Amalia’s house)
MAN= Auntie, let me introduce you to a friend of mine, her name is Veronica.
VERONICA= Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Veronica, I brought her some sweets.
AMALIA= There was no need!
VERONICA= Of course not, come on!
Amalia gets the tablecloth….. I’ll help her then….
AMALIA= There’s no need, don’t worry.
Eh old age….
VERONICA= Old age? How old is she?
AMALIA= 7 – 8.
VERONICA= 78 years old, but still in great shape.
AMALIA= Well, anyway!
VERONICA= We explain to her that we are there because her family, a large and beautiful family, is a little worried about her.
Do you know why?
She immediately anticipates us:
AMALIA= Anyway, I blocked everything.
VERONICA= She claims to have already blocked the numbers of the FAKE Piero Barone, but only to make her children and grandchildren happy.
AMALIA= I am convinced that I definitely spoke to him, I am absolutely convinced of it.
VERONICA= Often children and grandchildren do not know how to help, because when a person is experiencing love, it is difficult to make them understand that this story can hurt them so much.
Were you in love?
AMALIA= Yes! I say it!
VERONICA= But this is beautiful.
AMALIA= I’m telling the truth.
VERONICA= What did this person here tell you?
AMALIA= That he loved me, that he wanted to take me to his country, he wanted to take me to Paris, he made me go with him to concerts and he made me go on stage.
VERONICA= Behind all these dreams there are constant requests for money.
When was the last time you gave him money?
AMALIA= Last week, maybe. Lately he wanted to make me a passport and so I had to pay for this passport.
VERONICA= But to go where?
AMALIA= To Paris.
VERONICA= To visit him during a concert?
AMALIA= No, no, with him.
VERONICA= The romantic getaway??
AMALIA= Yes, yes!
VERONICA= You liked the young man, huh?
AMALIA= Eh, yes!
VERONICA= You understood!!
Also because he told her:
AMALIA= “I want to marry an older woman because she gives me more love, you are the right woman for me!”
VERONICA= But fortunately Mrs. Amalia does have some doubts about this whole story.
AMALIA= Also because he made me so many promises but didn’t keep them.
VERONICA= What promises did he make you?
AMALIA= That he came here, he came to Palermo and he had to come to me. He didn’t come because he always wanted money.
VERONICA= But do you think Piero Barone needs our money??
AMALIA= No! In fact I even told him: “You send it to me!”
VERONICA= Good!! Good. The attitude seems right to us and so the time has come.
Now I have a surprise for you!
Amalia has already understood everything and in fact laughs and worries about making a good impression.
AMALIA= If I had known, I would have put a nicer tablecloth! (laughter)
VERONICA= Everything is ready, all we have to do is call Piero Barone, the real one, the only one who can really convince Amalia once and for all to stop wasting time and money on those SCAMMERS. (The video call with Piero begins.)
PIERO= Veronica!?
VERONICA= Hello!
PIERO= How are you?
VERONICA= I’m very well, I’m here with a friend of mine, her name is Amalia.
PIERO= Hi Amalia! Nice to meet you.
AMALIA= Hi Piero, nice to meet you.
VERONICA= Amalia, since last October, has been writing to a person who says they are you, so since October she’s been convinced she’s in a relationship with you.
PIERO= Wow! So, I know about these things. It’s something that unfortunately has been going around a lot lately, IT’S ONLY PEOPLE WHO PRETEND, WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PEOPLE’S KINDNESS, we don’t write to anyone on Instagram, we don’t contact anyone. Our job is something else, we just have to sing.
VERONICA= He told you that you were going to one of their concerts, and where?
AMALIA= Yes, of course, everywhere he went.
Where you went (she turns to Piero), I went with you.
PIERO= But madam, I have the other two (Gianluca and Ignazio) that I have to take with me, there’s no room on the plane (laughter).
But where are you from, madam, let me understand.
AMALIA= Palermo.
PIERO= Ah, she’s Sicilian like me.
AMALIA= Yes, yes.
PIERO= Now we know each other.
AMALIA= Indeed!
VERONICA= Piero, don’t give her any hope because I’ll come and get you!! (laughter)
PIERO= Let’s look on the bright side, Mrs. Amalia, we understood that it’s a scam, I hope you didn’t spend a lot of money, but I’ll take advantage of this to officially invite you and your family to one of our concerts.
VERONICA= For real this time, eh!
AMALIA= Look how many of us there are (the video shows all the relatives who are there listening – laughter)
RELATIVES= Hello!
PIERO= I take back what I said! (laughter).
VERONICA= Amalia seems to have taken it very well, but when we hang up, she gets a little emotional.
Does it make you want to cry?
AMALIA= Yes!
VERONICA= My love. (they hug each other)
AMALIA= Of course, I feel bad, because I hoped it was really him, never mind!
VERONICA= What did you like about him?
AMALIA= Everything! He spoke to me tenderly, very sweetly.
VERONICA= It’s right to look for it and want love.
AMALIA= I found it with my husband!
VERONICA= Exactly.
Loving again, dear Amalia, is possible indeed, even at 78 years old.
So if it happens to you again, if ALBANO writes to you, I’ll name you at random, first go to your nieces and ask if it’s the real ALBANO or the fake ALBANO? We need to be careful about this. Are you calm now?
AMALIA= Yes, of course.
VERONICA= Didn’t I hurt you by telling you this?
AMALIA= No, no. In fact, you helped me feel better.
VERONICA= How sweet! Can we eat now or have you lost your hunger?
AMALIA= While I was with him, I wasn’t hungry.
VERONICA= Weren’t you hungry?
AMALIA= I was stuck.
VERONICA = It was love, of course!
Also ACTA, Associazione Contro Truffe Affettive (Association Against Affective Fraud), and Lotta al Cybercrime, took an interest in the case, publishing the video from LE IENE, with this comment:
AMALIA at Le IENE: LOVE HAS NO AGE—> Amalia, a seventy-eight-year-old woman, has been believing for six months that she is the girlfriend of Il Volo singer Piero Barone.
Congratulations to Veronica Ruggeri who with empathy and simplicity makes Amalia understand that she has been yet another victim of an emotional scam by making her speak to the real Piero Barone. Veronica Ruggeri is an example to be imitated by those relatives of victims who act with arrogance, thus making the victim close up like a hedgehog. Amalia has been subjected to hypnotic manipulation and certainly does not need that arrogant and judgmental attitude that so many superficial people have.
This matter is really incredible, but unfortunately we know well that every day many people are enticed by these FAKE PROFILES who promise affection and kindness, to send MONEY.
Please be careful, none of Il Volo or their staff or their families need our MONEY, this is interesting for the FAKE PEOPLE who pass themselves off as them!!!!
Just before the Easter holidays, our editorial team received an email (another one unfortunately) from a kind fan who was scammed. We asked her if we could publish her email, here it is!!
April 13, 2025
TO: Il Volo Staff
I experienced this fake profile of Piero and his so-called manager. Both were asking me for money. One wanted iTunes cards. And the other one wanted $10,000 to meet with Piero, so he could stay with me for a month. Of course, in between his concerts. There were so many red flags. The only problem is, I did send iTunes cards.
The only time he’d get upset was when I said, no, I’m not sending you anymore cards. Otherwise, he would over-do the “I love yous “.
He sent many, many photos of Piero and some of his family and ones of his many cars, etc., those kind of things you can get right from the Internet, which he probably didn’t realize I knew. I was a fool but I learned my lesson. This all started when I sent a message on Instagram to Piero, expressing how much I loved the Trio. I was probably only on Instagram for a month. I never really followed Il Volo before. Then I got caught up in a fake. This all started around March 30 through March 31 and I just ended it on April 13, 2025. I told him I want my money back and I’m going to report him.
Piero even sent a video (or who I thought was him at the time) – it had his exact face and voice saying he would never hurt me or do anything to me, I love you. The face was Piero. But, It had to be AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Today, April 13, 2025, I received a voice message, and he said he loves me, and, I could immediately tell it definitely was not Piero. I could tell the difference. This man was trying to act like Piero!
He said my VIP card was in the mail but it never arrived.
He also sent me gifts of: a framed photo of Piero & I, a t-shirt with a picture of Piero & I, and a stuffed pink teddy bear. I received these items on the 12th of April. I did not go for that. I told him that the real Piero Barone would never have time for all this. Is there anything I can do to report this? Federal Trade Commission??
These people owe me approximately $6000-$7000 in iTunes cards, which I know I won’t get back.
Thank you for your time. I know this not Il Volo’s fault. I just wanted people to be aware. I am a widow and he took advantage of me.
Sincerely: Deborah.
Dear Deborah, we are all on your side, we are very sorry for what happened to you, luckily you realized the deception!!!
Thank you for sending this testimony of yours and for allowing us to publish it, I hope it can help to pay more attention to the trust that is often stolen by these shady individuals.
Be smart, open your eyes.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca do not answer any fans and above all they do not ask for money!!
There are no words for these despicable actions, the internet can be dangerous, so only trust serious and well-known sites or pages.
BEWARE of those who offer you private contact.
Trust is very important and should only be given to serious people.
Our beloved Piero is making great strides and is showing off, slowly, slowly, all the years of study.
The occasion was in Bologna, in a small deconsecrated church. The event was organized by Fulvio Massa, Piero’s singing teacher.
I’m translating this nice article for you, which was not published by one of the many fan pages of Il Volo, but by the blog “Toni Semitoni”, who you’ll understand right away, understands music, especially classical.
Right in the center, surrounded by the oceanic university nightlife, on the corner between via Begatto and via Armando Quadri there is a small Baroque church, no longer intended for worship, dedicated to Saints Damiano and Cosma, which would need restoration.
In it various activities take place, mostly musical, and in it, from time to time, the master Fulvio Massa organizes essays or concerts with his singing students. With a few phone calls and a few messages, the little church is easily filled with an intimate audience, at most forty people.
The climate that is created is therefore attractive, friendly, familiar, engaging due to the direct contact with the singers.
Yesterday evening Fulvio organized a beautiful concert in which the soprano Claudia Corona, the baritone Thiago Felipe Stopa and the tenor Piero Barone performed. Ohibò! Piero Barone the singer of Il Volo? A celebrity performing for friends? Yes, that’s right, it’s really him.
Before being artists, singers are athletes – singing is based, in fact, on a delicate muscular balance – who need not only a coach, but also a trusted person who carries out checks during their career, true revisions of singing technique.
The concert in question, in addition to exhibiting three beautiful voices from Fulvio’s school, was an opportunity for Thiago and Claudia to try new opera pieces and for Piero to try his hand at an exclusively lyrical environment and in front of an audience of opera aficionados, often severe, ferocious and partisan audiences.
Therefore, hush, hush, slowly, slowly, as if it were a secret sect, Fulvio gathered a small audience who attended a truly high-quality concert; the assiduous opera house goers, not only of the Teatro Comunale, but also of other theaters not only in Italy, who were present said they felt greater pleasure in this friendly concert but organized with sincere commitment and excellent results.
(a long list of sung opera pieces follow)
And now we come to the singers.
Thiago Felipe Stopa is a Brazilian baritone who has been studying for four years in Bologna with Fulvio Massa. Not only does he have a beautiful, wide, extended voice, like a true baritone, but one that is able to excite. The legato recalls that of a cello is noteworthy, so all the cantabiles are of great impact. The Italian pronunciation is excellent.
Claudia Corona has a top-quality timbre, a very generous voice not only in the high notes, sure, ringing and voluminous, but also in the low register.
The agilities are precise and it has beautiful trills as if performed on a violin. The half-voices, even in the high notes, are very suggestive, firm, so he is able to make contrasts of great effect as we heard throughout the concert.
Piero Barone live, without the intermediation of microphones, offers a voice of magnificent quality: the timbre is very rich, like that of tenors from the Spanish area (Fleta, Lazaro, Domingo and Aragall come to mind), the high notes are ringing and easy, the half-voices are sweet and enveloping, truly bewitching. Even as an interpreter he appears convincing that, when necessary, he knows how to be sweet and passionate. A voice like this is missing on the lyrical stage.
Marco Belluzzi’s piano accompaniment is excellent. Bravo to maestro Fulvio Massa who, with his teachings and experience, has handed down the teachings of Paride Venturi and Arturo Melocchi.
In short, a beautiful and enjoyable evening.
Piero, we are all very proud of your result.
Your years of hard study are paying off and your dream of one day singing an entire opera is slowly, slowly coming true.
The compliments don’t come only from us fans, but from those who are connoisseurs and this makes us even more pleased.
Come on Piero, full speed ahead, the road is still long, but a long way has already been done and successfully.
Piero is a great storyteller! In his stories he recalls every detail. He makes you feel like you’re a part of his story. When the story is over you know the event as it happened and there is nothing more for you to know. He’s told it all. He is very sensitive and very emotional when he speaks about his childhood and his family.
So, without further ado, let us begin Piero’s Story in the courtyard of the town square of Naro.
The heat of the day has passed and, the time of rest is over and it’s time for people to come out into the square. On the bench nearby are old men. Piero is playing soccer with his friends. They are playing with his SUPER TELE (a plastic football). The ball flies off in the direction of the old men and they shout, “Slow with the ball or we will cut it.” The old men frighten Piero with their threat.
My name is Piero Barone. I was born on June 24, 1993 in the Sicilian city of Naro.
What can I tell you about Naro? For me, it is the most beautiful city in the world! There are dozens of baroque churches and above the city the Chiaramonte castle. Below the castle is the beautiful Valle del Paradiso with its green pastures and the green sea that separates Naro from the real sea… and there’s the Spring Festival Narese!
Piero would gather with his friends in the afternoon and usually they played until ten in the evening but there was always the fear that the old men would pierce the ball. Piero says, “Five or six years have passed since the old men scared me. The old men are still on the bench but now when they see me, they come to meet me, to greet me. Before, they scared me, and now they hug me and have that look of being proud and moved. It’s too strong for me! Yet, I still can’t explain why I become ‘weak inside’ when I see them.”
The truth is, I’m still that kid with his SUPER TELE.
I think it is an effort to remember when we were young. We were young the day before yesterday. In fact, all three of us, feel that time has run too fast. Yesterday we were children, and, in a moment, we found ourselves grown up with a great job to carry on. Its’ the most beautiful job in the world, what we dreamed and desired, but the truth is that none of us really imagined what would happen.
I remember in detail the years from one to fourteen. Details like how many euros of gasoline I put in my motorbike. That would be 10. Or how much gasoline I consumed each day.
I recall for a few months, during the summer, when I was nine years old, I went to work in my father’s body shop but because I had bad allergies and asthma I was not able to deal with the paints and powders so, the decision was made that I would go to work in my uncle Angelo’s (my mother’s brother) mechanic shop which was just in front of my father’s shop. I clearly recall, at half past ten, on time, my uncle gave me two euros and I went to buy a sandwich at the supermarket. The sandwich was ham and provolone. How good was that sandwich!
To Piero, these are things that have remained in his head and will not go away. Piero recalls a morning in 2001 when….
At eight o’clock, as I was getting ready to go to school, a phone call arrived, my grandfather Francesco, my paternal grandfather, died. I was small, but the pain was great because I always had a wonderful relationship with my paternal grandparents. These are the sad things that remain in my head and will not go away.
Piero’s grandmother Graziella was always proud of what Piero’s father had done in life and she is so proud of what her grandchildren do today. In moments of happiness Piero’s thoughts go to his grandfather Ciccio. He recalls his father saying, “What a disappointment that his grandfather did not get to enjoy all the beautiful things that have happened to him.”
What does Piero say about all of this …when you love a person, that good remains inside you, you cannot forget it anymore.
What I’ve done in the last five or six years, I tend to forget. Not because I’m not happy to have done it, on the contrary, I am, very, happy. It’s to have the life I have and have a dream come true: living with music was all I wanted.
Piero recalls a very sweet memory.
When I was a child, I visited my father’s body shop. The shop was, very, big and was full of cars and lots of noise. This was my “first stage.” I was not yet four years old, and I was starting to sing. My father lifted me up and placed me on the hood of a car that was jacked up and I immediately began to sing. The people in front of the shop looked out. Slowly one after another, they came out. I remember them, they stood there listening to me, their heads popping out of the door and, I sang and, it was the most natural thing in the world for me!
But what remains in Piero’s heart is what he calls the “campaign” of his grandparents.
How do I explain this campaign? I think ‘Campaign’ and I think ‘family’ a couple that cannot be divided.
Piero compares this campaign to his mother, Elenora, and his father, Gaetano. He sees their marriage as an example of love that he hopes to one day share with someone. Piero says, “I want someone with whom I can carry on that love that is so great even in times of difficulty.” But he is not naïve about love. He knows that in most families there are obstacles. He recalls “I happened to see some quarrels between my parents and, I did not understand. However, all things worked out and the two returned to be more united than before.”
Perhaps the, worse, moment was when my mother had serious health problems. My parents left me and my brother with my grandparents and, my father took my mother to Milan for treatment. They were always united and always facing difficulties together. A ‘campaign!’
My brother and sister and I are three pieces that cannot be divided. The oldest is Francesco he is 17 months older than me. I am very proud of my brother. Francesco graduated cum laude in Literature in 2015. I am very proud that he is working hard for his future. If he wanted to, he could travel the world with me, work with me. But, no, he wants to be known as Francesco Barone and not Piero’s brother and that’s why I respect him so much. I have realized my dream and, he wants to make his own.
Piero and Francesco resemble each other and when they were young their mother dressed them as twins. Piero say, “I tell you the same: same shoes, same pants, same shirt, we looked like twins. Everyone thought we were twins.”
And then there is Mariagrazia. She is six years younger than Piero and he says, “I love her endlessly.” While she was in high school, she lived at home with her parents. Piero regrets he doesn’t see her very often and he says, “I am sorry because I miss her very much.” Although the three do not see each other often, Piero says, “Francesco and Mariagrazia are my friends, the people I trust and with whom I confess, me.”
I am proud to say mine is a real Sicilian family, one of those that on Sundays reunites at the grand house, the grandparent’s house. There are great lunches from the first to the sweets, things so good that you cannot even imagine them. And the saga continues, when summer arrives and, everyone moves to the countryside.
From the time I was one until I was thirteen, I spent every summer at my grandparent’s house. And who was there with me, my grandparents and my great-grandmother Lina (my grandmother’s mother). I swear, they were perhaps the most beautiful days of my life, and I will never forget them.
Piero’s grandfather Pietro, his mother’s father, had made a campaign with his hands. He built it all, the house, the plants, the land, everything.
I could not wait for it to be Saturday morning when we lit the wood burning oven. I went to collect wood around the ground, I helped to light the fire, and I helped to take out the pizza. In addition to pizza, we did “u pani impurnatu”, which is bread baked in the oven. How good it was! It kept that good taste all week. The week passed and the next Saturday we started over again. The bread was beautiful, warm and fragrant. We also made the ‘impanate’ which are rolls of pizza dough with vegetables inside, a typical dish of my area. In short, I ate a lot of good things and it was visible. (I was really fat.)
The ‘campaign’ was also the kingdom of my minicross. I always had a passion for motorcycles and cars. And at age six or seven my father gave me a minicross. It is a cross-country minimoto, but without the gears. Why did I tell you that I spent the best time of my life in the country because I was there with my minicross!
I have lived the most beautiful adventures in the garden of the Riolo family?
The neighbors in the countryside were the Riolo family. They were the owners of the villa that was right next to Piero’s grandfathers house. They were the richest family in the country. They lived in Agrigento and since they only came to the villa once a month, the marvelous orchard that surrounded it was practically abandoned.
What was I doing then? I took the minicross, my grandmother would sit back, and we would get into what we called “a stradella pi ‘Riola”, the road of the Riolo. Their gardens were full of, very, beautiful fruits trees. The Riolo’s knew of the raids. My grandmother, Rina, told them that we went to collect the fruit and they gave her permission to do so. My grandfather had worked for Mr. Riolo for many years and they were family friends. But for me, what was I doing I was going to “steal”, it was a secret.
There were no fences, so you could enter from anywhere. The fact that we entered through the gate in the saddle of the minicross gave me the feeling of really doing something dangerous and secret.
“Grandma, where are we going?” I said, even before finishing the road.
“Lemon trees” she answered.
“Here we go!” And off we go to fill the bag of lemons.
“Grandma, where are we going now?”
“Pear trees.” And off we go to fill the pear bag.
There were peaches, plums, there were fruits of all kinds.
One day, the Riolo’s came to the countryside with us and they carried a bag of small, round, burgundy fruits. I asked Mr. Riolo, what are these things? I had never seen them before. They tasted very good, very soft, very sweet. They were jujubes.
“Where did you get them?” I asked.
“There are many trees like this,” Mr. Riolo said. And while Mr. Riolo explained it to me, I already saw myself under the tree picking up the jujubes.
But how did we get the bags home? I put a broomstick on the handlebars of my minicross, we hung the bags on both sides and, we walked.
Also, on the ground were walnuts and prickly pears. We picked up the prickly pears, and then with my great-grandmother we peeled them, she cleaned them without even putting on her gloves, at the end she scraped away the thorns from her hands with the knife, rinsed herself with water, all right.
In the countryside there were almonds. My aunt Lucia, my grandmother’s sister, had them on her land, and in the second half of August she had a “cugliuta di mennule” (almond harvest). There were always two, three huge bags to be shared for the whole family.
Who peeled those almonds? My great-grandmother. Stone fingers, tac, tac, tac. And after who divided the almonds from the skins? I. So, my grandma tac, tac, tac, and I divided. An assembly line!
This was what happened to us in the countryside. They are images that I will never forget.
So, we leave Piero chopping almonds with his great-grandmother and we go back up “a stradella pi ‘Riola” and wait for Piero to arrive at Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
The following is a video of Piero and Ignazio doing a duet at Ti Lascio Una Canzone. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have never seen this before. Two amazing tenors! Fifteen and sixteen years old!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure! Next time we will explore Gianluca’s beginnings!
What I have written here are excerpts from the book the guys wrote about their lives. “Il Volo, Un’avventura Straordinario, La Nostra Storia.” (An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story) This is just a small piece of each mans’ story. The book is written in Italian. If you can read Italian, I would highly recommend that you read it. It’s wonderful! If not, I can only hope that someday it will be translated into English. Or you can use Google Translate to translate it.
I also recommend you read their second book “IL Volo: Quello Che Porto Nel Cuore” (What I Carry in My Heart).
And let’s not forget the new album. Available on Spotify, Amazon, and other music media!
Friendship, the true one, can move seas and mountains, and is recognized in times of need.
Piero and Gianluca are two true friends and right now they are demonstrating this. Ignazio, since his father’s funeral, has remained in Sicily, perhaps he did not want to leave his mother and sister alone and he needed a moment of rest.
But there is a project to be completed, the tribute for Morricone, time passes and the date, which for now remains confirmed, is approaching.
So, a couple of days ago Gianluca published a photo of him at the Rome airport, leaving, for where?
We all thought about a return to Bologna, to continue the registration for the tribute.
But it wasn’t like that, the three friends got together, but not in Bologna, but in Sicily, it was all planned ….. I don’t think so. I think that the events, which prompted Ignazio to return to Marsala and to take a rest period, made Piero and Gianluca decide to return with their friend, to support him and also be able to continue their projects.
This is a true friendship. ❤❤❤ And here they are, beautiful and united.
Can I interpret the feelings of all of us fans, seeing Ignazio Piero and Gianluca together again? A feeling of great affection invaded me on seeing their beautiful faces gathered together. So much gratitude to Piero and Gianluca who preferred to go back to their friend and companion of many moments, Ignazio.
But the works have to resume, and so here they are intent on rehearsing the songs, they nicely let us peek, small moments, some chords ……. to make us understand that everything is proceeding.
I glimpse between them Lello Analfino, the one who had written beautiful words for Piero and Ignazio, now he has also met Gianluca, it looks like a recording studio, perhaps Analfino is giving them advice, and they know how to listen to the advice of people who have experience!
Surely, the Sicilian landscape outside is gorgeous, by the admission of the guys themselves ….. “the best way to record music” …..
And then we go out together, as friends, return by car and…
….. to end the evening, a nice dinner all together, while watching a football match, good times with friends, to end the evening, after a day of rehearsals.
And tomorrow we start again, but always together, always united.
Because this is the meaning of friendship.
The friendship that makes Ignazio write a beautiful theme for a television drama, Màkari, but which he shares with his old friends: Piero and Gianluca.
(this photo is the fragment of Màkari’s opening theme where Ignazio and IL VOLO are credited for the song)
And in the recording studio MCN STUDIO 17, in Palermo, they work, record, but there are also satisfactions.
These beautiful words had just been published by the studio itself.
Days of friendship and a special love that only music can give, thanks Il Volo, because in addition to music you bring with you that healthy joy of life that makes every moment madly beautiful, after all, art is to transform into happiness, and to live every moment of what some commonly call work, in a light way and full of ideas to improve by improving, you have brought this into our studios.
PS: Silvio Schembri (Piero’s friend) brought the “cassata” (delicious Sicilian dessert) and isn’t that happiness too ??? 🤡
To the most demanding, rightly, we remind you that the people portrayed in the photo are all “buffered” (they performed the test for the virus), see the following photo, and despite this, during the working hours all the positions were maintained and used precautions to avoid contact.
The photo without masks is a need that concerns the affection you feel with friends, and also a desire to exorcise the moment with the hope of being able to return soon to hug and kiss without fear, because hugs and kisses are that code of body language that makes us men and women free to love each other, and we want for these young talents a good that goes beyond imagination.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A couple of days ago, the page of Il Volo gave the official news of Vito’s passing with these beautiful and moving words.
A few years ago we titled one of our concerts “An Extraordinary Adventure”.
Well, all adventures contain moments of happiness and moments of sadness, the key thing is to face each of these moments together.
United, always.
Ciao Vito, we will miss you.
Better words could not be chosen, Vito will never be forgotten.
Always united, in happy and sad times, because that’s how true friendship works.
And what about the nice words used to our guys by the recording studio
What a joy to be able to see Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio, at work, rehearsing and recording, because they want the next event to be “perfect”, they want everyone to like it and be a worthy tribute to a “great composer”.
They will succeed, we are sure, and we will contribute to their success, with our affection and with our support.
Land of Sages and Fools ~ Made of Devils and Saints!
Sometimes I feel like I spend every day of my life writing about Ignazio! In the last year I wrote over fifty stories about the guys and, it seems as if half of them were about Ignazio’s projects. Because of all his projects I sometimes write two and three stories a week about him, wearing many different hats. Entertainer, Lyricist, Manager, Entrepreneur! The amazing thing about it is, I can’t get enough of him! Ignazio lives in mind. I have an emotional attachment to him. I guess it comes from writing all those stories. With fictional characters, the writer develops the character but, when you’re writing about real people, you come to a point where you are in their minds and, you feel their passions and emotions!
As usual, it was Daniela who made me aware that something new was going on. She sent me a video that said Màkari and I wondered what is this about? And then I clicked on it and heard Ignazio’s beautiful voice and I thought when did Ignazio record this? That’s when I realized it was a new series on Rai1 and Il Volo will be singing the theme song. And if that wasn’t enough, I learned Ignazio wrote the song. Ignazio, do you ever sleep?
Ignazio, last year, you told us you had many surprises for us. This obviously was the collaboration with Rai1 you were talking about. Unless we have another surprise in store! We can only hope!
Truthfully, who better to write a song about Sicily and the region of Trapani than a native child! No, Ignazio wasn’t born in Sicily but, for Italians, who your parents are is who you are so, in fact, Ignazio is Sicilian.
It amazes me that the young boy who went to Sicily kicking and screaming when he was ten, became the spokesman for Marsala, around the world, and now for the region of Trapani. Ignazio came to embrace the land of his parents and he loves all the wonders of Sicily.
Sicily is different than Italy. Yes, I know Sicily is Italy but, how the Sicilians live and, who they are is very different. Ignazio’s song invites us to take a better look at this other land in the south. It speaks of “a land of sages and a land of fools, made from devils and saints.” Yes, that’s what Sicily is! They honor their saints while keeping their superstitions!
Ignazio invites you to live a new reality through his eyes. He invites us to see a different side of Sicily through his beautiful theme song, Màkari.
Ignazio begins his video by explaining to us his experience of Sicily as seen through his eyes. “It is a Sicily as told by a twenty-five year old who lived Sicily through stories, through images!”
This song speaks volumes! Where did the words of this song come from? Ignazio’s heart! There is something very mysterious about the song. Besides the fact that it speaks of a land of sages and fools made from devils and saints. It also speaks of truth! The truth as seen through Ignazio’s eyes.
Ignazio’s words allow us to see Sicily through tradition, home and love!
In the video, Ignazio talks about the summers he spent in S. Vito Capo in the landscape of Màkari. What is it that draws him back year after year? Is it the “silence” of the land that screams for you to open your eyes and look around at the wonder of the landscape or, the traditions of the land that go deep into your soul? It seems to Ignazio, Màkari is joy and love and so he will never forget it! And what does that say! Simple! This is Ignazio’s story!!! His story of Sicily, the land he left to pursue his dream and the land he is drawn back to time and again.
Think about the words of the song! Is Ignazio talking about the writer who leaves his home and returns after a long period of time or the entertainer who travels the world? The similarities in his life and the life of the writer are striking, that’s why he was able to write such an emotional song! I feel like Ignazio wrote the song and then they made the show. His words are very enticing, they pull you into the story. They tell all there is to know and, Ignazio tells us a story, through the imagery of his words!
The mystery of it all is the relationship Ignazio has with this land! Having become a part of this land at the age of ten, it is amazing to me that Ignazio developed this great bond with Sicily. Yes, Bologna is his home but, Sicily is the place he comes home to!!!
Ignazio says, “it is an honor to talk about my Sicily through a fiction that tells the truth of this Sicily.” Ignazio loves that through all the mysteries and mystique of the program, the show speaks of love, which is something that he loves and, he loves that that love is combined with yellow (mysteries)!
Sicily is amazing for Ignazio because it’s different for him every time. He sees a Sicily that is always offering something new while being a part of something old. Always remembering what was while looking forward to what will be! This speaks to Ignazio’s soul!
Ignazio’s thoughts and emotions are everywhere in this song. In an interview on Sunday, with Inga and Claudio Gioè, the actor from Màkari, Ignazio reminds us of his words, in the song, about His Sicily. “Whoever comes to Sicily, cries twice,” (once when you arrive and, once when you leave). I think that sums up Ignazio’s feelings for Sicily.” I think the words of this song will be on the lips of everyone for many years to come! A Classic!
The final verse of the song is sung by Ignazio with a few beautiful words in Sicilian and he is accompanied by a classical guitar. “Sing louder but do it in silence because here no one hears us, sees us. This is a story a little curious, a little grumpy, it speaks to me of love. For traditions, for my roots, Màkari is home and my heart sings for you!” These are emotional words, very touching!
In the video, Gianluca and Piero expressed their feelings about the project. Gianluca said, I have anxiety waiting for this moment, so I renew my congratulations to everyone for this great project and we are delighted to be part of it. We, also, learned something very interesting in this video. We now know what everyone’s plans are for the future! Gianluca says, he would love to be an actor. I always thought he would be a model. He certainly has the body and looks for it! But who knows maybe he will show up in one of the episodes of Màkari? And Piero the sweetheart that he is, told us how proud he is of Ignazio and how happy he is to be a part of this project! Piero, all of us are very happy that all of you are embarking on this new adventure together!
One final thought! Ignazio’s words in the song call out to, many, people expressing his feelings on many matters! I would like to go back to those last words of the song so that you can listen very carefully to Ignazio words! “Sing louder but do it in silence because here no one hears, sees us.” Think about it!
Màkari we’ve been waiting for you!
What an amazing song! Ignazio as usual you took my breath away, not just with your voice but, with your beautiful words. No doubt they were from the heart. They truly hit home! They so speak of where you heart is! And from the bottom of my heart I say, thank you for the song and thank you guys for the beautiful delivery!
You know how many times I’d like to leave from this land of devils and saints but Màkari is home, it’s joy and pain this is my land.
Land of Wise Men and Land of Fools of people who take heart, take it and give it! Whoever comes to Sicily, cries twice! Màkari is my home.
This is a story a little curious, a little grumpy, it speaks to me of love. For traditions, for my roots, but Màkari is home, and the heart sings for you.
Sing louder, but do it in silence, because here no one hears us, sees us, but Makari is home, it is joy and pain, Màkari I do not forget, I forget no more.
This is a story a little curious, a little grumpy, it speaks to me of love. For traditions, for my roots, but Màkari is home and the heart sings for you.
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
