On March 12th there was a beautiful press conference in Pompeii “POMPEII IS ART”, held by the MIC (Ministry of Culture) in which the concerts that will be held this year in Pompeii were presented.
I want to point out to you that in this conference there was really “consideration” and also very nice words towards Il Volo.
As people took their seats, there was Makari music playing in the background (it wasn’t added to the video, it was played in the conference) and at the end of the conference Capolavoro will be played!
The conference is very long and I will not translate every speech for you but only the direct and quick one made by Il Volo and I will summarize the other speeches.
It was a very interesting press conference with important guests.
The speaker at the beginning invites you to begin and introduces the guests:
The Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano
The undersecretary of culture Gianmarco Mazzi
The director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel
The mayor of the municipality of Pompeii, Carmine Lo Sapio
The artists of Il Volo: Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble.
Undersecretary Mazzi begins by presenting a video of Ludovico Einaudi (pianist composer who will give one of the concerts) who in the video reiterates that he is happy to play in a site like Pompeii.
Mazzi thanks everyone present and says he is a supporter of coexistence between artists and places of culture, he finds it a natural alliance because in his opinion artists bring life to monuments and these archaeological sites. Artists are ambassadors of beauty and culture, they talk about art, they communicate emotions.
He also appreciates a less elitist and more pragmatic approach to culture.
“Artists, especially singers, are very important because they very often represent a crucial first step in the education of people, let’s say young people.”
“We know that our task comes from the law, it is the protection of monuments, but also their valorisation and in this, in my opinion, artists can help us a lot.”
Furthermore, Mazzi says that today people are always in contact with the internet world and all the artists who will give these concerts have a lot of presence in this sense, so there will be a lot of diffusion via the web and therefore it will benefit the world of culture, museums, art.
Speaking of Il Volo he says that they have more than 5 million followers and their song Grande Amore has more than 250 million views, so these sites need the contribution of these artists like “bread and butter”. So he thanks Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca who are also ambassadors of Italy in the world, they are known all over the world and carry messages of Italianness everywhere. So Mazzi believes this partnership is essential to also stimulate tourism and all those who love the “Italian style” in the world and that artists such as Il Volo and Bocelli and others certainly contribute to this.
A video of Pooh is shown, then the word is passed to the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
He says it’s a great honor to be there in that conference with those guests. He talks about the Pompeii site and the archaeological excavations, thanks Minister Sangiuliano for his support in the budget law. The excavations of Pompeii are enormous, they continue to find treasures, but at the same time they must guarantee access to people, to museums, all infrastructures that must be supported and therefore these musical festivals are an opportunity to bring young people closer to the ancient, archeology and also the many travelers and therefore these events that attract people to visit archaeological sites, such as Pompeii, a UNESCO heritage site, must be encouraged.
Russel Crowe’s video follows and then the mayor of Pompeii, Carmine Lo Sapio, speaks.
Lo Sapio says that the city of Pompeii is experiencing a new season. Pompeii is history and thanks to the agreement with the minister of culture and the director of the park they are pushing culture which in Italy is also the engine of the economy and this favors tourism and this influx of tourists to Pompeii has exceeded all expectations and therefore, on behalf of the city, he thanks him for this contribution and will guarantee the support of the infrastructure.
The word goes to Il Volo.
PIERO= Good morning.
IGNAZIO= Good morning everyone
GIANLUCA= Good morning
PIERO= For us it is a great honor to be present here today and in some way try to share our thoughts with you. This year is a very important year for our group because we are celebrating 15 years of career and we could only celebrate them in music, we will start with this two-year tour and as we have always done from day one we try to be promoters of our music and if December was a very important date because we all know that the art of “Bel Canto” has become a heritage of humanity, we do it with infinite passion. I want to conclude, I promised myself not to be verbose, it is often said that Il Volo takes Italian music around the world, but we have always thought that it is this musical and cultural heritage that we have inherited that makes us travel the world and therefore we must to all be very proud of what we have inherited.
GIANLUCA= Yes, it is a great pleasure to be here and thank you for making us part of this wonderful project that promotes beauty, that promotes culture, because culture, like art, is beauty. Beauty strikes us immediately, but behind any kind of beauty, be it works of art like Pompeii or great music like opera, there is a lot of work behind bel canto and beauty can only be appreciated through time, sacrifice and also culture. We try to bring with great passion, this music which is immortal and certainly to combine this great music through the beauties of Italy, starting precisely from Pompeii, it is also one of the objectives, to associate our name also with Pompeii, so it will be a new start, for us too, so thank you very much for everything.
IGNAZIO= Well, there’s little left for me to say, obviously, they said everything, but we can’t be anything but happy to return to Pompeii, the first time was in 2016, if I’m not mistaken, but in another area different from the one where we will perform in July. We are really happy about this opportunity, thank you so much for sending us today. See you in Pompeii, you’re all invited, Piero pays!
And at the end the words were given to the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano who said beautiful words for Il Volo. He begins by thanking everyone present but then focuses on Il Volo.
“…thanks to the artists of Il Volo because meeting them was truly a great pleasure because I am an admirer of theirs, once a colleague from TG1 gave me one of their CDs for my birthday and I then listened to it several times, I didn’t tell them this before, so I’m glad they’re here.”
He continues explaining the notion of beauty, saying that it is a philosophical term, which can be traced back to the extraordinary nature of Italian historical places and asks which of the three boys is from Agrigento, the world of Magna Graecia, while Pompeii is that of Roman times, then there are immaterial beauties, recognized by UNESCO, such as bel canto, therefore the minister compares our singers to artists like those who have handed down concrete beauties to us such as sculptors or painters and therefore by harmonizing everything together, we can celebrate the union between the heritage artistic cultural (archaeological sites) and the Italian excellence of bel canto, therefore two elements that come together and by doing this, article 9 of our constitution which speaks of the protection of artistic heritage but also valorisation through dissemination to the world.
Then he speaks with pride about the latest findings in the Pompeian excavations, and adds that the quality of life today is not only given by comfort but also by culture and today’s tourism is aimed a lot at the study of ancient beauties, it informs itself, it wants to know the history traditions, so what better way to spread all this with bel canto, furthermore these concerts will also bring an interest not only for tourism but also for the citizens of Pompeii and surrounding areas who will be able to participate in these events.
He ends by saying that after you have participated in a good concert and visited a beautiful ancient site, from a cultural point of view you have enriched yourself and that is why they believe a lot in this project, all in the rigorous protection of the sites.
Conference finished, Masterpiece is heard in the background, the usual photos are taken.
Here is a list of artists and the dates they perform in Pompeii:
Carmen Consoli (8 June);
John Legend (11 June);
Russell Crowe (9 July);
Ludovico Einaudi (12 July);
Il Volo (17 July);
Biagio Antonacci (18,19,20 July);
I Pooh (22 July) and
Francesco De Gregori (26 July).
Naturally the news was reported on the news, I propose this one which has English subtitles to be activated.
Here the subtitles are only in Italian, but at the end things are repeated.
What a wonderful initiative, it will be a magnificent event, a series of concerts in an amazing site. and what a pride to hear the words of the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano towards Il Volo, he publicly admitted to being a fan of theirs.
I await your comments, I imagine you would like to be present in Pompeii during the Il Volo concert!!!! I’m keeping my fingers crossed…..who knows!!!
Over the next three weeks, I will be traveling so I will share with you some old stories which I’m sure you will enjoy. I chose to start with the series Cooking Il Volo Style because not only do I tell you about foods from the regions the guys live in, I also tell you a little bit about the history of those regions.
I remember when I first wrote this series, a woman wrote to me to say that her husband enjoyed reading the histories so much that he finally is going to take her to Italy. It seems he made some connection with Piero and Ignazio’s stories since his family was from Sicily.
Originally, my decision to write about this was made when I read Daniela’s article on *The Support of Il Volo about the porticos of Bologna being nominated for recognition by UNESCO. I remembered that I did a series on Cooking Il Volo Style and, with Ignazio’s recipe, I spoke about the Portico of San Luca.
Of the three, Ignazio certainly is the cook!
Where did this love of cooking come from? None other than Nina! You will recall in Ignazio’s story he said, “Nina gave me a passion for cooking.”
Today we will be Cooking with Ignazio and we will make Ignazio’s own recipe for Chicken Marsala. We actually have a video of him making it.
But before we begin, I think we need a song by Ignazio! I always listen to the guys sing when I’m cooking! It makes the preparation exciting!
Ignazio was born in and lived as a child in the region of Emilia-Romagna in the city of Bologna. A few years back, Ignazio took up permanent residence in Bologna. So, let’s start in Bologna where Ignazio was born. I decided to include a recipe from both the Emilia-Romagna region and the region of Marsala where Ignazio moved to when he was 10 years old.
In an article posted by il Resto del Carlino, Ignazio was asked: What do the arcades mean to you?
Ignazio replied:I have wonderful memories, the Sunday morning walks with the family, in the center under the porticos. And then Lucio Dalla always mentions the porticos in his songs, I think of ‘Le Rondini’. A great emotional value, as well as in Bologna I also lived in a small village, Molinella, where I remember under the porticos there was a lady who made fresh pasta. There we bought tortellini and then at night they were wonderful! If I could, I would always take long walks.
So, Tortellini it is!
Let’s begin with some history of Bologna where Ignazio was born and some history from Marsala where Ignazio moved to at the age of 10.
Bologna is a city in northern Italy that is about a one-hour drive north from Florence. Over the centuries, Bologna has acquired many nicknames: “La Grassa” (the fat) refers to its cuisine, in which the most famous specialties are prepared using rich meats (especially pork), egg pasta and dairy products, such as butter and Parmesan cheese.
To discover Bologna, we need to step back in time to the 6th century BC when it was known by the Etruscans as Felsina. It was one of the most important settlements in the Po Valley. Bologna has numerous archaeological remnants of an early civilization.
Eventually, Bologna fell to the Romans, a colony was set up and it was renamed Bononia. Its strategic position on the ancient Via Emilia Road gave it a certain prestige in the area. During the Roman occupation of Bononia it is believed that as many as 20,000 people lived there.
When the Roman Empire declined in the 5th century AD, so too did the city. The city was sacked and variously groups such as the Goths, the Huns, the Lombards and the Visigoths occupied it. Bologna’s fortunes declined but, it managed to slowly regain its former political and economic stability.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the city expanded and extended beyond the confines of its defensive wall. It was in the mid-18th century that the **Portico of San Luca was built.
The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy is known for its porticos. In all the cities the shops are covered by porticos so you can shop in any weather. Entire blocks are covered by porticos. The most famous being the Portico of San Luca.
The history is quite long but briefly, the portico was built to protect the painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus (which is believed to have been painted by St. Luke) as it is processed from the Basilica of San Luca on the top of the mountain to the Basilica of St. Peters in the city center. The Portico was built to protect the painting from the rain. This procession happens every May. The San Luca portico is the longest covered walkway in the world.
Let’s turn to Marsala where Ignazio moved to when he was 10 years old.
But first, before we head to Marsala, let’s make a stop in Naples to listen to Ignazio sing his Pino Daniele medley?
Marsala is a town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. It is built on the ruins of the ancient Carthaginian city of Lilybaeum, and within its territory is the archaeological site of the island of Mozia, an ancient Phoenician town. (Mozia is a small island, formerly known as Motia and San Pantaleo in the Trapani province, in Sicily. It lies in the Stagnone Lagoon and is generally included as a part of the commune of Marsala.)
The Carthaginian army set out to conquer Selinunte in 409 BC and landed and camped near the site of the later Lilybaeum. In 397 BC when the Phoenician colony of Mozia on the southwestern coast of Sicily was invaded and destroyed by the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I, the survivors founded a town on the mainland nearby, the site of modern-day Marsala, which they called by a Punic name meaning “Town that Looks on Libya.”
TEMPLE OF SELINUNTE
The First Punic Wars began here when the Punic army landed at Lilybaion in 265–264 BC, then marched across Sicily to Messina.
Many armies invaded but, with the arrival of Arabic Berbers at the nearby Granitola mount the rebirth of the town started. The town was renamed Marsala. The modern name, Marsala, likely derived from the Arabic (marsā llāh) “God’s Harbor.”
Since the end of the 11th century, the area has been conquered by Normans, Angevin and Aragonese troops. During this time, Marsala became wealthy, primarily through trade. However the blocking up of the harbor of Punta Alga, decreed by Emperor Charles V to stop Saracen forays, brought an end to this period of prosperity.
The development of Marsala wine at the end of the 18th century, headed by English merchant John Woodhouse, from Liverpool, who exported the fortified wine, triggered an economic expansion in Marsala. Other English and Sicilian businessmen followed his example, and it was in fact one of these men, Joseph Whitaker, who began excavating and piecing together the history of Marsala.
On May 11, 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi landed at Marsala, beginning the process of Italian unification.
On May 11, 1943, in the lead-up to the World War II, the Allies invaded Sicily, and an Allied bombardment of the town permanently damaged its Baroque center and claimed many victims.
The history of Bologna and Marsala are long and rich and, it would take too long to talk about here. Take the time to look it up. It’s interesting!
Food and emotion go hand in hand, but nothing is more emotional than a song by Ignazio! So, before we start cooking let’s listen to a very emotional song!
Now to the recipe. The first recipe today is Tortellini with Pesto Sauce and I’m going to make this very easy for you.
Let’s start with a little inspiration! These pictures are for those ladies who just can’t get enough of Ignazio!
I had to include the following picture because the reaction to this picture when I posted it as the cover to my story “A Man of Passion and Emotion,” made all the ladies delirious! It certainly is a photo full of passion and emotion! Thank you, Ignazio!!!
I think that’s enough inspiration!
Let’s start cooking!
Tortellini with Pesto Sauce
Tortellini is a ring-shaped Italian pasta stuffed with cheese or meat that is most traditionally served in broth. For our recipe we are using Pesto Sauce but, many people make it with tomato sauce. It can also be made with a tomato sauce with mushrooms or meat. Tortellini originates from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and it is particularly associated with Bologna. (Just a note Pesto Sauce has pine nuts in it so, if you are allergic to nuts or tree nuts perhaps you shouldn’t eat this.)
Tortellini with Pesto Sauce.
Ingredients:
Tortellini – there are different kinds of Tortellini. The most common is stuffed with cheese.
Pesto Sauce in a Jar (Pesto Sauce has pine nuts in it so, if you are allergic to nuts or tree nuts perhaps you shouldn’t eat this.)
Salt
Boil the water for the pasta. Add a handful of salt to the water. This will prevent the Tortellini from sticking together. When the water boils, throw in the Tortellini and follow the cooking instruction on the package.
For Pesto Sauce just open the jar and add it to the pasta. It is not necessary to heat. The hot pasta will heat it.
Now to Ignazio’s Chicken Marsala! It’s easy to make!
The ingredients are:
Chicken Cutlets (not too thinly sliced)
Marsala Wine
Flour
Olive Oil
Salt
Just a pinch of Cinnamon
In a frying pan add olive oil, salt, Marsala Wine (be careful when you add the wine because it is alcohol, and it could flare up) and a pinch of cinnamon. Keep the flame low until the Marsala is in the pan. Then slowly raise the flame but not too high. Dredge the cutlets in the flour and shake them off so you don’t have an excess of flour. When the liquid in the pan starts to bubble, carefully add the cutlets to the pan (you’ll see in the video when Ignazio added the cutlets, the liquid splashed back). Judge for yourself when it is done. Chicken cooks quickly.
Quick, easy, wonderful dinner! Don’t forget the wine. You can drink red or white wine with Tortellini and Chicken Marsala. In Sicily they drink many wines some from the De Bartoli Winery in Marsala. (I don’t know if we are related even though I know some members of my family went to Marsala in 1800 – 1850). I know everyone knows Cantine Fina, Kika’s family winery. For me it’s always Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine. What can I say? My mother’s family is from Abruzzo!
With dinner there must be music! What could be better than Ignazio singing the very romantic “Quando l’amore diventa poesia?”
I know Ignazio would be happy if we tried this recipe which he made for the guys when they lived in LA.
Buon appetito!
For Ignazio, good food and family go together. The family’s Sunday dinners were an important part of their week. It was the one day every one could be together, go for a stroll and bring home some fresh pasta for dinner.
I hope you enjoyed Cooking with Ignazio! Before I end my story let me add one more song.
When asked if there was one song in the Morricone Tribute that Ignazio liked, he said, “I like them all but if I must choose it would be ‘Here’s to You’ because it is associated with a historical event!”
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
*To read Daniela’s story, “The Support of Il Volo” about the porticoes of Bologna being nominated for recognition by UNESCO. Go to: http://www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
**If you would like to read more about the Porticos of San Luca go to:
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. Perhaps that explains why Gianluca is a romantic. With him, everything is about passion! Like his passion for Abruzzo which he takes around the world. On tour he always speaks about Abruzzo. He loves his country and, he wants others to love it too! I agree with Gianluca, Abruzzo is an amazing place. My maternal grandparents were from Abruzzo!
Gianluca’s life began in the small town of Montepagano where he lived a simple life but, when he emerged, he began a journey that would take him around the world and through his amazing voice would leave his mark in every corner of that world.
Let’s listen to how Gianluca describes the town he grew up in:
To be precise, I grew up, in Montepagano, on a hill two hundred meters as the crow flies and ten minutes by road from the sea, and Roseto degli Abruzzi.
The accents are beautiful, the dialects are beautiful, but I can say that what I prefer is the Abruzzese? I am, very, proud to be from Abruzzo. I love everything about this region. And I like to bring Abruzzo around the world and keep it high.
I am right at the sea. I’m relaxing, I’m calm! There is a sea breeze and nothing else. It’s Thursday and I am practically alone on the beach. I’m fine, from God! I’m fine because I’m home.
When Gianluca goes home to Abruzzo, 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.
If you ask Gianluca about this paradise and how he spent his childhood there he will tell you, “My life as a child seems so far away. I remember, very, little of my childhood! It’s like twenty years have passed but, only five have passed. I’m not like Ignazio I was born and raised in Montepagano. I was traveling only with dreams. What made me dream? Music naturally.”
And, so, we come to perhaps Gianluca’s greatest passion, Music! Or let’s say our greatest passion about 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.” “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, I’ll gift it to you” was the teacher’s answer. “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.”
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.”
So, let’s turn to the Voice! Sinatra was known as the Voice. But I think Sinatra would be in awe of Gianluca. Love you Frank but Gianluca’s got this one!
Gianluca is known as the Velvet Voice!
I don’t who coined the phrase but, that is right on. Let’s use our senses to understand what that means. Take a piece of velvet and hold it in your hand. Now take your other hand and gently pass your hand across the velvet. What do you feel? You feel a smooth even surface that is crisp with no breaks in it. The sensation is so good that you automatically go back and do it again. And every time it’s the same. It’s pleasing!
Now take Gianluca’s voice, let the notes pass into your ears, what do you hear? A crisp, smooth, even voice with no breaks in it. The note barely passes into your ear and, you are going back for the next note. It’s always pleasing!
Gianluca is a lyrical baritone. He is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the baritone range. Most baritones are limited in range. Gianluca’s voice is huge. He has a very rich chest resonance which creates a feeling of depth and drama in his voice.
A baritone’s voice is very romantic, very pleasing to listen to and is always inviting. Most songs are written for baritones. Gianluca starts, almost, every song. Why? In order for a song to be received well you must draw your audience into it. Gianluca’s voice draws you in in a romantic way and you hang on to every note. He can mesmerize you with songs like “Mi Mancherai” where he reaches into the depth of his being and yours. His interpretation of “Surrender” is electrifying. But, when Gianluca sings, “She’s Always a Woman”, he takes your breath away. The highs, the lows, the emotion, the expression. His voice expands like nothing I ever heard before. He has total command of the song. You walk away with your senses lifted to another level.
So, let’s turn to how Gianluca got to where he is today! To do this I need to introduce you to the Zecchino d’oro .
Why the Zecchino d’oro or perhaps you’re saying what is the Zecchino d’oro?
I was first introduced to the Zecchino d’orolast November when an article came out saying the Zecchino d’oro will be postponed due to Covid 19. The presenters of the year would be Mara Venier and Carlo Conti.
When I read this article, I immediately thought of Gianluca. So, what is the Zecchino d’oro and what does it have to do with Gianluca?
The Zecchino d’oro is an Italian tradition. It is an event for kids, and it is dedicated to them and to all the adults who still feel like kids.
This show is presented every year between late November and the beginning of December.
In Italy there are magical days, when it starts to get cold, and children stay in their warm homes. It’s not Christmas, but the period that precedes it when the famous Zecchino d’oro TV show is broadcast. It has been broadcast every year, for decades. It was established in 1959 by Cino Tortorella who was the good presenter who introduced the children on stage, disguised as Mago Zurlì. He was so loved by all children.
The Zecchino d’oro is the festival of the little ones. In fact, if the Sanremo Festival is aimed at adult audiences and the songs are interpreted by adults, the Zecchino d’oro is made for children, with songs tailored for children.
The songs may seem like simple songs but, they are actually much more. Special attention is given to the songs’ texts. The themes are about tolerance and peace. And this is confirmed by the expression of the event: “In this contest, the winner is not the child who sings, but the song that is sung!”
Father Berardo Rossi, one of the founders, discovered by chance, a girl who used to teach the children of his parish and organize events. Mariele Ventre, who was 22 years old, had just graduated from the Verdi Conservatory in Milan and was on her way to a promising concert career. She said yes to Fr. Rossi’s proposal and the adventure began.
Mariele liked the name Zecchino because it refers to the gold coin in the field of miracles of Collodi’s Pinocchio and thus it was called Zecchino d’oro. She founded the Piccolo Coro two years later, an institution that she would direct passionately for thirty years, until the last day before she died on December 16, 1995. Upon her death the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano, was renamed Piccolo Coro for Mariele.
Zecchino d’oro, however, is not only music and entertainment, but it has also been carrying out voluntary initiatives by raising funds to build schools, hospitals, orphanages, with projects all over the world, to help the less fortunate live better lives.
In 2008, the Zecchino d’oro received an amazing recognition from UNESCO, becoming a world heritage for a culture of peace: the first TV show in the world to receive such a prestigious award.
This year the images were to be reassuring to Italy. The country had the strength to bet on good feelings and a strong idea of safeguarding children.
Though you may not know this show in America, we can relate to one of the characters, Topo Gigio, the puppet created by Maria Perego. Topo Gigio landed in America many years ago on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show. For those of you who are not old enough to remember Topo Gigio, let me say we waited every week for his appearance on the show. For us kids and the adults he became a household name. Seems hard to believe that this little mouse stole the hearts of the American people.
So where does Gianluca fit into all of this? If it wasn’t for the Piccolo Choir of Roses which was inspired by the Zecchino d’oro, Gianluca may not have been discovered.
Gianluca was a member of the Piccolo Choir of Roses which is one of the local branches of this choir. 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.
Of course, the greatest achievement for Gianluca and the guys was winning Sanremo! We know that it was Gianluca who convinced the guys to go to Sanremo! Or rather Gianluca convinced Piero who convinced Ignazio. And, in the end, Gianluca sums up Sanremo and the events that follow in this way!
The truth is that I was right from the beginning and, no one has ever listened to me, ever. I believed it so much that, if you notice, maybe I’m the one with the least surprised look when Carlo Conti announces the winner. Then, of those moments, one remembers little, there is great confusion, emotion. It was a dream to be able to shout, “Thank you, Italy!” from that stage. I looked at Sanremo as a child, when there was Pippo Baudo, and I was there and have won because people were on our side and it was a dream, I repeat even if I have already said. The emotion was only when my grandfather told me almost in tears: ‘Who would have told me that in my life I would see Modugno win at the Festival and then I see you win.’
On Sunday evening, when I returned to Montepagano, I found th whole village in a party, not just my grandfather: my countrymen were waiting for me from the morning to celebrate. There really was everyone, including the mayor. And then, the journalists, the local TV and a crowd of people who we could not count.
Another of the beautiful things that came after San Remo was the chance to meet the children of the Agbe, the Association of Parents of the Emopatic Children, of Pescara.
It is a reality born in 2000 from the idea of a group of parents, in fact, with children from the hemopaths treated at the Santo Spirito hospital in the city. The purpose of the association is to give support in every way to the children and families during and after the period of treatment. An initiative that, for those like me and very sensitive to the problems of health of children, and really beautiful.
The thing that honors me a lot and that, inspired by my story with Ti Lascio Una Canzone, they thought to have the children dedicate to singing, so they organize a Christmas show every year that keeps them very busy and also a lot of fun. But at Agbe they would never have thought we would meet.
Instead, after the Festival I went to see them, all young patients from 4 to 15 years, and I invited them to our concert of Il Volo Live 2015 in Chieti because I knew that Piero and Ignazio would have been happy to meet them. And, so, it was: they came, they had fun and we spent time together taking pictures and signing autographs.
But Gianluca is about emotions too! And many things that happened after Sanremo were emotional for Gianluca! Like Gianluca receiving a prize for bringing Abruzzo around the world. Let’s listen to Gianluca talk about the emotion of winning this prize.
When I talk about emotions that arrived after Sanremo, I cannot forget what it meant to receive a prize like Abruzzese that gives prestige to its region in the world.
Every year on August 5th is celebrated the Day of Abruzzesi in the world, a day set up with a regional law to remember all the emigrants. On that day five ambassadors of Abruzzo are appointed in the world, that is, Abruzzesi who have come out of the regional boundaries for different reasons and give prestige to their region.
For example, they awarded a university lecturer, a cardiologist, the founder of a cultural association, an entrepreneur and a successful executive. The ceremony, which has a different location every year, was held in the Fortress of Civitalla del Tronto, a village that is a jewel of the province of Teramo, right on the border with the Marches.
I, however, am still in Abruzzo and therefore I cannot be appointed ambassador according to regional regulations, I was awarded with a beautiful statuette that replicates the warrior Capestrano, for having brought the name of my land around the world.
I cannot tell you what a feeling it is to receive from the regional Presidency the cultural symbol of my region. The original of the warrior stands in the National Archaeological Museum, more than two meters tall, of limestone, with a large disk helmet that looks like a hat. You see it for sure. And it is one of the things I’m most proud of.
In short, Sanremo was just a dream that brought us many different emotions.
Gianluca has a heart of gold! It’s always about helping others whether through his generosity or his love of his country! That’s just how Gianluca is. He has his hand in everything and reaches it out to those who need it!
But it seems I digressed!
So now, let me go back and sum up Gianluca’s musical career! Although Gianluca never studied music he did develop a musical ear and instinct and as a member of the Piccolo Choir of Roses and his performances around Abruzzo, he was discovered by Licia Giunco who brought Gianluca to Rome to audition for Ti Lascio Una Canzone. The rest of the story is history!
And as a result of this, Gianluca Shares His Amazing Voice with people all over the world!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
And therefore, after the latest news, we are sure that in September we will often see Il Volo on TV, at least here in Italy, and this news give us a lot of anticipation.
We had already read the news that on September 9th there will be the Seat Music Awards and there will also be Il Volo, but now two other events have been added, here they are:
On 4 September, on Rai1, there will be La Notte della Taranta.
It is a popular Apulian festival where, during the evening, typical Apulian songs are played and folk dances such as PIZZICA are performed.
This event takes place outdoors in Melpignano, in Puglia, towards the end of August.
Do you remember? In August 2018 Il Volo was at the La Notte della Taranta event, but only as a spectator, but perhaps Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca were probing the event, for their future participation, in fact I propose you the video with the interview that I translated you in 2018.
Listen carefully to their words. Click on the logo below to view the video.
P = We were really curious to see this event, and to test the air, to be able, perhaps, to come next year, who knows.
G = Yes, absolutely beautiful to see this culture, which is not only famous in Italy, but all over the world. When you start dancing, this rhythm gets inside you, it’s good, we’re going to have fun tonight.
The journalist asks Ignazio = Do you already have an idea of how to adapt your voice to the rhythm of the Pizzica?
I = Actually no, but we can always work on it. It’s nice to see how this event is all about folk song and dance and how much tradition it brings everyone into such a big event, so why not join in too? Next year or two years from now, we could join in too. It would be a great pleasure.
Journalist= Is there an evening, especially in past years that you know, or have you seen this event?
P = We have to be honest, NO. But we have always heard about the NOTTE DELLA TARANTA and this year, being free from commitments these days, we have decided to come and spend a couple of days in this magnificent land that has recently been visited and loved by tourists from all over the world. And it is a pleasure for us to be here.
As Ignazio said, on how to adapt our musical genre to this rhythm, we are a bit unprepared, but our thought is that music has no barriers and we never say: “This cannot be done”. But we say, “Let’s try and then see what happens.”
Journalist = But will you come to this event, as a guest, or as a concert teacher?
P + I + G = (laughs) As guests, we don’t think like teachers.
G = We cannot promise our presence, next year, sure, we would love it, but in one year many things happen, this year we came, we can’t wait to have fun, and why not, next year could participate.
P = The power of music is this, to see thousands of people united to dance LA PIZZICA.
Journalist = You are used to a large audience.
P = It is never enough.
Journalist = Do you know a Salento song and can you sing it?
G = Do you see how you put us in trouble? You did it on purpose (everyone laughs, then Gianluca sings a typical Milanese song … .. ha ha ha … final laughter.)
I = Thank you very much everyone, see you next year.
So you understood well, already in 2018 Il Volo had attended the event, wishing that perhaps in 2019 or 2020 they could have participated, but Covid has had a hand in it and so now we are in 2021, but Il Volo will not be present as guests, but as co-hosts of the event, together with Al Bano, the well-known singer, therefore a new and important role and certainly we will also have the opportunity to see them exhibit.
Can’t wait to see them in this role!!
Usually this event gathers over 150 thousand people. Of course, and unfortunately, this year due to Covid, only 1000 people will be admitted.
The event will take place in Melpignano on August 28th but will be broadcast on RAI1 on September 4th.
To follow, on September 9, again on RAI1, there will be the Seat Music Awards, and than, the 19 September there will be a new program on Rai1, entitled “Da Grande” the presenter will be Alessandro Cattelan, among the guests: Il Volo.
Cattelan was interviewed by Sorrisi e Canzoni. Click on photo below to view the article.
I translate for you the parts that interest us most:
“The title of the program, Da Grande, (as an adult) is more appropriate than ever …
We chose it on purpose. And it is a common thread of the program. It is a pure show, in which we will deal with the theme of growth, we will ask ourselves what it means to be great in 2021. Each generation has its age. My father, at 41 years, had already finished his parable: he had a 16-year-old son, a business he had been doing for a very long time.
Now, things have changed. So, in addition to being a show in which you dance, sing, laugh, reflect on the concept of being great, you wonder what the tests you have to face in order to be defined as such.
We will have Il Volo, with which we will have fun singing, we will change our look, we will interpret some music from various decades.”
So I would say a very crackling beginning of September!!
In the meantime, the second mini video of the short questions to Il Volo has also been published.
IL VOLO PART.2
QUESTION = Favorite dish?
GIANLUCA = Pizza. absolutely.
PIERO = My favorite dish? Ossobuco with saffron rice 😁😁😁 (it is a specialty of northern Italy, especially Milan)
A minute and thirty seconds later ….
IGNAZIO = Madalocco ????? 😁 (it’s not clear, however something similar, never heard this dish)
PIERO = What dish is it?
QUESTION = Do you have a lucky charm that you take with you to the stage?
GIANLUCA = The two of them😘 (Piero and Ignazio)
PIERO = Him 😘 (referring to Gianluca)
IGNAZIO = No, you know, nothing, no.
QUESTION = The nicest?
PIERO = Me
IGNAZIO = Gianluca 😘
GIANLUCA= (ironic) Do you see what a nice face? (and points to his face)
QUESTION = The most reserved.
IGNAZIO = Gianluca. Piero. Gianluca.
QUESTION = The most boring.
PIERO = Gianluca
IGNAZIO = Gianluca
GIANLUCA = But why me??
PIERO = You talk about carbohydrates, proteins ….
IGNAZIO = You are the most boring.
GIANLUCA = In what sense?
IGNAZIO = Gym, carbohydrates, proteins …..
PIERO = Yes, carbohydrates, proteins ….
GIANLUCA = But that’s not true!! You two make me pass for one who only thinks about that!! 😑
So, an early autumn full of commitments for Il Volo and we will certainly not tire of seeing them.
One last update, do you remember the porticoes of Bologna, so dear to Il Volo, which had presented the candidacy to be named “Unesco heritage”?
The news has been confirmed, at the end of July the porticoes of Bologna received this recognition !!!
What can I say, all right and in a little less than two weeks there will be the first televised appointment.
The VIPs to support the candidacy of the porticoes of Bologna to Unesco heritage. Many, from Luca Carboni to Cesare Cremonini,from Gianni Morandito Cristina d’Avena (Italian singers) and Stefano Accorsi (Italian actor), should be contacted.
Not to mention that Il Volo, Nicola Rizzoli(referee) and Andrea Roncato (actor) have already given their availability. Il Volo explains why.
IL VOLO
Both live in the metropolitan area of Bologna, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto, two of the three members of the award-winning musical group Il Volo (the third is Gianluca Ginoble). The first lives in the center, the second in the province and he was also born there in Bologna, but there is no distance to their acute “amore” (Grande, of course) for the porticoes of Bologna. “Will they call us for events and initiatives to support the candidacy for UNESCO heritage? We will absolutely be there, we promise,” they assure in unison.
What significance do the porticoes have for you?
Ignazio Boschetto:“I have wonderful memories, the Sunday morning walks with the family, in the center under the porticoes. And then Lucio Dalla always mentions the porticoes in his songs, I think of ‘Le Rondini’. A great emotional value, as well as in Bologna I also lived in a small village, Molinella, where I remember under the porticoes there was a lady who made fresh pasta. Down there we bought tortellini. And then at night they are wonderful, if I could, I would always take long walks.”
Piero Barone: “The porticoes in Bologna save you. I love running and practically from via Indipendenza to San Luca, even in the rain, you can move around protected by the porticoes, in a great way. The porticoes represent the beauty of Bologna, a unique city that manages to make you feel at home. And that of the porticoes is like an embrace.”
What is your portico of the heart? Is it linked to any particular experience?
Piero: “The hilly part of the portico of San Luca. With my friends we go for a run on that wonderful stretch and when we are down we take a smoothie all together. Very beautiful. Then of course, there are also others, such as the porticoes of via Santo Stefano and those at the corner of via Righi and via Alessandrini: if you throw a high note there an incredible rumble comes out.”
What would you say to the UNESCO judges to promote the candidacy?
Ignazio:“The love of Parisians for the Eiffel Tower is personal, like the love of the Bolognese, I believe linked to the porticoes for that sense of protection. And they are unique.”
Piero:“Bologna is the only city in the world where there are 38 kilometers of porticoes. It is unique and they deserve to be protected.”
But what exactly are we talking about? The porticoes of Bologna are one of the symbols of the city. It is a long construction of about 42 km that from the city center leads to the sanctuary of S. Luca.
On January 21, 2020, the decision of the Governing Council of the Italian National Commission for Unesco was approved, together with the Minister of Cultural Heritage. However, we will have to wait another year to know the outcome of the candidacy.
Let’s not forget that the porticoes of Bologna were the background in the video of the beautiful WE ARE LOVE !!
We also recall that in 2017, Il Volo shot an advertising spot, right in Piazza S. Stefano, with the beautiful porticoes in the background.
Here are the photos of some moments of that commercial for Ferrero Rocher (Nutella).
And below is the video of “Golden Symphony: Una Navidad Dorada” which aired in Mexico in December 2017.
At the beginning of the video we see Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca strolling in front of the porticoes of Bologna.
The views of Bologna are really beautiful.
But, if you have time, also enjoy the whole event, with the beautiful songs of our boys.
Very well guys, this affection for the city that hosts you does you a lot of honor.
And it is nice that you have given your availability to support this UNESCO candidacy.
Bologna and all of Italy could not have better ambassadors than you: Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca !! ❤❤❤
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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