On June 23, the concert event VITA was broadcast on Rai 1 and aired in Eurovision. The concert took place in Rome at the Circus Maximus, where Il Volo was present among many guests.
The event initiative was born with the aim of raising public awareness on health, prevention, and well-being, in view of World Day Against Drugs and Addictions.
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio were also interviewed backstage about the topic.
PIERO = It’s an evening dedicated to addictions. It’s clear that we can experience a more or less vulnerable period in life, and we young people are perhaps more vulnerable in this regard.
We (Il Volo) try to send a message with music, perhaps the most powerful medium we have, and so we try to do it in the most serious and responsible way possible.
IGNAZIO = I totally agree.
WOMEN = Tonight you’ll be performing Grande Amore on stage, which has become a hit not only in Italy but also internationally. It came out a few years ago, but did you expect it to go this far, to the point of being sung not only around the world but also here 10 years later?
GIANLUCA = Yes, it was February 2015 when we won Sanremo with Grande Amore, and it was kind of the return of operatic pop to Italy. The only one before us had been Bocelli, who had brought “Con te partirò (Time to say goodbye)”. So, it’s a great honor for us to be able to continue bringing this music to new generations, to people our age, and also to those who have always loved this music.
WOMEN = By the way, I always remember that Grande Amore won the Eurovision Song Contest that year by televoting!!
Here is their performance: to the tune of NELLE TUE MANI, the first song by Il Volo.
Oh my, I’m getting chills, what power, what a performance, and what magnificent views of Rome by night.
Congratulations, guys, you’re in great shape, your voices are unique and special!! ❤️❤️❤️
I translated their words at the end of the song:
NEK= Il Volo
WOMAN= Extraordinary, extraordinary!!
GIANLUCA= A round of applause for Maestro De Amicis (they know him from Ti Lascio una Canzone) and the orchestra, these great musicians.
PIERO= Thank you, thank you.
IGNAZIO= Hello everyone.
NEK= (to Il Volo) Welcome.
WOMAN= We’ve seen some fantastic images of Rome, and my compliments to you all.
NEK= Excuse me, I’ll do some cleaning (he takes away the microphone stands). Thanks to Il Volo. You didn’t see, but we were backstage listening to the song, and our director Guttuso gave us some images of Rome, so we got goosebumps.
IGNAZIO= The most beautiful city in the world.
NEK= Yes, the most beautiful city in the world. Thank you for being here!!
GIANLUCA= It’s a pleasure.
IGNAZIO= And then I lost the battle tonight because I wanted to dress up as a gladiator but I couldn’t. 😁😂
NEK= Would you really have done that?
IGNAZIO= Absolutely!
NEK= Look me in the eyes.
IGNAZIO= I swear.
WOMAN= Who knows on a future occasion… anyway, while I was watching you, I was thinking about how far you have come in all these years and, connecting it to the theme of this evening, they (Piero Ignazio and Gianluca) are very young, the theme of longevity is always thought to be associated with advanced age, instead, as science says “It’s never too early”, so you have to take care of yourself from a young age, and so, Piero, how do you take care of yourself?
PIERO= With the piggy bank…..
NEK= Be honest.
PIERO= …..longevity is a piggy bank, you have to start young….
WOMAN= Good job
PIERO= I take care of myself with running, I really like running.
NEK= Oh, see?
PIERO= I started by doing 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, and then marathons.
NEK= Now you’ve become a marathon runner.
PIERO= Yes, I really like it, it makes me feel good.
IGNAZIO=……and who’s going to take it anymore!!
GIANLUCA= He’s our Forrest Gump.
PIERO= You know what, it’s also a way to meditate, so discovering it through exercise and proper nutrition, which I think is the foundation…
IGNAZIO= I can give you advice on nutrition, with a marriage and a child, I’ve gained 30 kg. 😁😁 So I’ll take care of the food.
NEK= You know what it’s called: marriage and a rock and roll baby.
Listen, Gianluca, but for all those who say, “Oh well, I’ll think about it later,” we’re talking about twenty-five-year-olds, thirty-year-olds, forty-year-olds. How can we instill this awareness?
GIANLUCA= Obviously, it’s important to try to live a long life, but even more important is to try to live a broad life, that is, full of meaning, and that means…
NEK= …giving life a sense…
GIANLUCA= Exactly, having a full life, surrounded by love, being in touch with nature, being in touch with ourselves, and then mental health is important. Stress has a huge impact, and we are perhaps the generation that has broken down these barriers. Gen Z, the millennials, we are leaders in this. We are learning to know ourselves better and, why not, influence the older generations as well.
NEK= And this is very important.
WOMAN= And this is also the message for this evening, because even artists who can help scientists disseminate advice, you who are famous all over the world, feel this responsibility?
IGNAZIO = Each of us has a responsibility, we must be an example for everyone, not just artists who have an audience. Each of us has friends, family, and we must set an example for everyone.
Personally… I want to share an experience of mine, especially with younger people. Sometimes we look for an excuse to change our lives or to try to take care of ourselves. I’ve experienced it firsthand, starting to take care of myself when, unfortunately, I lost my father too soon. So, let’s not wait for the right moment to realize that we need to take care of ourselves; let’s start doing it now, right away.
WOMAN = Thanks, Ignazio.
NEK = Thanks to Il Volo, we’ll see you later.
IGNAZIO = See you later.
GIANLUCA = See you later.
PIERO = Bye.
(Immediately afterward, the second guest song: Grande Amore)
WOMAN = It’s an act of love, a great love, I’d say, and who could sing this Grande Amore to us? Il Volo!! (The song begins)
And here’s a review of Il Volo’s performance published by LIBERO.IT.
Il Volo isn’t joking around, and thankfully so. Rating: 8. If there’s still someone who dismisses everything with the word “boredom,” perhaps it’s time for them to refresh their understanding of live music. Ignazio, Gianluca, and Piero rocked the Circus Maximus with the tune “In Your Hands.” Not just a performance, but a demonstration of strength: vocal, artistic, and scenic. Every time they take the stage, they remind us of something we too often forget in Italy: they are an absolute excellence. Three young men who bring Italian music to the world with a credibility that many can only dream of. More than the national team that failed to win the World Cup, more than postcard stereotypes, more than pizza and the mandolin. Yet we continue to take them for granted. A mistake. Indeed, almost an outrage.
Several interviews from Il Volo have been published in recent days, with Ignazio, Gianluca, and Piero reuniting and giving interviews.
This particular one was published by IL MATTINO on June 17th in Naples.
Interview with Il Volo: “Success? It’s judged by the concerts, not the numbers on the platforms.”
Il Volo is coming to Naples and launching the September 8th concert at the Royal Palace of Caserta: “The setting deserves a special tribute. In addition to -O sole mio-, we could do another Neapolitan classic, perhaps -Marechiaro-, a real tongue twister.”
Globetrotters from the front of the stage, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble are taking a day off in Naples—but a day off is a bit of a stretch, as they’re taking advantage of the opportunity to meet the press and launch their September 8th concert in front of the Royal Palace of Caserta.
“It will be the last stop on our summer tour; we’ll tour Italy, Spain, and Greece,” anticipates Gianluca Ginoble, the trio’s baritone and sex symbol. “The setting is one of those that gives our work the most meaning, allowing us to highlight the continuity that exists in Italy between music, culture, art, and great beauty.” “For that occasion, we’ll have to come up with something,” reflects Piero Barone, the trio’s most lyrical tenor. “Our repertoire already includes ‘O sole mio,’ which we perform all over the world, but we could add another Neapolitan classic, perhaps ‘Marechiare,’ a real tongue twister. But so far, I’ve done it alone a few times; we should all prepare it.” Ignazio Boschetto, the other tenor, with a voice both light and powerful, is ready for the challenge: “It’s true, if you lose the rhythm in the pronunciation of the words, you never find it again. It also happens in ‘Il tempo delle cattedrali,’ one of the key pieces from ‘Notre Dame de Paris.’”
Speaking of signature tunes, you just recorded “Cuerpo sin alma” with Carlos Rivera.
Barone: “We’ve had a good relationship with him, a Mexican Latin music star, for a while now, and we wanted to do something together. We were looking for the most suitable song, but he told us about this Riccardo Cocciante song that his father used to listen to. When he told us the title, we didn’t immediately understand that…”
Was it the translation of “Bella senz’anima”?
Barone: “Exactly. And it seemed perfect, especially since Riccardo had come to us as a guest during the “Tutti per uno” television concerts on Canale 5 and had proposed it himself. It seemed like a sign of destiny.”
While we’re at it, shall we talk about the 2026 edition of “Tutti per uno”?
Boschetto: “We’re working on it; the event is September 24th to 26th in Mantua, Palazzo Te. We’re finalizing the cast.”
So, let’s get back to the Caserta concert. Aside from the tribute to cantaNapoli, what repertoire will you be performing?
Barone: “It will be divided into three acts.” Boschetto: “Like a massive opera.” Ginoble: “We want to tell the story of who we are, who we were, who we are becoming.”
Let me explain a little better.
Ginoble: “We started as youngsters, with a magnificent management team. We’ve done great things, and also made mistakes, which are the most important lessons, because you learn not to make them again. We’re growing, we want to choose the direction we want to take, proud of the songs we have in our lineup, of the projects dedicated to Morricone or the Three Tenors, but also with the desire to contribute to building our future.” Barone: “The three movements will bring together our most classical and lyrical songbook, the more pop-oriented one, and the one inspired by the experience of “Tutti per uno.” There’s room for trios, for duets, for solo performances…”
You’ll be back on tour in the States starting in November. You can’t live on platforms alone, after all.
Barone: “No, I actually think that today, true success should be judged by concerts rather than by streaming. Young people have more time than adults to listen, experience music at any time of day, post it, repost it, comment on it… Our audience, however, chooses to come hear us every night, drives, buys tickets… And we’re still here, 17 years later.” Ginoble: “I respect artists like La Niña and Andrea Laszlo De Simone; they prove that pursuing your artistic career doesn’t necessarily mean selling your soul to the devil.” Barone: “Then there are compromises: with the market, with managers, with the public, with record companies. But the important thing is to be faithful to your dreams.”
You were talking about mistakes along the way. Can you name at least one?
“In 2019, we came in third at Sanremo with “Musica che resta,” behind Mahmood and Ultimo. But we don’t perform that song live, we’ve never done it; it was impossible to repeat the success of 2015 with “Grande amore.” While “Capolavoro,” which even at the 2024 Festival, an edition featuring all the talents (Mahmood, Geolier, Mannoia, Annalisa, Angelina Mango), placed eighth, has become our other personal classic.
The interview included two videos, which are combined into this one, which I’m sharing and translating.
I want to emphasize that the interview was conducted by Federico Vacalepre, the man who harshly denigrated Il Volo with harsh and vulgar language in the press room at the 2019 Sanremo Festival. 🤬🤬
GIANLUCA= The Royal Palace of Caserta will close the Italian summer tour, which begins in early July. The first time we sang at the Royal Palace of Caserta was with Placido Domingo, if I’m not mistaken. Yes, we then had the opportunity to perform a concert in 2024 after the Sanremo Festival with Capolavoro, and obviously it’s a setting that helps; our music can become a soundtrack for these prestigious venues, so we’re very happy to bring our music to the Royal Palace of Caserta again.
PIERO= This year we somehow decided to divide the concert into three acts to showcase Il Volo’s identity, what Il Volo is today, from Grande Amore to O Sole Mio, a song that cannot be missing from the Caserta setlist of the Italian tour, and what Il Volo will be in the near future.
GIANLUCA= There will also be a part dedicated to TUTTI PER UNO where we will sing individually and there will also be duets so we will alternate, not just the three of us all the time, so it will also be interesting to see this new part live.
IGNAZIO= For us, Neapolitan song has become a very important part of our show, especially for the whole world, and we still have to decide which song to sing…
PIERO = Can I challenge the guys? Since last year at TUTTI PER UNO I sang “Marechiare,” which is a very difficult tongue twister, we’ll try to sing it in Caserta.
Then Il Volo was interviewed by Radio Kiss Kiss on the program “Fuori tutto”—a fun interview!!
Turn on the subtitles!
I can say that after a well-deserved break, a truly great live return for Il Volo. Piero, Gianluca, and Ignazio sounded at their best, their voices magnificent and rested.
The interviews were also great; in short, I’m completely satisfied, but I’d also like to hear your comments.
Daniela🤗
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
