Operatic pop trio IL VOLO (whose name means “The Flight” in English) is truly unlike any other group making music today. The Italian group made up of Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto first met as teenagers on singing competition Ti lascio una canzone in 2009, stunning audiences and eventually joining forces to become the ensemble we know today as IL VOLO.
After representing Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, they’ve gone on to become internationally beloved superstars with a uniquely classic and operatic approach to pop music that transcends genre and has attracted fans of all ages and nationalities. They’re probably best known for their Eurovision hit, “Grande amore,” and their iconic versions of iconic songs “Il Mondo” and “‘O Sole Mio,” with rich, soaring vocals and impeccable harmonies that instantly captivate their listeners.
And now is a particularly exciting time for U.S. fans., as on April 15, IL VOLO kicks off a tour across North America, hitting 10 cities, starting in Denver Colorado, before concluding in Rosemont, Illinois on May 2. Ahead of the big tour, we got the chance to chat with the guys to learn more about their stories. Discover everything they shared with us as our Man Crush Mondays below.
Gianluca
Name: Gianluca Ginoble
Hometown: Abuzzo, Italy
Birthday: February 11
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Piero
Name: Piero Barone
Hometown: Naro, Sicily, Italy
Birthday: August 30
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Ignazio
Name: Ignazio Boschetto
Hometown: Marsaka, Sicily, Italy
Birthday: October 1
Zodiac sign: Libra
1. When Gianluca starts feeling discouraged, he likes to sing to pick himself back up.
2. Piero’s not a big TV-watcher.
Piero Barone: I like movies, especially movies based on true stories. One that I recently watched again is The Grand Budapest Hotel.
3. Ignazio has seen The Truman Show more times than any other movie.
4. Gianluca favorite thing about himself is his sensitivity.
5. Piero’s favorite desserts are tiramisu and dark chocolate.
6. Ignazio says his biggest character quirk is his impulsivity.
Ignazio Boschetto: I’m sometimes impulsive, for better or for worse.
7. Gianluca says his weirdest habit is meditation.
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8. After a tough day, Piero likes to unwind by stretching while listening to classical music.
9. Ignazio says the spontaneity of comedy makes him laugh more than anything else.
10. Gianluca’s all-time favorite film is Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
11. If Piero could only shop for clothes at one place, he’d have to pick a sporting goods store.
12. Ignazio says the scariest thing he’s ever done was getting home safely on a particularly dark and foggy night.
Ignazio: Where I live in Italy, in winter there’s often a lot of fog, and one night I drove home in the fog with totally zero visibility and it was really scary!
13. Gianluca says his dream vacation is “a spiritual journey to India.”
14. Piero has a hard time putting down his phone to stop checking his emails.
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15. In school, Ignazio really liked history and was terrible at French.
16. According to Gianluca, “learning to know myself” has been a core part of his human journey so far.
17. One thing that’s core to Piero is his strong sense of discipline.
18. With Ignazio, what you see is what you get.
Ignazio: I’m a very transparent person (no filters).