The Twin Anthems Ignite Milan: Il Volo Commands Radio Italia Live 2018

On a balmy evening in June 2018, Milan’s iconic Piazza Duomo was transformed into a sea of thousands of singing voices. Taking the stage for the massive, free-to-the-public televised festival Radio Italia Live – Il Concerto, Il Volo delivered back-to-back performances of their two biggest modern masterpieces: “L’amore si muove” and “Grande Amore.”

Backed by a colossal live orchestra and performing to a home crowd in one of Italy’s most prestigious open-air squares, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble provided one of the absolute highlights of the entire festival.

Part 1: “L’amore si muove” (Love Moves)

The trio kicked off their set with the soaring title track of their 2015 hit album. “L’amore si muove” is a song built on building momentum, perfectly capturing how love sweeps unexpectedly into a person’s life like a “gentle wind” (“un vento gentile”).

[The Progression of "L'amore si muove"]
  ├── The Intimacy: Gianluca opens the track with a warm, steady chest voice under the Milan twilight.
  ├── The Expansion: Ignazio elevates the second verse, lifting the emotional stakes with smooth pop-classical transitions.
  ├── The Explosion: Piero takes the lead on the final choruses, utilizing his dramatic operatic tenor to push the melody into the open square.

As the orchestration swelled in front of the illuminated Duomo cathedral, the crowd immediately recognized the melody, waving their arms in unison. The performance was a masterclass in modern bel canto pop, proving how effortlessly the group could make an operatic arrangement feel like a modern stadium anthem.

Part 2: “Grande Amore” (Great Love)

If “L’amore si muove” warmed up the audience, it was the opening chords of “Grande Amore” that caused the entire Piazza Duomo to erupt. The historic track, which won the Sanremo Music Festival in 2015 and claimed the global televote victory at Eurovision that same year, remains the ultimate signature song for the trio.

The energy in Milan shifted instantly into top gear:

Unfiltered Passion: From the very first line, the crowd sang along so loudly that they occasionally threatened to drown out the massive stage monitors.
The Power Trio Structure: Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca traded the iconic, rapid-fire verses (“Dimmi perché quando penso, penso solo a te…”) with intense eye contact and the deep, synchronized rhythm of brothers who have performed the track hundreds of times on the world stage.
The Unforgettable Crescendo: The final, dramatic high notes struck by the group at the song’s climax hung beautifully in the open Milan night air, met with a deafening roar from tens of thousands of proud Italian fans.

A Home Turf Triumph

The Radio Italia Live 2018 performance remains a defining moment in the group’s mid-career history. While they spend most of their year touring continents away from home, stepping onto the stage in Milan served as a powerful reminder of their roots. Bringing their set to a close, a breathless Piero smiled wide out at the sea of faces, shouting a heartfelt “Grazie, Milano!” over the thunderous standing ovation.