Arranged Marriage, Ring Shopping, and Expanding Solitude: Il Volo Celebrates 15 Years on Verissimo

In a lively, revealing interview on Canale 5’s Verissimo, host Silvia Toffanin sat down with Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble of Il Volo. Celebrating exactly 15 years together, the trio showed off the raw, unfiltered chemistry that has kept them at the top of the global classical-crossover scene since they were 14-year-old kids.

From clearing up public radio arguments to dropping major personal wedding bombshells, the boys held nothing back.

1. Setting the Record Straight: “The Flight Doesn’t Split”

Silvia immediately leaned into the media frenzy surrounding a highly publicized radio broadcast where Piero and Gianluca had a sharp, live disagreement about their musical identity. The Italian tabloids had run wild with rumors that a devastating breakup was imminent.

The boys laughed it off completely, looking directly into the camera to deliver a message to their fans: “The flight doesn’t split, forget it, give up.”

• An Arranged Marriage: Gianluca famously described the trio as an “arranged marriage” because they were put together as teenagers by television producers. “It started as an arranged marriage,” Gianluca smiled, “but in the end, we fell in love. We love each other. Point.”

• The Comfort of Friction: Ignazio explained that sharing your entire life with two other people is bound to cause friction, but that’s what makes them real. “We have learned to live together, to understand each other, and to clash. If there were cameras inside all Italians’ homes, imagine how many people argue without them! There is such confidence between us that we can allow ourselves to say everything.”

• The Sleepy Third Party: As for the infamous radio fight? Ignazio casually shrugged: “I had fallen asleep anyway. I’m a latecomer.”

2. Ignazio’s Secret Ring Shopping Trip with Piero

The biggest revelation of the afternoon came when Ignazio confirmed that he is officially getting married to his partner, Michelle.

While the couple is planning a deeply intimate, private ceremony, the journey to the proposal required some intense teamwork behind the scenes. Because Gianluca lives in Abruzzo while Piero and Ignazio both live in Bologna, Ignazio called up Piero for a top-secret mission.

[The Proposal Protocol]
  ├── The Mission: Buying the perfect engagement ring without alert media or family.
  ├── The Wingman: Piero Barone was recruited to sneak into a private backroom of a jewelry shop.
  └── The Anxiety: Piero admitted he was vastly more stressed than the groom during the process, having to stand in to help visualize how the ring would look.

“I accompanied him to buy the ring,” Piero laughed. “Nobody knew, I didn’t even tell my brother! I was more anxious than him, I swear. I had to give advice on a ring… it’s hard work!”

Ignazio explained his decision beautifully: “Fortunately, life has led us to have both emotional and economic stability. I have always been the most dreamy one about creating a family. When you meet a person who has the same wishes as you, there is no more beautiful step than saying: ok, let’s grow together.”

3. Gianluca on “Expanded Solitude” and Giving Up the Myth of “Forever”

When Silvia turned the spotlight on Gianluca’s love life, he offered a deeply philosophical reflection on how his perspective on relationships has matured.

Reflecting on a past Verissimo interview where he recklessly claimed “nothing will change in two years,” Gianluca admitted that he now embraces the fluidity of life.

“Today, with a little less recklessness, I can tell you that things have changed,” Gianluca shared. “I have always been someone who sought out solitude because I feel good alone. But in life you change, and then you feel like sharing your loneliness with someone special—so it becomes an ‘expanded solitude.’ I am in love right now, and it’s giving me a lot of serenity. But it’s important to understand that ‘forever’ does not exist; there is only today and tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, when Silvia pressed Piero on whether there was any room for love in his life outside of his intense running schedule, Ignazio joked: “That’s why he runs—so he can escape it!” Piero deflected with a laugh: “That day when they explained love at school, I was absent. If it arrives, it will arrive on its own.”

4. Climbing the Mountain: Ad Astra and a Grueling World Tour

The group is riding high on the release of their album Ad Astra (inspired by the Latin phrase Per aspera ad astra—through hardships to the stars). The album represents a major milestone for Il Volo, marking their very first record comprised entirely of original, unreleased songs rather than traditional operatic covers.

To support the album, the boys detailed a massive, “five-marathon” itinerary that will keep them on the road constantly:

Before jetting off, the trio closed the interview with a heartfelt thank you to their global fanbase. “If I had to really describe the term loyalty,” Piero stated, “I would associate it completely with our audience, who has allowed us to celebrate 15 incredible years.”