Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany Made My Italian Dream Come True

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Seeing Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany was a dream of mine. My love affair with Italy spans decades, during which she weaved her magic into my heart one lyrical note at a time. During my career with British Airways, I explored this country extensively, which, like the perfect combination of lover and best friend, soothed and invigorated me.

Tuscany is a stunning region in central Italy known for its landscape, history, artistic legacy, and wines! It’s also the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and where the foundations of the Italian language began. I often visited with my job 25 years ago, a glorious unspoiled time of travel when I glimpsed it before the whole world found it.  

The Tuscan countryside with a colorful sunset over vineyards
The Tuscan countryside is dotted with hills, vineyards, and small villages and towns

Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, Italy

When I stand on Italian soil, it’s a sensual experience; there is a connection to it that I feel inside on a deep soul level. It calls me back time and time again to romance me, thrill me, and fill me with a feeling of being alive.  

Of all the languages spoken in the world, Italian is my favorite; I love how they ‘talk with their hands,’ communicating their point with gusto and passion. Adding to this sensory mix the fierce love for family and community, local food, stunning landscapes, history, and culture it is a splendid Italian combination that is hard to beat. 

Andrea Bocelli, one of Italy’s famous opera singers, was my solace during the pandemic. I turned instinctively to his music both to keep my spirits high and also to keep my connection to my heart and soul home of Italy. 

Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany
Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany – the incredible singer performing at home

Things to know about traveling to Italy

Fortunately, masks have now been dropped outside in public places, and the relief of finally being at the concert free of them felt liberating. The only place we had reluctantly masked up on our whole trip to Italy had been on public transportation.  

Italy’s public transportation is amazing! An efficient train network spans the length and breadth of Italy. There is also an excellent local bus service, enabling visitors to get around from train stations and from town to town.

It is, however, easier to have a car, especially in Tuscany. Though there is bus service, it is not easy to get from one small town to another without a vehicle. If you choose to stay at local farmhouses or villas with pools located outside the towns, a car is a must. 

My mum and I landed in Rome a week prior on flights within hours of each other. I was arriving from Dubai, and my mum from the UK. After such a lengthy separation due to the pandemic, it was a glorious reunion!

Walking through the airport and train station, the intense heat and humidity shocked us. However, more shocking than the heat was the absence of seating. My mum is 82 years old, and I was forced to leave her guarding our luggage while I got our train tickets.

Tips for Train Travel In Italy

It is possible to buy train tickets online, but English is spoken at the ticket booths, making it is easy to purchase tickets upon arrival. Getting down to Tuscany from Rome is relatively straightforward, with regular trains from Rome to Florence or Pisa.

The stations can be hot and crowded. It is also hard for the stations to cope with the amount of luggage people bring. Add in the carriages, children, dogs, and the heat, it can be an unpleasant situation. If you don’t have to travel during peak season, I would recommend traveling another time. I would avoid the peak season at all costs. 

Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany: Lajatico  

Lajatico is a charming Tuscan village. Perched on a hilltop amidst the cultivated hills of Pisa and Volterra is Lajatico. The town is home to just over 1,400 residents; except when Bocelli comes home. When Andrea Bocelli comes home to play in his hometown of Lajatico, the number of people swells to 10,000; with Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, everybody wants to be in Tuscany.

Lajatico in Tuscany with a stone structure sitting on hillside with a road leading to the Tuscan village
The town of Lajatico is home to Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, and is known for delicious cuisine and wine

My mum and I arrived by coach from the nearby town of San Gimignano. We arrived two hours early to avoid the crowds searching for parking in the fields. Trying to squeeze the coach through the narrow village looked eerily similar to threading a camel through a needle – nearly impossible!

Mum and I were petrified as the walls on either side of the vehicle were mere inches from the windows. The driver barely squeezed through. We sat glued to the seats as the local townspeople guided the driver inch-by-excruciating-inch through the narrow streets. Once the bus was parked, we all breathed sighs of relief.

Walking around the picturesque streets, we saw photos and posters of Andrea Bocelli everywhere. Bocelli’s fans are devoted to the internationally-acclaimed tenor. The square quickly became crowded with throngs of people sipping champagne from several pop-up bars scattered throughout the square. 

The Bocelli family’s influence can be seen everywhere in Lajatico. The “Officine Bocelli” restaurant is on the square but make your reservations early, as there were lines of people winding through the square.

Where to Stay In / Near Lajatico

Staying in Lajatico is virtually impossible when Andrea Bocelli is performing. You must book at least a year or more in advance. 

There are plenty of options in the surrounding hillsides. Air BnB and booking.com are good places to start.

Where To Eat In and Around Lajatico

There are a few special eating places directly in Lajatico and the surrounding countryside, again accessible by car.  

Ristoro De Nello is a top-notch, casual type restaurant, and one of our top choices.

Officine Bocelli Food Court serves Italian, Mediterranean, Tuscan, and Central Italian cuisine. They also serve vegetarian-friendly, vegan, and gluten-free options.

La Vallata is a farm-to-table Tuscan restaurant that sources food from its own farm.

Chianni Bistro is an excellent choice for those looking for a dining experience featuring locally sourced food.

The Bocelli Family & Wine

It is here, nestled in the hills between Lajatico and Volterra, for nearly three centuries that the Bocelli family have crafted Italian wines from their family estate. 

The Bocellis were sharecroppers on a farm between Lajatico and Volterra belonging to the Corsini family. In 1831, Gaspero Bocelli followed his dream of becoming a landowner with the purchase of Poggioncino Estate. 

Today visiting the Bocelli’s historic estate, you’ll be mesmerized by the incredible view spread out in front of you. The family’s vineyards are sit on top of a ridge between two rivers in Lajatico. Walking a short distance to town, you won’t want to miss Officine Bocelli, the wine bar that doubles as an art museum.

Golden sunset over vineyards in Wachau valley(Unesco world heritage site) Lower Austria, Austria

Today the small family vineyard and winery has evolved, thanks to Andrea and Alberto Bocelli. Their world-class winery melds the family’s history with the present and is crafting some of the area’s best wines. Tours of the vineyard are available. 

Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, Italy’s Opera Singer Extraordinaire

“If God had a singing voice, he would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli” – Celine Dion

Andrea Bocelli was the singer I listened to while walking barefoot on the beach on that eventful day in February 2020 while I waited nervously for news of mum’s whereabouts. “I’m not ready for the world to change,” I thought as tears streamed down my face as I sat at the kitchen table.  

“Perfect Symphony,” one of my favorite Andrea Bocelli songs, played at top volume in the background. As I listened to Bocelli, my emotions were all over the map. The disbelief of the news of COVID closing the borders of so many countries was hard to fathom. My mum was stranded, caught in the middle of pandemic pandemonium while traveling to see me for her 80th birthday.

It was the music of Andrea Bocelli that continued to soothe my troubled soul and stir me to action to write my first book. I held fast for two years, to the thread of hope of seeing Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, in concert in his home of Lajatica, together with my mum.

Poster announcing Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany at Teatro Del Silenzio Ampitheatre and the Teatro Del Silenzio in background in Tuscany, Italy
Teatro Del Silenzio Ampitheatre with poster announcing Bocelli’s concert

Andrea Bocelli And Music

Andrea Bocelli is a world-renowned Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He is classical music’s biggest-selling living artist. At 12, he became completely blind following a brain hemorrhage resulting from a football accident. 

He is multi-talented and often sings with other superb musicians so it’s impossible to say he has one song he is famous for. But he admits to having his own favorites that he likes to sing.  

My Way is a perfect song from all points of view, whose melody remains impressed in your soul. And also ‘Time to Say Goodbye and ‘Con te Partiro.’ “I, for one, am never tired of singing it.” 

Teatro Del Silenzio Ampitheatre

The amphitheater is located in Lajatico and is the brainchild of Andrea Bocelli. He loves the area’s hills, and wanted to create a space where nature, art, and music collide in an eternal way. 

The amphitheater is a magnificent setting for Bocelli’s show. Set apart in the hills of the countryside, it is nature that is the backdrop. Once a year, the surrounding hills come alive with the sound of his divine music. 

Using the theme of silence as his inspiration, Bocelli designed the theatre to take advantage of the natural accoustics from the hillsides. This allows his ethereal music to reverberate throughout the entire arena.

I learned why they told us to wear flat, comfortable shoes as we walked behind the crowds of people making their way down the path together. We didn’t have any idea what would greet us until we found ourselves standing at the tip of the breathtaking view. 

Suggestive, surreal, almost mystical, the open-air venue, Teatro Del Silenzio rose from the ground below, a solid circular arrangement of tall stones amidst the pale yellow sun-parched landscape of the Tuscany countryside. 

Just once a year it comes alive for an incredible music event, the concert of local tenor Andrea Bocelli. Finally, sitting there as the light dipped down around us bathing the rain-starved hills with gold was priceless. 

The evening was hot and humid. Most of the men were in shorts and smart casual shirts. Mum and I were glad we had chosen to wear loose summer dresses.  

All around the huge stage, the same video was showing over and over, sharing insights about the Andrea Bocelli foundation.

The Andrea Bocelli Foundation

The Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s mission is to empower people and communities suffering from disease, poverty, and social exclusion.

“Our faith in love and justice calls upon us to build a better world than the one we have found. It calls upon us to give back to the world all the good things that we have received, so that the less fortunate or the most vulnerable members of our society will have a chance to achieve a life full of opportunities and beauty, so that those who are worthy will find real opportunities and the energy required to thrive in their lives.” 

~ Andrea Bocelli

Listening to Andrea Bocelli inTuscany was a magical setting just deepened my love for this exotic country. Italy is a passionate woman, loud, crazy, and alive! 

My love affair with Italy, and especially Tuscany, continues. And my fascination with Bocelli continues as well. I listen to his glorious tenor filling the empty spaces in my soul and soothing me.

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4 Comments

  1. Marie

    This article was such a joy to read. I’m in love with Italy and to see it through the eyes of someone who loves it as much as I do was wonderful.

    I love Andrea Boccelli and his music and the information provided will help me when I go back.

    Reply
  2. Linda Sheppard

    I loved reading this article!!
    I only been to Rome and Florence but reading this made me even more excited that I am going back this year!
    Well done , Nikki Cornfield!!

    Reply
  3. Pert

    Almost a year ago I bought tickets to the Boceeli concert in Philadelphia for my husband and me. Unfortunilty he became ill and be the concert was rescheduled he passed away, but the week before he passed iwould put my phone by his ear and play Andrea Bocelli music and hold his hand. In January my daughter and I held hands and did a lot of crying but loved the concert. all throught the show they advertised the 30th anniversity concert. I would love to go to Tuscany and see tihs concert . Can someone help me get tickets.

    Reply

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