Cellino San Marco: Al Bano's Dream
Al Bano, stage name of Albano Carrisi (Cellino San Marco, May 20, 1943), is a much beloved singer, song-writer, actor, musical enterpreneur, and many other things... On 16 October 2001, Al Bano was named "Goodwill Ambassador" of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). On February 14, 2013 he participated as a guest at the third night of the Sanremo Festival and received a "Premio alla Carriera" (lifetime achievement award).
The video is a creation of the Italian Tourism Department YouTube channel. In case it does not appear properly, see it on YouTube directly.
Albano Carrisi's Biography
Al Bano was born in a family of farmers, and since he was a child he played the guitar and sang folk songs with his father Carmelo; at 17 he emigrated to Milan, where he found work first as a construction labourer, then as a waiter in a restaurant, "Il Dollaro", where he was noticed by musical producer Pino Massara, who for his voice, typical of the Italian melodic tradition and at the same time reminding blues, decided to modify his name as "Al Bano". In 1967 he got his first big hit with "Nel Sole" (Massara - Carrisi - Pallavicini), which reached the top charts of 45rpm records, selling over a million and a half copies.
His voice, with a huge extension, was appreciated by the public and the press who praised him as a "second Claudio Villa". "Nel Sole" became a movie, where he starred along with Romina Power (born October 2, 1951 of Tyrone Power and Linda Christian); the two fell in love and, despite the opposition of their families, married in 1970.
27 years' successes in artistic collaboration with Romina, four children, the tragedy of the eldest daughter Ylenia (born in 1970) who disappeared mysteriously in New Orleans in 1994, the last performance together in 1998 in Rio De Janeiro at the Maracana Stadium, before Pope John Paul II.
He settled in Cellino, where he started a thriving production of Apulian wines. A new partner, two more children, a large family, which includes the whole town and surroundings, love for his roots and his people. In October 2013, for the first time after 15 years, he sang with Romina Power during three concerts organized at the Crocus Hall in Moscow, Russia.
0:10
Molti anni fa abbiamo deciso di costruire qui la nostra casa, il nostro habitat, per far crescere i nostri figli a contatto con la natura. Ho fatto innalzare muri che ricordano quelli delle masserie fortificate tipiche di questa zona.
Many years ago we decided to build our home here, our habitat, where to raise our children in touch with nature. I built walls that resemble those of fortified farms typical of this area.
0:20
Nel mio tempo libero ho lavorato senza risparmi e insieme agli operai, e mi piaceva soprattutto, stare insieme a loro. È stato bello vedere come dal niente è nato qualcosa d'importante per me.
In my spare time I worked together, sparing nothing, with the masons, and I liked most of all, being with them. It was nice to see that from nothing something important for me was born.
0:35
"Quando il sole tornerà
e nel sole io verrò da te
un altro uomo troverai in me"
e nel sole io verrò da te
un altro uomo troverai in me"
"When the sun returns
and in the sun I will come to you
you'll find another man in me"
and in the sun I will come to you
you'll find another man in me"
0:55
Che suono... questa campana l'ho recuperata ed era la campana della chiesetta di San Giovanni. Quando distruggono cose che appartengono ai ricordi della tua infanzia, ai ricordi della tua formazione, è sempre come se ti strappassero una mano, un dito...
That sound ... I recovered this bell and it was the bell of the church of San Giovanni. When they destroy things that belong to the memories of your childhood, memories of your growing up, it is always as if they tore away a hand, a finger from you...
1:15
"Nostalgia nostalgia canaglia,
che ti prende come quando non vuoi
ti ritrovi con un cuore di paglia
e un incendio che non spegni mai"
che ti prende come quando non vuoi
ti ritrovi con un cuore di paglia
e un incendio che non spegni mai"
"Nostalgia Nostalgia you scoundrel,
that takes you when you do not want
you find yourself with a straw heart
and a fire that you can never turn off "
that takes you when you do not want
you find yourself with a straw heart
and a fire that you can never turn off "
1:35
Questo è la zona di Cellino San Marco, una vecchia masseria del Settecento chiamata "Curtipitrizzi", che vuol dire "orti di pietra", piccole pietre... nessuno nella mia famiglia avrebbe pensato che un giorno il proprietario sarei diventato io di questa meravigliosa masseria. Non c'era assolutamente niente!
This is the area of Cellino San Marco, an old farmhouse of the 18th century called "Curtipitrizzi" , which means "orchards of stone", small stones ... no one in my family would have thought that one day I would become the owner of this wonderful farm. There was absolutely nothing!
2:05
Questo territorio è dominato da due elementi. I più importanti sono gli ulivi millenari, e la vigna, centenaria.
This area is dominated by two elements. The most important are the thousand-years-old olive trees, and the centuries-old vineyards.
2:20
Ricordo le grandi passeggiate nei boschi, in questo bosco che io ho comprato. Secondo me lì c'è, tra i misteri di tanto verde, c'è una specie di racconto, si sbizzarrisce come un cavallo impazzito la tua fantasia,
I remember the long walks in the woods, in this wood I bought. In my opinion there, among the mysteries of so much greenery, there is a kind of tale, your imagination indulges itself as a crazy horse,
2:35
e corri, attraverso ciò che mio padre mi raccontava, mia madre mi raccontava, dei suoi avi, dei suoi genitori, dei suoi nonni... E là dentro è proprio come se sentissi le loro voci, come se sentissi che cosa facevano, come facevano.
and you run, through what my father told me, my mother told me, of ancestors, parents, grandparents... And in there, it is just as if you could hear their voices, as if I felt that what they were doing, how they were doing that.
3:00
Quando scappai da questa zona, scappai quasi con rabbia.
"Ricordo la mia infanzia in un paese,
col sole nelle strade, per le case"
"Ricordo la mia infanzia in un paese,
col sole nelle strade, per le case"
When I ran away from this area, I ran away almost angrily.
"I remember my childhood in a village,
with the sun in the streets, in the houses"
"I remember my childhood in a village,
with the sun in the streets, in the houses"
3:12
Tra l'altro scrissi una bella canzone dal titolo "1961", e ogni volta che la sento mi vengono i brividi, perché non c'è niente di più bello che cantare ciò che hai vissuto.
Among other things, I wrote a beautiful song called "1961", and every time I hear it I shudder, because there is nothing more beautiful than to sing what you experienced.
3:25
Io non la condividevo, l'idea di ritornare qui nel Sud. Romina mi spinse a comprare questa zona, e quando si è innamorati non hai altra visuale se non quella di dire "Ah, che bello! Lo faccio!" Ah, quanto è piacevole far qualcosa per... perché ti stai chiedendo un qualcosa che non mi sarei mai aspettato da un'americana, quella di tornare nel Sud Italia.
I did not share the idea of returning here to the South. Romina convinced me to buy this area, and when you are in love you have no other view than to say, "Oh, how nice! I'll do that!" Ah, how pleasant it is to do something for ... because you wonder, something that I would never expect from an American girl, to get back to Southern Italy.
3:45
"quel bianco del cortile delle chiese"
Ma giuro che quando sono ritornato, ho messo radici ancora più profonde di quelle di prima.
"That white courtyard of churches "
But I swear that when I returned, I put down roots even deeper than before.
4:05
Guardando questo posto, metterei delle canzoni diverse, magari anche in una giornata solare come questa, secondo me "Felicità" non ci sta male!
Looking at this place, I would put different songs , maybe even on a sunny day like this, in my opinion "Happiness" is not ill-matched!
4:20
"Felicità - è tenersi per mano,
andare lontano
la felicità - è il tuo sguardo innocente
in mezzo alla gente
la felicità - è restare vicini
come bambini la felicità, felicità...
andare lontano
la felicità - è il tuo sguardo innocente
in mezzo alla gente
la felicità - è restare vicini
come bambini la felicità, felicità...
"Happiness - is holding hands,
go far away
happiness - is your innocent eyes
among the people
happiness - is to stay close
like children, happiness, happiness...
go far away
happiness - is your innocent eyes
among the people
happiness - is to stay close
like children, happiness, happiness...
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