“Probably the first time I left Italy was to travel by train to Lourdes. I went with my mother and my grandmother - who was a very religious person - so it was a pilgrimage of sorts. I remember it as a very intense, but beautiful experience.”

Italian tenor

Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor who rose to fame in 1994. He is known for winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival with his performance of "Il mare calmo della sera". That breakthrough brought him wide attention and established him as a major voice in popular classical and crossover music. His public image is tied to his singing voice and the song that first brought him to prominence.