How much are you at home in Tuscany these days?
Not very much. And for me, this is the most difficult aspect of my career, because I like my country. I love my language, my friends. I would like to stay always at home. But of course, it’s not possible.
Tell me a bit about Lajatico, your hometown. What was it like growing up there?
Well, Lajatico is a very beautiful, small country village. Few people lived there, but I was among them. When I was a child, I very much liked animals like horses and dogs. When I was seven years old, I began to ride horses. My grandfather, as he was dying, expressed the desire to buy a little horse for me, and two or three days after, my father immediately went to buy me a horse. And then, I remember, every week I wanted a new animal. Birds especially. I wanted many, many birds. I wasn’t a typical country boy.
Your new concert film is centered on this big dinner scene, with lots of great artists and friends around the table of your home. Was that something you were used to growing up?
Yes, of course. When I was a child, my family was a big family and we were always, every day, all together. And in that case [in the film], we were a family also—everyone was happy, and we were all very close, speaking about music.
There were so many great artists at that table—people like Ed Sheeran, Jon Batiste, Shania Twain, Lang Lang—and they’re all from very far reaches of the globe. What was it like showing them around your home? Do you like hosting?
Yes, and especially with Shania [Twain]. I remember, I invited Shania to ride horses with me and we went together. She’s good! She rides very well. I do like hosting in a sense, but especially in this case with Shania, because I got to guide her around on my horse. I know every centimeter of my place, my country, and that comes from horseback riding, above all.
The concert takes place at the Teatro Del Silenzio, which is also in your hometown. How did that place come to exist?
Well, it’s in a very beautiful place in Lajatico, where a friend of mine who’s an architect had this crazy idea to create a theater without structures [like walls and a roof]. At the beginning, I said, “You are crazy,” of course, because he said, “I want to bring 10,000 people from every part of the world to Lajatico.” I said, “You are crazy, completely.” And then my brother called me. He’s an architect as well, and he told me, “Look, I think it’s a good idea.” I said, “Okay, we’ll try.” And he was right. Next year will be 20 years since the first concert.
