Getty Andrea Bocelli and wife Veronica Berti
Veronica Berti is the second wife of iconic Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli. The couple first met in 2002 and tied the knot in 2014. They have a daughter together named Virginia.
Berti, who is 25 years younger than Bocelli, is also her husband’s manager and singing partner. Bocelli has said Berti also established great relationships with his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, and their two sons, Amos and Matteo.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Andrea Bocelli Says He & Veronica Berti Were ‘Soulmates Right From the Start’
Veronica Berti and Andrea Bocelli first met at a party in 2002. She was 18 years old at the time and Bocelli was newly divorced. The couple detailed how the first evening unfolded in a dual op-ed for the Guardian that was published in 2014.
Berti explained she was actually supposed to go to a different party that night. She was sitting near the piano waiting for her group to arrive when one of Bocelli’s friends invited her over to Bocelli’s table. Berti wrote in the op-ed:
We talked about music and where I was born. I used the formal “you” instead of the friendly “you”, and he kept saying to everyone: “Why is she speaking to me like that? We are almost the same age.” I did it out of respect. I had an exam coming up, so I had to go, but he didn’t want me to. “Stay,” he said. “Don’t lose the energy. Don’t lose the moment. Love is something you don’t think about.” So I stayed.
Getty Andrea Bocelli and Veronica Berti
Bocelli, who is blind, explained that he was first attracted to Berti’s voice and “how her skin felt.” He said the chemistry between himself and Berti was instantaneous from their first meeting.
I sang my first aria for her that night. It was a piece called Occhi Di Fata (Fairy’s Eyes). Everybody was there; it was a really wonderful moment between us. It was the quickest, speediest start, because we moved in with each other that same night. Effectively the marriage began when we met.
Bocelli is 25 years older than Berti. But Bocelli explained he never thought of it as an issue because his own family is full of couples who have large age gaps between them, including his own parents. Bocelli added in the piece, “I am very religious, and age difference is something you see a lot in biblical marriages.”
On his professional website, Bocelli has a section dedicated to Berti and he describes her as his soulmate. “When two people still want to be together in every possible way after many years, it means that one soul completes the other, that we recognized each other. Veronica and I were soulmates right from the start.”
2. Veronica Berti Is Andrea Bocelli’s Manager & Has Performed Duets With Him
Getty Andrea Bocelli and Veronica Berti
Veronica Berti has always been more than just Andrea Bocelli’s romantic partner. She has also taken on substantial roles related to his musical career as well. According to See It Live, Berti became the CEO of Bocelli’s currency management office, Almud, in 2005.
Berti is Bocelli’s manager, as well. Bocelli wrote on his website, “I can say that I was lucky enough to be able to share not only my private life, but also my professional life with the woman I love.”
Berti doesn’t always stay behind the camera. She has joined Bocelli in front of the microphone as well. In 2012, the couple sang a beautiful rendition of the song “Qualche Stupido” before a live audience.
In the video that was shared to YouTube, the host explained that while Bocelli was recording in the studio, producers needed someone to sing a demo of “Qualche Stupido.” Bocelli recommended Berti, and the producers loved her voice so much that they “begged her” to sing it live with Bocelli. The host added, “Does it get any more romantic than two people in love singing to each other?”
Since Bicelli shared the video to his personal YouTube page in 2015, the clip has racked up more than three million views. The couple has since collaborated on other songs including “Les Feuilles Mortes” and “Cheek to Cheek.”
3. Veronica Berti & Andrea Bocelli’s Daughter, Virginia, Was Born On the First Day of Spring In 2012
Veronica Berti and Andrea Bocelli welcomed an addition to their family on March 21, 2012. Bocelli has described their daughter, Virginia, as their “princess” and the “family’s sunshine.”
Virginia was Berti’s first child and Bocelli’s third. Bocelli’s two sons from his first marriage, Amos and Matteo, were 17 and 14 when their younger half-sister arrived. Berti joked at the time, “With a dad and two older brothers [Virginia] will have very attentive bodyguards.” The Daily Mail also reported at the time that the extended family was very close; Bocelli’s ex-wife lived next door to Bocelli’s estate in Forte dei Marmi, Italy.
In an April 2012 spread in Hello magazine, Bocelli explained that his sons were with him at the hospital while Berti was in labor. Bocelli also detailed that he sang to baby Virginia the first time he held her in his arms. The song was “Ange Adorable” from Romeo and Juliet.
Virginia is now 8 years old and is fluent in both Italian and English. But Bocelli says Virginia is more comfortable with English and that she likes to joke with him about his own abilities with English.
Based on Berti’s Instagram page, Virginia is already following in her parents’ musical footsteps. Berti shared a video of Virginia playing a Beethoven song on the piano on March 13, 2020. Virginia also enjoys artwork and skiing with her parents.
4. Andrea Bocelli Says One of the Reasons He & Veronica Berti’s Relationship Has Lasted So Long Is Because of the Chemistry In the Bedroom
Veronica Berti and Andrea Bocelli made their romance legally officially on March 21, 2014, after 12 years together as a couple. They got married in Tuscany at the Sanctuary of Madonna di Montenero. E! News reported at the time that Berti chose a silk gown by designer Ermanno Scervino. She had a jacket covering her shoulders and had her hair tied back.
Berti and Bocelli chose their wedding date in honor of their daughter’s birthday. Virginia turned 2 years old on her parents’ wedding day.
In a 2018 interview with People magazine, Bocelli shared his thoughts about what makes for a lasting and happy marriage:
My theory is chemistry. If there’s chemistry between two people, then there is poetry, there is harmony, there is mutual understanding — there is love; if not, nothing. If the bedroom door opens the world to something beautiful and interesting, then love will last. If the bedroom door opens onto something that’s boring or uninteresting, it won’t last.
5. Veronica Berti Helped Launch the Andrea Bocelli Foundation & Joined Her Husband to Thank Donors Who Helped Raise Money For Hospitals During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Andreas Bocelli and wife Veronica Berti have been actively working to assist the medical community as the coronavirus swept across Italy. As of April 11, more than 19,400 people in Italy have died from the virus, according to stats from Johns Hopkins University. During the peak, supplies ran short as hospitals struggled to provide enough beds for an influx of patients. According to the Italian National Doctors Association, more than 100 doctors and nurses have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Bocelli’s foundation launched a GoFundMe campaign on March 13, 2020, to raise funds to support Italian hospitals in desperate need of personal protective equipment and other supplies. As of April 11, 2020, approximately 1,600 donors had contributed more than 153,000 euros (which is about $167,000).
Bocelli and Berti posted a video to Instagram on April 11 to thank the worldwide community for the support. The couple announced that the Andreas Bocelli Foundation had been able to provide four respirators and a 30-bed ward for a hospital in Camerino, Italy. In the clip, Verti wished everyone a happy Easter and noted that the fundraiser was remaining open as the health crisis continued.
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