Andrea Bocelli’s New Concert Film Hits Theaters Today, and It’s a Glimpse Inside His Favorite Vacation Destination

Before the Taylor Swift effect took hold, boosting local economies all over the world as travelers descended on towns and cities just to hear her sing, there was the Andrea Bocelli effect. Go ahead and listen for yourself. After just a few notes, the Italian tenor’s rich, emotionally compelling voice will drive you to book a trip to Italy. Or, more specifically, to his all-time favorite destination: Tuscany.

“Tuscany is the place where I was born and raised and where I would like to live for the rest of my life,” Bocelli told Travel + Leisure. After 30 years of traversing the globe to entertain the masses, it’s also the place he chooses to spend most of his downtime.

“I think that in Tuscany, we have everything,” he said. “We have art, we have amazing countryside, we have the mountains, we have the sea, we have everything you could wish for. When I can spend time at home I try to meet my friends … when I have a moment I go horseback riding in the countryside. These are the things I long for when I am away.”

And so, it was in Tuscany that Bocelli chose to celebrate his three-decade career milestone this summer with a three-day concert event at Teatro del Silenzio, an open-air amphitheater that’s practically in his own backyard. “I would consider the Teatro di Silenzio my home,” he said. “It’s very emotional for me singing there.”

He welcomed a star-studded crowd into his home theater for the event, singing duets with Shania Twain, Jon Batiste, Ed Sheeran, Russell Crowe, and more, while celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, looked on among a crowd of 30,000 guests.

“He’s so Italian,” Kardashian says in the concert film, “Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration.” “He is Italy.”

When asked about her comment, Bocelli smiled. “I’m very pleased about this statement,” he said. “I love my country, my language; if I am identified as Italian, I am really flattered.”

The film, directed by Sam Wrench (who also directed “Taylor Swift — The Eras Tour”), premieres in U.S. theaters on Nov. 8. In addition to postcard-worthy Tuscan scenery and passionate performances, the film captures rare, behind-the-scenes glimpses of Bocelli in a relaxed and quintessentially Italian state, sharing beautiful meals at home with people he admires — and who clearly admire him.

Those people include his daughter, Virginia, 12, and son, Matteo, 27, both budding singers who have joined him in concert. They are also featured on the tenor’s new album, “Duets,” a 32-track collection he launched in October.

“It’s a beautiful moment,” Bocelli said of singing with his children. “It’s amusing. It’s a way to bond as a family, to feel together. The best thing you can do is to do nice things with your children.”

As for his wish for the years ahead, Bocelli said he hopes to spend more time at home with those close to him. “Reality has by far exceeded my expectations,” he said, “so probably my biggest aspiration and ambition is to have more free time to spend with my family and my friends in Tuscany.”