A Hope that Heals

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About the Episode

Veronica Berti Bocelli–wife, manager and co-founder of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation–shares how faith, compassion and purpose guide her life and leadership. 

Finding Faith. Giving Time. Divinity in Music. 

As the co-founder of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Veronica Berti Bocelli has dedicated her life to empowering communities, nurturing hope and reminding others that service begins with gratitude. In this moving conversation, held just before Belmont launched the Hope Transforms Campaign with a Maestro Andrea Bocelli concert, Veronica discusses her faith journey, the foundation’s transformative work around the world and the simple yet profound responsibility of using our gifts to make a difference. 

This episode covers…

• Veronica’s personal journey of discovering her faith and purpose. 
• Her approach to using compassion and time to change lives. 
• The unifying power of music as a divine and healing force. 

The Gift of Faith 

Veronica’s faith is something she sought. Raised in a family that encouraged her to decide her own path, she was baptized when she was 21-years-old. When she met her husband, world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli, she found both love and a deep spiritual partnership. 

“Faith is a gift,” she reflects. “It’s not an imposition. It's something you search for.” 

Together, Veronica and Andrea learned to balance instinct and responsibility, following their shared conviction that their talents and blessings must serve others. “Whenever you know that very clearly,” she says, “you have only the responsibility of not making mistakes. You know the path, you know where you have to go.” 

Veronica speaks with humility about leadership, describing herself not as a leader but as “a person of goodwill.” She believes every person — regardless of status or wealth — has the ability and duty to make a difference. 

“Each of us has the possibility to make a difference in somebody else’s life,” she says. “Some people have the money and they can make a difference that way. If you give your time to be at the disposal of others, even if you only listen to them when they have a problem, they don't know who to speak to. Give your time. That is the most precious thing you can do.” 

It’s a belief that guides her work with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, where compassion is more than an emotion — it’s an action. The foundation’s projects in Haiti, Italy and beyond focus on education, health care and rebuilding communities, driven by the simple goal of restoring dignity and opportunity where it’s needed most. 

A Foundation of Service

Founded more than a decade ago, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation began as a small volunteer effort and has grown into a thriving organization impacting thousands of lives each year. From supporting schools in Haiti to advancing access to health care, the foundation embodies Veronica’s belief that hope must take shape through service.  

“I wish for myself and for the foundation to be the right tools,” she shares. “But we will be guided in the right direction, as we are just an instrument, just the tools from something that comes from above.” 

Even on the hardest days, when responsibility feels heavy, she finds motivation in the smiles of the children her foundation serves. “When we are very tired and have the responsibility for thousands of kids that tomorrow morning have to eat, have to be dressed, have to go to school, need food, need books, I’m asked, ‘Why we do it?’”   

For Veronica, the answer is simple: “You watch them going to school and see that you’ve allowed them to have a possibility, a future,” she says. “That’s enough to go ahead with all the effort that it takes.” 

The Healing Sound of Hope 

For Veronica, music is a sacred language — a bridge between humanity and heaven. Having grown up in a family that loved opera, she views music as a divine gift capable of transforming hearts and uniting people across boundaries. 

“I really and genuinely believe that music comes from heaven,” she says. “When you sing, you pray twice.”  

She sees this spiritual energy come to life in the performances she shares with her husband, where music becomes a force for healing and hope. Whether in grand concert halls or quiet moments at home, Veronica treasures music as both a prayer and a celebration of life. 

As the conversation draws to a close, Veronica offers heartfelt advice to young people. Her message is one of gratitude, responsibility and presence. Her hope for the future, both personally and for the foundation, is to remain open, to keep being an instrument of good guided by faith and kindness.  

“I always pray to be able to have a smile even when you don't want to smile, to just be kind and react to somebody who's doing something wrong with kindness because that always wins.”  

Whether through building schools, giving her time or sharing the universal gift of music, Veronica Berti Bocelli’s life is a testament to what happens when hope and purpose unite. Her story reminds us that every act of compassion — no matter how small — has the power to transform lives.