© Varrone & Romano Collection (All rights reserved).
From humble beginnings to holiday resorts
Born in Catania on May 16, 1960, Rosario Tindaro Fiorello is the first of four siblings, including the writer Catena and the actor Giuseppe. Raised in Augusta, Sicily, he began working at a very young age, performing a series of humble jobs: from bricklayer to plumber, from carpenter to switchboard operator for a funeral home. His adventure in the world of entertainment began almost by chance in 1975, when he was hired as a kitchen porter in a Valtur holiday resort. With tenacity and talent, he quickly climbed the hierarchy, becoming an assistant cook, waiter, and finally a bartender. His vocation for entertainment emerged one evening when, on his own initiative, he took a microphone and performed for the resort guests, achieving unexpected success.
The apprenticeship as an entertainer
That episode marked the beginning of his long apprenticeship as an entertainer. He began performing with small imitations, including one of Raffaella Carrà, and tried his hand as a DJ. By the age of sixteen, he was taking his first steps in radio, hosting programs for some local Sicilian stations. After military service, where he continued to perform for fellow soldiers and officers, he returned to Valtur resorts, this time as a full-fledged entertainer. It was here that he developed his unique and irreverent style, dressing up as the Pope to bless breakfast croissants or improvising comedic striptease. He learned a fundamental lesson: never mock common people, but direct satire toward the powerful. His fame grew so much that he became a chief entertainer, working in Ivory Coast and various winter ski resorts.
Rejection by Baudo and meeting Cecchetto
Despite his growing popularity in the resorts, his entry into the official world of entertainment was not immediate. Spotted by a Rai choreographer, he secured an audition with the king of Italian television, Pippo Baudo, for his program Fantastico. The audition lasted almost an hour, at the end of which Baudo rejected him. The real opportunity came thanks to his friendship with Jovanotti's brother, who introduced him to the brilliant talent scout Claudio Cecchetto. After seeing him spontaneously entertain the crowd during a concert, Cecchetto wanted him at all costs and, in 1988, entrusted him with a program on Radio Deejay.
Triumph at Radio Deejay and first records
At Radio Deejay, Fiorello found the ideal environment to explode. There he met Amadeus and, above all, Marco Baldini, with whom he formed a highly successful radio duo, hosting Viva Radio Deejay. His talent for imitations sent the radio's switchboards into a frenzy. Success soon took him to television, hosting music programs like Deejay Beach and Deejay Television on Italia 1. In 1990, his life was marked by a grave loss: the sudden death of his father from a heart attack. Noting his great passion for singing, Cecchetto decided to launch him as a singer as well, having him record his first albums, Veramente falso (1991) and Nuovamente falso (1992), composed mainly of covers of great hits.
Baudo's Big Blunder
At the start of his career, Fiorello was spotted by a Rai choreographer who arranged an audition with the great Pippo Baudo for his show Fantastico. The audition, which usually lasted only a few minutes, turned into a nearly hour-long performance. In the end, Baudo, while recognizing his talent, rejected him with a reasoning that has since become famous: "You're good, but you're long. You could host Fantastico, but I'm already the host here." Years later, Baudo himself admitted with great self-irony that he had made a "gigantic blunder" on that occasion.
The Karaoke phenomenon
After a brief stint at Rai, Fiorello moved to Mediaset where, after some minor programs, he was entrusted with hosting Karaoke on Italia 1. The beginning was anything but encouraging: the first episode, recorded in Alba, attracted very few people, and ratings stalled at a disappointing 6% share. The lack of initial success prompted him to temporarily return to radio, but unexpectedly the program took off, reaching peaks of 25% share and transforming into an authentic cultural phenomenon. Fiorello became an idol for young people, and his long ponytail became a symbol of those years. Success led him to host Festivalbar in the summer of 1993 and to win several Telegatti awards as the Breakout Character of the Year.
Sanremo, difficulties, and rebirth with Costanzo
In 1995, he graced the stage of the Sanremo Festival for the first time, not as a guest but in competition, with the song Finalmente tu, written by Max Pezzali, finishing in fifth place. This period of great popularity was followed by a more difficult phase, marked by personal problems that drew him away from the entertainment world for a while. His return to television occurred with programs that did not achieve the hoped-for success, such as Non dimenticate lo spazzolino da denti. The true professional rebirth came in the 1996-1997 season when Maurizio Costanzo wanted him by his side as co-host for the ninth edition of Buona Domenica. During these years, he also began a career as a voice actor, lending his voice to the protagonist of the animated film Anastasia.
Consecration at Mediaset
The late 1990s saw him establish himself as one of Mediaset's leading faces. He successfully hosted programs like Matricole, alongside Simona Ventura, and for three consecutive editions from 1998 to 2000, Festivalbar paired with Alessia Marcuzzi. He also appeared on the big screen with a small role in Anthony Minghella's film The Talented Mr. Ripley, where he performed Tu vuò fa' l'americano alongside international stars like Matt Damon and Jude Law. During this period, his long and iconic collaboration as a spokesperson for the Infostrada telecommunications brand began.
Triumph at Rai with Stasera pago io
In 2001, urged by producer Bibi Ballandi, he returned to Rai as the absolute protagonist with the Saturday night show Stasera pago io. The program achieved overwhelming success, even managing to beat Maria De Filippi's Canale 5 powerhouse C’è posta per te in the ratings. Fiorello established himself as a complete television master, capable of singing, imitating, and entertaining, winning a flood of awards, including numerous Telegatti and the TV Direction Award for Best Male Personality and Best Program. The success was so great that the show was brought back for two more fortunate editions in 2002 and 2004.
King of Radio and the Voice of Cinema
Parallel to his television triumph, from 2001 to 2008 Fiorello returned to his first love, radio, hosting the cult program Viva Radio 2 on Rai Radio 2 alongside his inseparable partner Marco Baldini. The broadcast became a cultural phenomenon, contributing decisively to the relaunch of the state radio station and showing the public his genius as an imitator and entertainer. During these years, he also continued his successful voice acting career, lending his voice to the cat Garfield in two films and to the narrator of March of the Penguins, winning a Nastro d’Argento for his work. His success was now total: he took his shows on theatrical tours, consistently selling out, and became a subject of study, with books and television specials analyzing the "Fiorello Phenomenon."
From Flop to Phenomenon: Karaoke's Revenge
The program that launched Fiorello, Karaoke, almost ended in total failure. The first episode, recorded in Alba, was a ghost town with barely thirty people in the square, and television ratings stopped at a miserable 6% share. The result was so disappointing that a discouraged Fiorello returned to radio. Unexpectedly, however, in the following weeks, the program began to grow, becoming a true cultural phenomenon with ratings reaching 25%. Thus, the show was resumed, transforming its host into a national idol.
The Sky adventure and media dominance
After years of success at Rai, in 2009 Fiorello decided to embark on a new adventure, signing an exclusive contract with pay-TV Sky. This gave birth to the Fiorello Show, a television event that, despite a limited run, achieved enormous economic success. To promote his move, Fiorello created an unprecedented media event: while a guest on Rai 2’s X Factor, he received the "Tapiro d'oro" live from Mediaset's Valerio Staffelli. He coined the term "Skraiset" to define this unprecedented crossing of networks, which expanded further the next day with the incursion of a LA7 journalist, becoming "Skrai7set." It was a demonstration of his status as a showman capable of uniting and shaking the entire Italian television landscape.
The dawn of Edicola Fiore and the return to Rai
Before his grand return to the state broadcaster, Fiorello experimented with a new way of communicating, anticipating the times. In 2011, through his Twitter profile, he launched @edicolafiore, a daily, informal, and improvised press review filmed with his cell phone among friends at the bar and newsstand near his home. This brilliant intuition, where he was present only as an off-screen voice, became a viral appointment and laid the groundwork for his new project. In November of the same year, he returned to prime time on Rai 1 with Il più grande spettacolo dopo il weekend, a title inspired by a song by his friend Jovanotti.
The triumph of "Il più grande spettacolo dopo il weekend"
His return to public television turned into an unprecedented ratings triumph. The show, airing for four episodes, achieved stratospheric numbers, debuting with 10 million viewers and nearly a 40% share. His popularity grew episode by episode, eventually exceeding 12 million viewers and a 43% share, with peaks on the final night approaching 17 million and exceeding a 50% share. These extraordinary results definitively established Fiorello as the greatest master of Italian television, capable of catalyzing the attention of the entire country.
The Television "Smoothie"
To launch his new program on Sky in 2009, Fiorello orchestrated a true media short circuit. He appeared as a guest on Rai 2 during the program X Factor. While there, Mediaset's Valerio Staffelli burst in to hand him the "Tapiro d'oro" from Striscia la notizia. Fiorello, amused, called the event a "Skraiset"—a blend of Sky, Rai, and Mediaset. But it didn't end there: the next day he appeared outside the Rai headquarters alongside Staffelli (Mediaset) and the director of LA7's news, Antonello Piroso, creating what he dubbed "Skrai7set"—an unprecedented and funny "smoothie" of all the major Italian television networks.
Triumph on the web with Edicola Fiore
Following the extraordinary television success of Il più grande spettacolo dopo il weekend, Fiorello decided not to return immediately to generalist TV, but rather to explore the potential of the web. He resumed and amplified the Edicola Fiore project, his daily press review born informally on Twitter. The format became a true cross-media phenomenon: broadcast live by radio and television stations like RTL 102.5, it was then acquired by Sky Uno and Rai Radio 2. The Edicola transformed from a simple commentary on news into a full-fledged show, featuring musical guests, social appeals, and entertainment moments, demonstrating Fiorello's ability to create an innovative and highly successful format from the ground up.
A new chapter in radio and major collaborations
Expressing a strong nostalgia for radio, in 2014 he launched the program Fuori Programma on Radio 1, an evolution of his Edicola that saw him return to work with his long-time sidekick, Marco Baldini. However, the partnership ended in November of the same year when Baldini decided to leave the broadcast. During this period, Fiorello solidified his central role in the Italian entertainment world through numerous prestigious collaborations. He duetted with Max Pezzali on the album Max 20, but most notably realized a dream for many fans by recording Baby, It’s Cold Outside with Mina for her Christmas album. He also made surprise appearances at the concerts of major artists like Negramaro and Laura Pausini.
Between digital experiments and setbacks
Always looking toward the future, he launched Dammi solo un minuto on the web—a sort of digital talent show where he searched for new talents capable of expressing themselves in clips of only 60 seconds, confirming his intuition for the fast-paced languages of the net. However, his unstoppable activity suffered a sharp halt in early 2014 when a serious motorcycle accident forced him to cancel his planned theatrical tour. After a period of convalescence, he returned to the screen in April, resuming the reins of his Edicola and his new radio program.
The Unexpected Interviewer
During a TG1 news segment produced by Vincenzo Mollica, Fiorello made a sudden and unexpected intrusion into the studio. With his usual irony, he stole the microphone and began interviewing the guest of the segment himself—the singer Umberto Tozzi—startling everyone and turning a normal news report into a small, unpredictable show.
From theater to cross-media success
After a period of great success, in 2015 Fiorello returned to the theatrical stage with the show L'ora del Rosario, a tour that recorded massive public success and saw him duet with prestigious guests like Negramaro. Parallel to this, he did not abandon his innovative Edicola Fiore, which transformed from a web experiment into a true cross-media phenomenon. After a Periscope live stream, the format settled permanently on Sky and TV8, becoming a regular appointment for the audience, enriched by guests, imitations, and his sidekick Stefano Meloccaro. During this period, he also returned to television as a guest of honor on leading programs like Laura & Paola and, most notably, Rischiatutto, where he paid tribute to the memory of his friend Mike Bongiorno.
The "social-phonic" experiment and the return to radio
After closing the television experience of the Edicola, in 2017 Fiorello launched a new experimental project: Il Socialista, which he defined as the first "social-phonic" program. Broadcast daily live on his Facebook page, the program was then re-aired by Radio Deejay, marking a new way of creating entertainment. From this experience, highly successful musical collaborations were also born, such as the Christmas single Happy Christmas John with Tommaso Paradiso and an irreverent rap version of Fatti mandare dalla mamma a prendere il latte, created with Danti as a tribute to Gianni Morandi. This path led him back to his radio home in 2018: after 26 years, he officially returned to Radio Deejay with an evening program, Il Rosario della sera, which achieved immediate success.
The won bet of RaiPlay and triumph at the Ariston
Also in 2018, he accepted the invitation of his friend Claudio Baglioni and returned as a guest to the Sanremo Festival, gifting the audience one of his memorable monologues. But it was in 2019 that he made his boldest and most winning move: he launched Viva RaiPlay!, a revolutionary project that moved the grand variety show from Rai 1 prime time to the Rai streaming platform. The operation was a triumph: the introductory episodes on Rai 1 obtained record ratings, and the program on the digital platform totaled millions of views, demonstrating his ability to innovate television language. This success led him to become a fixed presence at the Sanremo Festival for two consecutive editions in 2020 and 2021, alongside his friend Amadeus, helping to create the most-watched editions of the last twenty years and winning, alongside the host, the prestigious Biagio Agnes Award.
Still a protagonist in theaters and major events
Despite the pandemic, his creativity did not stop: the best of his RaiPlay show was reedited and broadcast successfully in prime time on Rai 1. In 2021, after a five-year absence, he set out on a new theatrical tour that sold out. In the same year, he received the City of Sanremo Lifetime Achievement Award. His presence remains a guarantee of success for major television events: he returned as a guest to the first night of the Sanremo Festival 2022 and participated in the show for Gigi D'Alessio's 30-year career, confirming himself as the greatest and most versatile showman in the Italian landscape.
Triumph of the morning with Viva Rai2!
Following the success obtained with his shows and experiments on the web, Fiorello returned to Rai in the autumn of 2022 with a format destined to become a cultural phenomenon: Viva Rai2!. The morning show, airing between 7 and 8:30 AM, conquered the audience with its innovative formula—a mix of press review, satire, music, and guests, broadcast from a "glass box" first in Via Asiago and then at the Foro Italico. The success was such that the program expanded, following the Sanremo Festival with a late-night special, Viva Rai2! Viva Sanremo!, and consolidating Fiorello as a central figure of Rai entertainment. The program earned him numerous accolades, including the Gianfranco Funari Award, the Biagio Agnes Award, and three Telegatti.
Between music and new experiments
Despite his massive television commitment, Fiorello does not abandon music. In 2023, he released the cover album Fiorello presenta Tofu, in which he reinterprets great Italian music hits in a trap key. His inexhaustible creativity led him, in the summer of 2025, to make a surprise return to radio with a new program on Rai Radio 2, Radio2 Radio Show - La pennicanza. During the same period, he launched a new summer single, Una vespa in due, as a duo with Orietta Berti, born from a jingle created during one of his broadcasts.
Private life: Loves and family
His romantic life was in the spotlight for a long time, particularly in the 1990s with his relationships with Luana Colussi and Anna Falchi. Stability arrived with Susanna Biondo, whom he married in 2003 after seven years of living together. From their union, their daughter Angelica was born in 2006. Fiorello has always also considered Olivia, born from his wife's previous marriage, as a first daughter. He is a supporter of Inter Milan and shares a deep friendship with entertainment figures like Amadeus, for whom he was best man, and Jovanotti.
Social commitment and controversies
Although declaring himself apolitical, Fiorello has never hesitated to take a stand on social issues. Through his programs, he has supported campaigns for the release of prisoners such as Chico Forti and Fabrizio Corona, spoke in favor of the legalization of cannabis and the use of stem cells, and launched appeals against the closure of hospitals. His satire has sometimes generated controversy, as in the case of his imitations of Monsignor Georg Gänswein, which drew criticism from the Vatican, or of Silvio Berlusconi, which attracted the ire of Vittorio Feltri.
Charity and setbacks
The artist has always been involved in numerous charitable activities, participating in National Singers' Association matches and events such as Corri la vita and Telethon, while supporting scientific research.
Living Matter
In 2016, Fiorello was the guest of honor on the second episode of the new Rischiatutto, hosted by Fabio Fazio. His participation was not just a performance moment, but also a moved tribute to the historical host of the quiz show, his great friend Mike Bongiorno. Besides participating in the game as "materia vivente" (living matter)—one of the program's famous categories—Fiorello took the opportunity to tell the audience numerous unpublished and funny anecdotes linked to his historic friendship with Mike, remembering him with the affection and irony that distinguish him.
© Collezione Varrone & Romano (Tutti i diritti riservati).