Whilst largely unknown abroad, since the 1980s Vasco Rossi has without doubt been one of the most consistently successful Italian rockstars. Widely ignored, if not hated, by his critics, yet worshipped by his fans, Rossi represents — no pun intended — a rock-solid cornerstone in modern Italian music and culture. Let’s dig deeper into the strange phenomena that is Vasco-mania.

Starting from scratch

Known simply as Vasco, or perhaps Blasco — people are still wondering about the nickname, although legends point out that his grandma had the idea, Vasco Rossi was born in 1952 in Zocca, a small town in the mountains surrounding Modena, Emilia-Romagna.