Celebrating Rai's 70th Anniversary with Gianni Morandi and a Glimpse into Leo Gassman's Life

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Rai, Gianni Morandi returns to prime time on Rai 1 with "Evviva!" - airing tonight, Friday, April 26 at 9:30 PM - in a journey through genres, characters, and themes that have made the history of Italian television. A journey that is also geographical, across the Italian regions because Rai is not only about those who made it but also about those who followed and loved it. Among the first guests, we also find Leo Gassmann, let's discover something more about the singer and actor. Leonardo Gassmann, known as Leo Gassmann, was born in Rome on November 22, 1998 (he is 25 years old). He is the son of Alessandro Gassman and Sabrina Knaflitz, and the grandson of the more famous Vittorio Gassman, a historic Italian actor. He discovered a passion for music at a young age, initially classical (studying at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory), then abandoned it to dedicate himself to singing. In 2018 he debuted at X Factor 12, reaching the semifinal with the unreleased song "Piume", ranking fifth. However, the breakthrough came in 2020 with his participation in the Sanremo Festival where he won the New Proposals section with "Va Bene Così". The young artist already has an album out, released on February 7, titled "Strike" which contains 14 tracks, including the unreleased song sung in the seventieth edition of Sanremo. At X Factor 2020, he returned to the stage as a guest with Elodie and Carl Brave. He participated in the Sanremo Festival 2023, among the big names, with the song "Terzo cuore", ranking 18th. In the same year, his single "Dammi un bacio ja'" became part of the soundtrack of "Un professore", a Rai series starring his father. A new single, Take That, written together with Marco Rissa of TheGiornalisti, has just been released and anticipates the first dates of his tour, which will probably take him to the stage of the May Day concert in Rome. Leo Gassman has never spoken about his private life. In February 2023, he was photographed in a Roman park walking with a girl named Anna, some thought it might be "Enula" (singer from Amici), but there is no confirmation. A 2021 Valentine's Day post suggests he is seeing a girl (but only her blonde hair is visible in the photo), so the possible other half of the singer remains shrouded in mystery. Now, once again, given his discretion, it is precisely stolen shots that reveal his new, presumed love: it would be the actress Maia Reficco, known for having taken part in the reboot of Pretty Little Liars. The couple has never confirmed (nor denied) the love story, and it is not clear when they started dating, but the photos stolen by the weekly magazine Chi seem to leave no room for doubt. Leo Gassman and Maia Reficco enjoy some time together, indulging in hugs and tenderness. In May 2023, he saved a girl on the street in Rome who was being harassed by a man. The incident was recounted by the singer himself on social media. Maia Reficco, an internationally renowned actress and singer born in 2000, Maia Reficco was born in Boston but moved to Buenos Aires, her parents' hometown, at the age of 7. From a young age, she cultivated her great passion for music, studying with great commitment singing but also music. We can say she is a multi-instrumentalist: she plays piano, guitar, ukulele, saxophone. A natural vocation for singing that she perfected by studying in Los Angeles with vocal coach Eric Vetro, famous for having followed stars of the caliber of Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendez, Ariana Grande but also great Hollywood actors like Ryan Gosling and Austin Butler. Gassmann played the Califfo in the TV movie "Califano" directed by Alessandro Angelini, airing on February 11, 2024, on Rai1. The film tells the story of the lesser-known Califano and his life before enormous success. It is the first time that the musician has tried his hand at the family art, acting, in a not easy role. Who knows if he will decide to pursue both careers.