C. Volo SpAthe company that manages the RCF Arena of Reggio Emilia, returned to talk about the story of the canceled festival in Campovolo with two press releases released on 27 June 2026. In the first she rejects the accusations of the former artistic director Victor Yari Milaniin the second the statements of the impresario Claudio Trottafounder of Barley Arts. In both cases the company speaks of defamatory statements and announces that it intends to evaluate legal action.
The two interventions come at the end of one of the most discussed events of the Italian live summer, that of the festival that was supposed to lead to the RCF Arena Kanye West And Travis Scott and which instead foundered between name changes, the farewell of the artistic director and the prohibition of the Prefect. For those who have not followed all the steps, below is a reconstruction, followed by the contents of the two press releases.
What had happened: the story from the festival to the ban
The project was born as Hellwatt Festivalpresented as one of the most ambitious musical events ever organized in Italy. On stage RCF Arena were expected, among others, Kanye West (Ye), Travis Scott, Swedish House Mafia, Martin Garrix And Wiz Khalifaover five days between 4, 5, 11, 17 and 18 July. We talked about the initial line up in the festival announcement article.
At the beginning of May C. Volo SpA it removed the founder and artistic director Victor Yari Milaniand the festival was renamed Pulse of Gaia. A few days later, on May 14, Milani told his version of events in an exclusive video interview with Alvise Salernocollaborator of All Music Italia, within the Music Teller format: you can find it in the article Victor Yari Milani tells his version to Music Teller. On that occasion, as written at the time, it was specified that the subjects cited would have full right of reply.
The decisive turning point came on May 29th. The Prefect of Reggio Emilia Salvatore Angieri banned the concerts of Kanye West And Travis Scottscheduled for 17 and 18 July, with a provision adopted pursuant to article 2 of the Consolidated Law on Public Safety. According to what was communicated by the Prefecture, the decision was taken for reasons of public order and safety, taking into account the temporal connection between the two events and the high influx of public expected in 24 hours in a structure with approximately 103,000 spectators. The cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the risk of counter-demonstrations also weighed on the assessment. The provision arrived after the meeting of the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security on 25 May, convened following the requests presented by Codacons and the Jewish Community of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
With the collapse of the two flagship concerts, the other dates, 4, 5 and 11 July, were also cancelled, and with them the entire festival.
C.Volo's response to Victor Yari Milani's accusations
In the first press release C. Volo SpA rejects what it calls denigrating accusations attributed to Milani and published in a local newspaper. The company claims that the former artistic director would have launched, according to the words of the press release, into statements that were as suggestive as they were far from the truth.
Among the contested points, the company cites an alleged reference to favorable relations with a political party for a party which, writes C.Volo, has been held for thirty years by tradition in the Campovolo area, managed only recently by the company. C.Volo also contests the announcement of unspecified revelations and documentation in Milani's possession, and rejects the interpretations of the failure to appeal to the TAR against the prefectural provision, stating that the possibility of an appeal had been taken into consideration since the notification of the document.
The company emphasizes that Milani he was never part of the corporate structure but an external collaborator, whose relationship was terminated at the beginning of May, and announces that he will evaluate the genuineness and lawfulness of the possession of the documents cited. Finally, in the press release C.Volo declares that it will take the necessary legal initiatives to protect its reputation, reserving the right to request compensation for damages.
The second press release: the response to Claudio Trotta
The second statement is aimed at the statements of Claudio Trottafounder of Barley Artsalways published in a local newspaper. C.Volo defines them as defamatory and baseless and says she is surprised that a professional considered among the major operators in the sector has made public a reconstruction which, in her opinion, does not correspond to reality.
According to the company's version, Trot would have proposed to manage the RCF Arena in substantial exclusivity at zero cost, asking for the total expulsion of C.Volo, which is the concessionaire of the public area and cannot, writes the company, completely exit the scene without risking the revocation of the concession. C.Volo also accuses Trotta of having indicated another person as an interlocutor, Coopservicespecifying that the latter, despite having its own representatives in the company bodies like the other shareholders, would never have exercised direct decision-making power over company choices. Also in this case the company announces that it intends to give its lawyers the mandate to counter the declarations in the competent bodies.
The matter, at present, remains open on a legal level. All Music Italy will continue to follow developments, giving space to all parties involved in the correct forms and times.
