The story of the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia – already the scene of the shipwreck of the Hellwatt Festival, later renamed Pulse of Gaia and finally officially canceled at the beginning of June, with the concerts of Kanye West and Travis Scott banned by the prefect at the end of May – is enriched by a new chapter made up of public accusations, legal threats and repeated denials. On June 27, C.Volo SpA, the company that manages the venue, issued two separate press releases in rapid succession, one against the founder and former artistic director of the festival Victor Yari Milani and one against Claudio Trotta, historic musical impresario and founder of Barley Arts.
To understand the context, we need to go back to the beginning of May, when Campo Volo announced the termination of the collaboration with Victor Yari Milani, starting from May 5, 2026. Milani was the central figure of the project since its presentation, and the question of ownership of the Hellwatt brand – which he owned – had immediately represented a potential complication for the organizers. The festival then changed its name to Pulse of Gaia (linking to the corresponding festival), confirming Kanye West for July 18th. But on May 29, the prefect Salvatore Angieri had adopted a provision pursuant to article 2 of the TULPS ordering the ban on both concerts, that of West and that of Travis Scott, for reasons of public order and safety.
After his departure, Milani did not remain silent. And just yesterday, from the pages of Rest of the Pug a new jab has arrived at the “adversaries” of the municipal administration of Reggio Emilia. In fact, Milan brought up an alleged opacity in the relationships between Coopservice, C.Volo and the Reggio Emilia Democratic Party, asking if the two companies had ever financially supported or sponsored PD initiatives in Campovolo. He also publicly renewed his request to be heard by the Commission, promising to make contracts, documents and emails available to support what he claims to be the “reality of the facts” – which, in other words, would reposition him in a more favorable light in the whole affair.
In the press release issued today, 27 June, C.Volo rejects these statements, calling them “severely defamatory and completely without any foundation”, attacks Milani for having insinuated “generic suspicions and conspiracy interpretations” on the prefectural provision, and accuses him of speaking “about things he doesn't know”, having been an external collaborator whose relationship was “terminated to protect the Company at the beginning of May”. The company announces legal action to protect “its reputation and ultimately the integrity and consistency of its corporate assets.”
The story with Trotta is more complex. The founder of Barley Arts has always revealed to Rest of the Pugin an article published today, of having presented to Coopservice (now the majority shareholder of C.Volo) the basis for a proposal for the future management of the RCF Arena. The response received: “At present we don't think there are the conditions for a meeting.” Commenting on the situation, Trotta defined what is happening in Reggio Emilia as “one of the most gruesome and embarrassing pages in the history of live music in Italy”. In the second press release issued on 27 June, therefore, C.Volo replies that Trotta would have proposed to “literally take over RCF Arena in substantial exclusivity at zero cost”, asking for “the total expulsion of C.Volo” – which would be technically impossible, as C.Volo is the concessionaire of the public area and its complete exit would risk the revocation of the concession itself. The company also accuses Trotta of having indicated Coopservice as its interlocutor rather than C.Volo, and announces a mandate to its lawyers to evaluate the declarations.
In the meantime, the corporate structure of C.Volo has been redesigned (starting from 23 June) with the exit of Claudio Maioli, historic manager of Ligabue, and Ferdinando Salzano, founder of Friends & Partners. Which brought Coopservice to 93% of the shares.
