Location: Italy / Sanremo
The iconic Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo is held annually in the first half of February in one of the largest resorts in Italian Liguria. The Ariston Theatre, which has become famous throughout Europe at least thanks to the Sanremo, still draws a full house of spectators.
After all, in Italy it is still treated with great respect and ranked among the intangible national treasures. Preparation for the competition takes about four months. The Commission on the selection of candidates is traditionally headed by the famous Italian film producer Carlo Ponti. And the selection is carried out in several phases – with a preliminary live audition in Rome. Only songs that haven’t been performed publicly before are allowed.
In the end, sixty of the strongest pass the test. Their final confrontation is presented to the public for five evenings. Most local channels broadcast the contest and the voting, but nothing compares to the unique atmosphere of the festivity that reigns at this time in a small resort town.