Sal Da Vinci wins the Sanremo Festival.
The Neapolitan artist, born in 1969 in New York during his father's tour, made his stage debut at just seven years old. With "Per sempre sì," he beat out Sayf in second place, followed by Ditonellapiaga, Arisa, and the big favorites Fedez and Masini. The awards: Tim and Sala Stampa Lucio Dalla to Serena Brancale, Mia Martini to Fulminacci, Sergio Bardotti for Best Lyrics to Fedez and Masini, and Giancarlo Bigazzi for Best Musical Composition to Ditonellapiaga.
Thus Carlo Conti bids farewell to the Festival, handing over the baton on live TV to Stefano De Martino, the golden boy of Affari Tuoi, who had already signed a contract with an option to appear at Sanremo and whose name had been the subject of rumors for days. Indeed, he was already in the front row at the Ariston. "It's a true honor, an unexpected gesture of generosity that I will always remember. I want to thank RAI, and now let's get going," De Martino says, putting Conti's hand on his chest ("Listen here"), asking him "not to turn off your phone."
The real surprise is that De Martino is preparing for the dual challenge of host and artistic director. "I'm leaving a festival in great health," Conti says proudly. "I don't think there are any events like this. Last year I broke a few records; sometimes you can do more, sometimes less. But over the last twelve years, Amadeus, Baglioni, and I have done an excellent job, with a constant crescendo."
The evening opens with the three hosts, Conti, along with Tg1 journalist Giorgia Cardinaletti and Laura Pausini, and a reflection following the bombings in Iran: "We all want the Iranian people free from oppression and suffering, but a conflict is unfolding whose outcome we don't know," said Giorgia Cardinaletti. "The role of public service is to try to understand what's happening. We're already doing it and will continue to do so." Conti: "On the one hand, we must celebrate Italian music and the winner of the Festival, but on the other, we cannot ignore what's happening. I echo UNICEF's appeal: war hits children hardest. We hope for a global commitment to protect children wherever they are." "Children have the right to live in peace. Enough with the hatred," echoed Pausini.
The comedy portion is entrusted to Nino Frassica, again this year with a hairstyle by Cristiano Malgioglio: "I thought about doing the same thing as last year. Let's make Olly win again," he began, then reading the Sanremo host's Decameron-Decalogue. The golden rule: "A true host must know how to distinguish a microphone stand from an eel." And then, with "Novella bella," he reads the Sanremo previews: "Next year there will be 800 singers, and they will each sing for five seconds."
Special guest Andrea Bocelli arrived at the Ariston on a white horse, appearing in the audience to the tune of "The Gladiator." Introduced by the ever-present Pippo Baudo, he performed "Il mare calmo della sera" and then "Con te partirò": "I won among the newcomers many years ago, but today I could only win among the oldcomers."
With Gino Cecchettin, we remember the emergency of femicides, over a hundred in a year. "Such great pain," says the father of Giulia Cecchettin, killed by her ex, "is experienced in anonymity. You learn to know it deeply, knowing that it will be with you until the last day. I decided to transform it, starting with Giulia, who had a selfless soul. We need to change the culture, otherwise we will only change the names of the victims. We need to teach young people to accept rejection. A no is a no, a yes is true freedom." To women, he says, "I say you are not alone, your freedom is non-negotiable, asking for respect is the least we can do." To men: "Love leaves space, it leaves life free."
The competition goes well, even though there's an epidemic of mothers on stage. "I know my mom's in the room, hello mom, I love you," says Tommaso Paradiso. Serena Brancale sings in her late mother's dress, Sayf brings her mother on stage, and Samurai Jay does the same. "It's a festival for mothers, how wonderful," exults Conti, happy that his Sanremo ends like this, in the spirit of family and good feelings.
