The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 4 May 1991 at Stage 15 of the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI), and presented by Gigliola Cinquetti and Toto Cutugno, the contest was held in Italy following the country's victory at the 1990 contest with the song "Insieme: 1992" by Toto Cutugno.
The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival, is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest-running annual TV music competition in the world on a national level and it is also the basis and inspiration for the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno was an Italian pop singer-songwriter, musician, and television presenter. He was best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 held in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia, with the song "Insieme: 1992", for which he wrote both the lyrics and music. He has been described as "one of the most popular singers in Italy and a symbol of Italian melody abroad", as well as "one of the most popular Italian performers on a global scale" and "one of the most successful Italian songwriters of all time", selling over 100 million records worldwide.
Italy has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 48 times since making its debut as one of only seven countries to compete at the first contest in 1956, which took inspiration from the Sanremo Music Festival. Italy competed at the contest without interruption until 1980, discontinuing its participation on a number of occasions during the 1980s and 1990s. After a 13-year absence starting in 1998, the country returned to the contest in 2011. Italy has won the contest three times, along with an additional 16 top-five finishes. Italy hosted the contest in Naples (1965), Rome (1991) and Turin (2022).
Anna Hoxha, known professionally as Anna Oxa, is an Italian singer, actress and television presenter. She has received mainstream popularity and recognition within Italy due to her numerous participations in the Sanremo Music Festival.
Rossana Casale is an Italian singer.
"L'Italiano" is a pop song by Italian singer Toto Cutugno, released in 1983. It was his biggest international hit and is his best-known composition. Its popularity declined during the 1990s and was re-discovered when Cutugno performed it live at a charity concert in Rome commemorating Italy's victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, creating a new wave of popularity for the song.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2010, officially the 60th Italian Song Festival, was the 60th annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 16 February 2010 and 20 February 2010 and broadcast by Rai 1. It was presented by Antonella Clerici, while the artistic director was Gianmarco Mazzi.
Fabrizio Mobrici, known by his stage name Fabrizio Moro, is an Italian singer-songwriter. He released his debut album in 2000 and he achieved commercial success in 2007, after winning the Newcomers' Section of the Sanremo Music Festival with his entry "Pensa". The song became a number-one hit in Italy, while the album with the same title was certified gold by the Italian Music Industry Federation.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2013, officially the 63rd Italian Song Festival, was the 63rd annual Sanremo Music Festival, a televised song contest held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, Liguria, between 12 and 16 February 2013 and broadcast by Rai 1. The show was presented by Fabio Fazio with Italian comedy actress Luciana Littizzetto.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2006, officially the 56th Italian Song Festival, was the 56th annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 27 February and 3 March 2006 and broadcast by Rai 1. The show was presented by comedian Giorgio Panariello with Victoria Cabello. Panariello and Gianmarco Mazzi served as the artistic directors.
Antonio Diodato, known simply as Diodato, is an Italian singer-songwriter. He won the 70th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Fai rumore" and was scheduled to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before the event's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sanremo Music Festival 1980, officially the 30th Italian Song Festival, was the 30th annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 7 and 9 February 1980. The final night was broadcast by Rai 1, while the first two nights were broadcast live only on radio. The show was hosted by Claudio Cecchetto, assisted by actors Roberto Benigni and Olimpia Carlisi. Daniele Piombi hosted the segments from the Sanremo Casino, where a number of guests performed.
Italy participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Occidentali's Karma", written by Francesco Gabbani, Filippo Gabbani, Luca Chiaravalli and Fabio Ilacqua. The song was performed by Francesco Gabbani. Italian broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) announced in October 2016 that the winning performer(s) of the Big Artists section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 would earn the right to represent the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The selected performer would also be given the right to choose their own song to compete with at Eurovision. In February 2017, Francesco Gabbani emerged as the winner of Sanremo with the song "Occidentali's Karma". The artist accepted the invitation to represent Italy at Eurovision and decided that "Occidentali's Karma" would be his contest entry.
"Ti lascerò" is a 1989 song composed by Franco Fasano, Fausto Leali, Franco Ciani, Fabrizio Berlincioni and Sergio Bardotti, arranged by Fio Zanotti and performed by Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali. The song won the 39th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, and the duo Oxa-Leali was subsequently chosen to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1989.
Ermal Meta is an Italian singer and songwriter.
Italy participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. Italian broadcaster RAI announced in October 2017 that the winning performer(s) of the Big Artists section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2018 would earn the right to represent the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal.
Italy hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, having won the previous edition with "Zitti e buoni" by Måneskin. Italian broadcaster RAI announced that the winning performer(s) of the Sanremo Music Festival 2022, later turning out to be Mahmood and Blanco with "Brividi", would earn the right to represent the nation at the contest. As both the host country and a member of the "Big Five", Italy automatically qualified to the final.
Italy participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Italian broadcaster RAI announced in June 2022 that the winning performer(s) of the Sanremo Music Festival 2023, later revealed to be Marco Mengoni with "Due vite", would earn the right to represent the nation at the contest.
"Solo noi" is a 1980 song composed and performed by Toto Cutugno. It won the 30th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival.
