The Sanremo Festival: An Italian Specialty
On Tuesday, the 74th edition of The Sanremo Festival will begin. The festival is the most watched musical event in Italy, as well as one of the main events in Italian television programming. Its origins date back to the years of the “economic boom” of the 1950s, when Italian society underwent significant modernization. Let’s go see its history, its evolution, and its significance in Italian society.
Angelina MangoTERENGHI/POOL SANREMO / IPA-AGENCY.NET
The Sanremo Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival, was established in 1951. It is held in the Ligurian town of Sanremo because the idea of organizing it came from the managers of the town’s Casino, who were looking for a way to boost tourism and attract customers. The Festival, which was born in the context of the social and cultural changes that affected Italy in the 1950s, is closely linked to television, which has broadcast almost every edition and turned it into the most important Italian music event. Over the years, the Festival has undergone profound changes, both in terms of organization and content.
Domenico Modugno performing “Nel blu dipinto di blu” at the Sanremo Festival. Via “Elle”, 2017.
Sanremo Casino and Music Festivals
The establishment of the Festival is linked to the presence in Sanremo of the Casino, founded in the early 1900s and officially recognized as a gambling hall in 1927. From the earliest years, the Casino organized concerts, dance parties, and theatrical performances, as was stipulated in the contract signed in January 1928 between the municipality of Sanremo and entrepreneur Luigi De Santis, owner of the Casino’s association. The events were attended by the middle and upper classes because a large part of the population could not afford to attend. However, the media, primarily the radio, which became widely established in the 1930s, carried national fashions, such as music, throughout the country.
Music Kermesses between Sanremo and Viareggio
The direct "predecessor" of the Sanremo Festival was a Neapolitan music kermesse, the “Festival Partenopeo di Canti, Tradizioni e Costumi” (Neapolitan Festival of Songs, Traditions and Customs), organized on the initiative of De Santis in the ballroom of the Casino from December 24, 1931, to January 1, 1932. The initiative was not repeated, but it remained in the memory of the people of Sanremo. Among the spectators was a floriculturist, Amilcare Rambaldi, who, after World War II, joined the committee charged with revitalizing the Casino. Rambaldi thought of reviving the music festival idea and in 1947 submitted the proposal to a radio host, Angelo Nizza. Sanremo, however, was beaten to the punch by Viareggio. In 1948 the first Italian Song Festival was organized in the Tuscan town of Viareggio, a summer event that was to "accompany" the beach season. The Viareggio Festival was also held in 1949 but was later suspended due to lack of funds.
On the right, Amilcare Rambaldi. Via “Club Tenco”.
The Birth of the Italian Song Festival
From Viareggio, the Festival moved to San Remo. In 1948, the management of the Casino was awarded to Pier Busseti, a Lombard entrepreneur who had attended the Viareggio Festival. Busseti thought of bringing the kermesse to Sanremo as part of a broader tourism strategy aimed at revitalizing the casino and the city. The entrepreneur submitted his idea to Rambaldi, Nizza, and Angelo Amato, director of the Casino. The group decided to hold the event in the winter period, in order to boost tourism in a season in which there was little of it, and found an agreement with RAI, the Italian state broadcasting service, to broadcast the event on radio. The first edition was held in January 1951. The festival, however, was very different from the present one. The kermis took place in the salon of the Casino, which was occupied by small tables at which clients chatted, often disinterested in the music. Moreover, although even then the rule was in place to submit only unreleased songs, the rules required that few singers perform all the songs. Only three performers participated in the first edition, Nilla Pizzi, Duo Fasano, and Achille Togliani, who tried their hand at performing twenty songs. The conduction was entrusted to Nunzio Filogamo, a famous radio presenter, known for the "dear friends near and far" greeting he addressed to listeners. The winner turned out to be Nilla Pizzi with the song “Grazie dei fiori”.
Nilla Pizzi, the winner of the first edition of the Sanremo Festival. Via “Blog Modapp”, 2019.
The Festival in a Changing Italy: Television and Success
Although the first edition had limited impact, the Festival appeared promising. The 1950s, in fact, was the period of the economic boom, which was a phase of growth and socio-cultural modernization, which brought Italians closer to national and "modern" events, such as music festivals, to a greater extent than in the past. During the decade, not surprisingly, singing kermesses were established in several Italian cities. The Sanremo Festival also met with greater success, especially as it allied itself with a medium destined for great fortune: television. In Italy, the television era began in January 1954, when RAI established the National Program (which became Rai Uno in 1983). In 1955, RAI broadcast the Festival live on television for the first time. The success was immediate. Television, in fact, was reaching more and more people: in the first years after broadcasting began, only a few households owned it, but people gathered in bars and clubs to watch the most popular programs, including the Sanremo Festival. The festival was one of the symbols of an Italy that was on its way to becoming a modern country. Thanks to the media, pop music became more widespread, and many songs presented at the Festival achieved great commercial success, entering the country's collective imagination. The Festival's success is also evidenced by the fact that in 1956 it served as a model for the establishment of the Eurovision Song Contest, the event organized by the European Radio Union and still in existence today.
Maneskin winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. Via “Starmag”, 2021.
The Evolution of the Festival
Over the years, the Festival has followed the evolution of Italian mentality and society. The songs presented in the first editions were set within the framework of "traditional" morality, but already by the end of the 1950s, lighter songs (“Papaveri e papere”, “Nel blu dipinto di blu”) became popular. In the following decade came new musical genres and new singers (the "screamers," according to the definition of the time, including Mina and Adriano Celentano) and the first songs that dwelt on political-social themes (such as “Proposta”, by the Giganti). Always prevailed, however, the "light" songs, which are still the most present and the most awarded. Over the years, the regulations have also changed. One of the most significant changes came in 1968, when it was established that each performer could perform only one song. The venue also changed: since 1977 the Festival moved to the Ariston Theater. RAI continued to follow the event and became its main organizer, although for some years (1963-80) it did not air the entire event, but only the final night.
Adriano Celentano, known for his provocative gestures, famously singing while not facing the audience in 1961. Via Wikipedia.
Sanremo is Not Just a Musical Event, But a Social One
The Festival can be considered the quintessential television event of Italy, so much so that over the decades its popularity has remained steadfast: but how does this show keep Italians so attached to its events? Beyond the music competition, Sanremo represents a highly relevant aggregative event for the Italian community: from a social point of view, these kinds of events are experienced as if they were a real shared ritual. The elements that make it so and act as "social glue" are:
The celebration of common values
The sharing of customs, current events, fashion, but also politics
The creation of closeness between people of the same generation, but also between different generations, who experience a moment of sharing
Sanremo represents to all intents and purposes a kind of public ceremony that responds to the need to identify oneself as part of the same present. Beyond everyday differences (interests, age, work, level of education, etc.), people feel a homogeneous whole, gather for a limited period of time, and feel part of something since the Festival per se lasts around 5 days. In order for the ritual to take place, places also change their guise as it unfolds. According to anthropologist Anderton, it is as if places take on a life of their own, reorganize themselves, and become almost "temporary" villages with "temporary" inhabitants, creating a kind of other dimension for a limited period of time. Once the ritual is over, just like at the end of a ceremony, one knows that one will disperse knowing that one will meet again at the next year's appointment. Metaphorically, this is somewhat what happens during the Festival. In fact, the Sanremo Festival is, itself, a socializing element: people gather to follow it live, they talk about it in the following days, and they comment on it during the evening itself. It creates groups, belonging, and those who do not follow it risk feeling excluded. It is no coincidence, in fact, that some people choose to follow it not so much out of interest in the event, but out of the need to feel similar, to feel being part of something.
Front page of Italian magazine “TV Sorrisi e Canzoni” with Roberto Benigni and Olimpia Carlisi, two of the presenters of the 1980 Sanremo Festival. Via “Bubino Blog”, 2016.
Active Public Participation in Sanremo
While music still remains in the foreground, we have seen that it is not the only reason why people follow this huge media event. Especially in recent years, the show has undergone a major change from an audience perspective. With the advent of social media, the Sanremo Festival has managed to get out of the television screen and has invaded social, web, and radio: to date, this is precisely the driving force behind the Festival. Indeed, these new channels have enabled active participation by the public, which has gone from being mere passive spectators to contributing to the creation of the evening itself. We can now express opinions live, interact, vote, and "make things happen" (think, for example, of the Fantasanremo, a type of fantasy football but where your players are the singers of the Festival. You get a certain amount of points if your “player” does something during the show). Sanremo, then, responds to that need for collective and shared experiences, creates cohesion, strengthens the sense of group, creates a sense of belonging. Music certainly remains the great protagonist, but it is not the only reason why 12 million Italians gather to watch the Festival.
Scandals & Gossips
The Sanremo Festival has a rich history of scandals and gossips, which have led to greater visibility and ratings. One of the first scandals occurred in 1957 when Claudio Villa spluttered a note during his performance of “Cancello tra le rose”, which caused a massive scandal in popular opinion. In 1959, Jula De Palma caused a stir with her overly sensual performance, even in her dress. In 1961, Adriano Celentano sang with his back to the audience, while Gino Paoli appeared on stage without a tuxedo (the first ever).
Singer Gino Paoli, the first-ever male singer to sing on stage without a tuxedo. Via “Mowmag”, 2023.
The following year, the suicide of singer-songwriter Luigi Tenco was the most shocking episode, as he wrote a letter accusing the organization of the event of exclusion. Further on, Anna Oxa, a young newcomer to the competition, in 1978 showed up in a dress suggested by fellow contestant Ivan Cattaneo, who was eccentric and punk. Another Festival “scandal” was the fake baby bump to simulate a pregnancy with which Loredana Bertè appeared while singing the song Re. In 1992, the well-known television heckler "Cavallo Pazzo" burst onto the stage during the evening's competition, shouting, "This Festival is rigged, Fausto Leali will win this year!". Spoiler: he didn’t. However, this episode sparked endless discussions throughout Italy. Furthermore, in 1995, a man named Pino Pagano attempted suicide live on national television on the Theater’s roof. Fortunately, the man survived with the help of that edition’s presenter, Pippo Baudo, and other security staff members.
Singer Anna Oxa at the 1978 Sanremo Festival. Via “Rai News”, 2023.
In recent times, there has been a resurgence of buzz about some clothes or "non-dresses," some newspapers will say. In 2012, Belen Rodriguez scandalized the public and critics by showing an intimate tattoo of a butterfly while coming down the famous stairs of the Ariston Theater. Social media went wild, fans went crazy, and the Festival share soared, making everyone happy. One of the most recent big Sanremo scandals was the live fight between the artists Bugo and Morgan, who sang a duet in 2020. After Morgan's umpteenth "artistic freedom," where he purposely changed the initial lyrics to their song, insulting Bugo, the latter artist left the stage without much explanation, and everything stopped. Amadeus, who was conducting, was blatantly embarrassed, but Fiorello, the co-presenter of that edition, took the stage and masked the incident with irony.
Morgan (left) continuing singing his altered lyrics and Bugo (right) leaving the stage. Via “Open”, 2020.
Last year, instead, it was the turn of the singer Blanco, who caused a stir when he started literally kicking the scenography made of roses for his performance of his song "The Island of Roses." The home audience did not appreciate this gesture, becoming the most talked about topic on all media, calling him rude and childish. The whole thing quickly became a meme, with Gianni Morandi, co-host of last year's edition, coming on stage with a broom, live, to help clean the stage. That same year, the singer Rosa Chemical went to the audience to bring on stage the singer Fedez who was sitting in the front row, who is also the husband of Chiara Ferragni, one of the guest presenters of last year’s edition. He went on to then kiss him on the mouth on live national television during the final night. This had caused quite a scandal in Italy in the following weeks, following also backstage videos of the couple fighting afterwards.
Fedez (left) and Rosa Chemical (right) during the final night of the 2023 Sanremo Festival. Via “Corriere della Sera”, 2023.
Italians have always loved the Festival of Sanremo; it is a certainty in Italian television and Italian households. An inter-generational phenomenon, something that is enjoyed by a 9-year-old but also by a 90-year-old, which has managed to evolve with the time it lives in. The Sanremo Festival is a moment of togetherness, of joy, and of carefreeness, and that’s the beauty of it all.
