The Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo (in English: Sanremo Italian song festival) is a popular Italian song contest, held annually in the city of Sanremo, in Italy, and consisting of a competition amongst previously unreleased songs.^[1] Usually referred to as Festival di Sanremo, or outside Italy as Sanremo Music Festival, it was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest.^[2]

The first edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, held between 29 and 31 January 1951, was broadcast by Rai Radio 1 and its only two participants were Nilla Pizzi and Achille Togliani.^[3] Starting from 1955 all the editions of the Festival have been broadcast live by the Italian TV station Rai 1.^[4][5]

From 1951 to 1976, the Festival took place in the Casinò di Sanremo, but starting from 1977, all the following editions were held in the Teatro Ariston,^[6] except 1990's one, held at the Nuovo Mercato dei Fiori.^[7]

Between 1953 and 1971, except in 1956, each song was sung twice by two different artists, each one using an individual orchestral arrangement, to illustrate the meaning of the festival as a composers' competition, not a singers' competition. During this era of the festival, it was custom that one version of the song was performed by a native Italian artist while the other version was performed by an international guest artist.^[8]

The festival has been used as the way of choosing the Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest from 1956 to 1966, in 1972, 1997^[9], 2011^[10] and 2012. It has also launched the careers of many very famous Italian singers, including Andrea Bocelli,^[11] Paola e Chiara, Giorgia,^[12] Laura Pausini,^[13] Eros Ramazzotti,^[14] and Gigliola Cinquetti.^[15]

Winners[link]

[edit] Big Artists section

1950s[link]

Domenico Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1966.

1960s[link]

Roberto Carlos won the Sanremo Music Festival with Sergio Endrigo in 1968.

1970s[link]

Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1970.

1980s[link]

Anna Oxa won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1989 with Fausto Leali, singing "Ti lascerò". She also won ten years later with "Senza pietà".

1990s[link]

Giorgia won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1995. In 2001, she took second place singing "Di sole e d'azzurro".

2000s[link]

Elisa debuted in the Sanremo Music Festival in 2001, when she won with the song "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)", co-written with Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero. It was her first Italian-language song.

2010s[link]

Emma Marrone, winner of the 2012 festival with her song "Non è l'inferno"

Newcomers section[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was the first winner of the Newcomers section, in 1984, with the song "Terra promessa". He also ranked first in the big section in 1986 with "Adesso tu".

1980s[link]

1990s[link]

Laura Pausini started her careen in 1993, when she won the Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival with "La solitudine".

Andrea Bocelli won the Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival in 1994 with "Il mare calmo della sera".

2000s[link]

Dolcenera won the Sanremo Music Festival in the Newcomers section in 2003, singing "Siamo tutti là fuori".

2010s[link]

Other sections[link]

Critics Award "Mia Martini"[link]

[edit] Big Artists section and Newcomers section

Mia Martini was the first winner of the Critics Award, in 1982. The Award was later entitled to her memory.

Fiorella Mannoia won the Critics Award in 1987 and in 1988.

Malika Ayane won the Critics Award in 2010, singing "Ricomincio da qui".

Raphael Gualazzi won the Critics Award in the Newcomers section in 2011, with the song "Follia d'amore".

Notable foreign duet singers[link]

Louis Armstrong participated in the festival in 1968.

Notable guest artists of that time were, among others:

• 1964: Peggy March, team partner of Claudio Villa with "Passo su passo", semi-finals only.^[117][118]
• 1965: Connie Francis, team partner of Gigliola Cinquetti with "Ho bisogno di vederti".^[119]
• 1965: Petula Clark, team partner of Betty Curtis with "Invece no".^[120]
• 1965: Dusty Springfield, team partner of Gianni Mascolo with "Di fronte all'amore", semi-finals only.^[120]
• 1966: Gene Pitney, team partner of Caterina Caselli with "Nessuno mi può giudicare".^[121]
• 1966: Pat Boone, team partner of Peppino Gagliardi with "Se tu non fossi qui"^[121]
• 1967: Dalida, team partner of Luigi Tenco with "Ciao, amore ciao", semi-finals only.^[122]
• 1968: Roberto Carlos, team partner of Sergio Endrigo with "Canzone per te" (winner).^[123]
• 1968: Bobbie Gentry, team partner of Al Bano with "La siepe".^[123]
• 1968: Dionne Warwick, team partner of Tony del Monaco with "La voce del silenzio".^[123]
• 1968: Louis Armstrong, team partner of Lara Saint Paul with "Mi va di cantare".^[123]
• 1968: Wilson Pickett, team partner of Fausto Leali with "Deborah".^[123]
• 1969: Mary Hopkin, team partner of Sergio Endrigo with "Lontano dagli occhi" (second place).^[124]
• 1969: Stevie Wonder, team partner of Gabriella Ferri with "Se tu ragazzo mio", semi-finals only.^[124]
• 1971: José Feliciano, team partner of Ricchi e Poveri with "Che sarà" (second place).^[125]

Hosts[link]

The first edition of the Sanremo Music Festival was hosted by Nunzio Filogamo. He also hosted the next three editions of the musical event. In 2003, Pippo Baudo hosted the festival for the eleventh time, matching the record previously held by Mike Bongiorno.^[126] He later overtook this record, hosting the Sanremo Music Festival in 2007 and in 2008.^[127]

This is the full list of the hosts of the festival:^[128]

• 1951 – Nunzio Filogamo
• 1952 – Nunzio Filogamo
• 1953 – Nunzio Filogamo
• 1954 – Nunzio Filogamo
• 1955 – Armando Pizzo, Maria Teresa Ruta
• 1956 – Fausto Tommei, Maria Teresa Ruta
• 1957 – Nunzio Filogamo, Marisa Allasio, Fiorella Mari
• 1958 – Gianni Agus, Fulvia Colombo
• 1959 – Enzo Tortora, Adriana Serra
• 1960 – Enza Sampò, Paolo Ferrari
• 1961 – Lilly Lembo, Giuliana Calandra
• 1962 – Renato Tagliani, Laura Efrikian, Vicky Ludovisi
• 1963 – Mike Bongiorno, Edy Campagnoli, Rossana Armani, Giuliana Copreni, Maria Giovannini
• 1964 – Mike Bongiorno, Giuliana Lojodice
• 1965 – Mike Bongiorno, Grazia Maria Spina
• 1966 – Mike Bongiorno, Paola Penni, Carla M. Puccini
• 1967 – Mike Bongiorno, Renata Mauro
• 1968 – Pippo Baudo, Luisa Rivelli
• 1969 – Nuccio Costa, Gabriella Farinon
• 1970 – Nuccio Costa, Enrico Maria Salerno, Ira Fürstenberg
• 1971 – Carlo Giuffrè, Elsa Martinelli
• 1972 – Mike Bongiorno, Sylva Koscina
• 1973 – Mike Bongiorno, Gabriella Farinon
• 1974 – Corrado, Gabriella Farinon
• 1975 – Mike Bongiorno, Sabina Ciuffini
• 1976 – Giancarlo Guardabassi
• 1977 – Mike Bongiorno, Maria Giovanna Elmi
• 1978 – Beppe Grillo, Maria Giovanna Elmi, Stefania Casini, Vittorio Salvetti
• 1979 – Mike Bongiorno, Annamaria Rizzoli
• 1980 – Claudio Cecchetto, Roberto Benigni, Olimpia Carlisi, Daniele Piombi
• 1981 – Claudio Cecchetto, Eleonora Vallone, Nilla Pizzi, Franco Solfiti
• 1982 – Claudio Cecchetto, Patrizia Rossetti, Daniele Piombi
• 1983 – Andrea Giordana, Emanuela Falcetti, Anna Pettinelli, Isabel Russinova, Daniele Piombi, Roberta Manfredi
• 1984 – Pippo Baudo, Elisabetta Gardini, Edy Angelillo, Viola Simoncini
• 1985 – Pippo Baudo, Patty Brard
• 1986 – Loretta Goggi, Anna Pettinelli, Sergio Mancinelli, Mauro Micheloni
• 1987 – Pippo Baudo, Carlo Massarini
• 1988 – Miguel Bosè, Gabriella Carlucci, Carlo Massarini, Kay Sandvik, Lara St.Paul, Memo Remigi
• 1989 – Rosita Celentano, Paola Dominguin, Danny Quinn, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Kay Sandvik, Ann Clare Matz
• 1990 – Johnny Dorelli, Gabriella Carlucci
• 1991 – Edwige Fenech, Andrea Occhipinti
• 1992 – Pippo Baudo, Milly Carlucci, Alba Parietti, Brigitte Nielsen^[129]
• 1993 – Pippo Baudo, Lorella Cuccarini
• 1994 – Pippo Baudo, Anna Oxa, Cannelle
• 1995 – Pippo Baudo, Anna Falchi, Claudia Koll
• 1996 – Pippo Baudo, Valeria Mazza, Sabrina Ferilli
• 1997 – Mike Bongiorno, Piero Chiambretti, Valeria Marini
• 1998 – Raimondo Vianello, Eva Herzigova, Veronica Pivetti
• 1999 – Fabio Fazio, Renato Dulbecco, Laetitia Casta
• 2000 – Fabio Fazio, Luciano Pavarotti, Teo Teocoli, Ines Sastre
• 2001 – Raffaella Carrà, Megan Gale, Enrico Papi, Massimo Ceccherini
• 2002 – Pippo Baudo, Manuela Arcuri, Vittoria Belvedere
• 2003 – Pippo Baudo, Serena Autieri, Claudia Gerini
• 2004 – Simona Ventura, Paola Cortellesi, Gene Gnocchi
• 2005 – Paolo Bonolis, Antonella Clerici, Federica Felini
• 2006 – Giorgio Panariello, Victoria Cabello, Ilary Blasi
• 2007 – Pippo Baudo, Michelle Hunziker
• 2008 – Pippo Baudo, Piero Chiambretti, Andrea Osvart, Bianca Guaccero
• 2009 – Paolo Bonolis, Luca Laurenti
• 2010 – Antonella Clerici
• 2011 – Gianni Morandi, Elisabetta Canalis, Belen Rodriguez, Luca Bizzarri, Paolo Kessisoglu
• 2012 – Gianni Morandi, Ivana Mrazova, Rocco Papaleo^[130]

Controversy[link]

Povia at the 2009 Sanremo Festival.

In 2009 the song "Luca era gay" (English: Luca Used to Be Gay), written and sung by Povia, was considered by some gay rights organizations as an anti-gay song.^[131] The controversy was also based on the name of the song's character: according to Aurelio Mancuso, president of the Arcigay, the name refers to Luca Tolvi, who claimed that Joseph Nicolosi cured his homosexuality.^[132] Povia denied this thesis and claimed that the song is about a man he met on a train, whose real name is Massimiliano.^[133] The song won second place in the Festival.^[134]

Trivia[link]

• The song "Perdere l'amore" was proposed in 1987 by Gianni Nazzaro and rejected in the preliminary song screening. A year later it was proposed by Massimo Ranieri and won the contest.^[135]

• In 1990 Patty Pravo turned down the opportunity to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival with "Donna con te", which was sung in the event by Anna Oxa.^[136]

• In 2007, the song "Bruci la città" was rejected in the screening, mainly as a decision of that year's artistic director Pippo Baudo, who later explained that the decision was due to the poor quality of the received demo.^[137] However, the song was later released by Irene Grandi and became one of her biggest hits.^[138]

See also[link]

• RAI
• Sanremo
• Sopot International Song Festival
• Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Festival di Sanremo

• Sanremo Music Festival - Official website
• Festivaldisanremo.com - Independent website on Sanremo Music Festival since 1998
• RAI - Official website
• City of Sanremo

Sanremo
—  Comune  —
Città di Sanremo
Panorama of Sanremo from the harbour
Sanremo Location of Sanremo in Italy
Coordinates: 43°49′N 7°47′E / 43.817°N 7.783°E / 43.817; 7.783Coordinates: 43°49′N 7°47′E / 43.817°N 7.783°E / 43.817; 7.783
Country	Italy
Region	Liguria
Province	Imperia (IM)
Frazioni	San Romolo, Poggio, Bussana, Bussana Vecchia, Coldirodi, Verezzo, San Bartolomeo, Gozo Superiore, Gozo Inferiore, Verezzo San Donato, Verezzo Sant'Antonio, San Giacomo, San Giovanni, Borello
Government
• Mayor	Maurizio Zoccarato
Area
• Total	54.7 km2 (21.1 sq mi)
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)
Population (30 April 2009)
• Total	56,864
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Demonym	Sanremesi or Sanremaschi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	18038
Dialing code	0184
Patron saint	Saint Romolo
Saint day	October 13
Website	Official website

Sanremo or San Remo^[1] (Sanrœmu in Ligurian) is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival and the Milan – San Remo cycling classic. The city is widely accepted as the origin of the five-card stud variant telesina.^[2]

Name[link]

The name of the city is a phonetic contraction of Sant'Eremo di San Romolo, which refers to Romulus of Genoa, the successor to Syrus of Genoa. In Ligurian, his name is San Rœmu. The spelling San Remo is on all ancient maps of Liguria, the ancient Republic of Genoa, Italy in the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Kingdom of Italy^{[citation needed]}. It was used in 1924 in official documents under Mussolini.

History[link]

Sanremo postcard from the 1920s.

Once the Roman settlement of Matutia'or Villa Matutiana, Sanremo expanded in the Early Middle Ages when the population moved to the high grounds. The nobility built a castle and the walled village of La Pigna to protect the town from Saracen raids.

At first subjected to the countship of Ventimiglia, the community later passed under the dominion of the Genoese bishops. In 1297 they sold it to the Doria and De Mari families. It became a free town in the second half of the 15th century, after which it expanded to the Pigna hill and at Saint Syrus Cathedral. The almost perfectly preserved old village remains.

Sanremo remained independent from Genoa for a long time. In 1753, after 20 years of fierce conflicts, it rose against the hegemonical attempts of the Genoese Republic. At that time the latter polity built the fortress of Santa Tecla, situated on the beach near the port. The fortress was used as a prison until 2002. It is now being transformed into a museum.

After the French domination and the Savoy restoration (1814), Sanremo was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Since the middle of the 18th century, the town grew rapidly, in part due to the development of tourism: the first grand hotels were built and the town extended along the coast. Notable people, such as the Empress Elisabeth of Austria "Sissi", Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, Alfred Nobel, and the writer Italo Calvino stayed here.

Economy[link]

Sanremo Municipal Casino.

Sanremo enjoys a Mediterranean climate and physically attractive setting on the seacoast--tourism is the main basis of its economy.

The Municipal Casino, built in 1905, is an example of liberty style building. The Ariston Theatre offers annual series of concerts, operas and theater plays. The Symphony Orchestra is one of twelve symphony orchestras recognized by the state of Italy; et performs some 120 concerts throughout the year, most in the Municipal Casino's Opera Theater.

Besides tourism, the city is active in the production of extra virgin-grade olive oil, whose regional "designation of origin" is protected (D.O.P., Denominazione di Origine Protetta). It is one of the agricultural commodities in western Liguria and in particular within the province of Imperia. Sanremo is known as the City of Flowers (la Cittá dei Fiori), this being another important aspect of the economy of the city. The nearby towns of Arma di Taggia, Bordighera and Ospedaletti are also involved in the cultivation of flowers for the international flower market of Sanremo.

Transportation[link]

Sanremo cable car advertising, 1937.

The city is connected to Genoa and to Ventimiglia, the border city with France, by the A10 motorway, whose last part is also known as the Autostrada dei Fiori ("Freeway of Flowers"). It has a large number of elevated sections with viaducts that give a panoramic view of the coast. The A10 Autostrada joins the French A8 autoroute at the border between Ventimiglia and Menton. Together these national routes are part of the European route E80. The A10 motorway is a toll road, and the A8 demands a toll in sections, and some sections are free of charge. Notably when travelling from Italy into France, there one does not pay until after the towns of Menton and Monaco.

The closest airport to Sanremo is in France, the Côte d'Azur International Airport airport in Nice, 75 minutes away by car or train. The railway connects the city to the other Ligurian cities like Imperia, Genoa and to Nice, Milan, Turin and Rome.

The railway line used to be along the coast, running close to the sea, and providing a view for travelers. The line has been moved further north and underground, which allows for faster trains; Sanremo railway station was relocated next to the City Hall. The city is refurbishing the area once occupied by the railway and converting it into a biking route and pedestrian area.

Other roads of importance are the SS1, the "Aurelia Bis", which connects Sanremo to Taggia. This is a non-toll bypass route. The coast road is the via Aurelia or SS1 and follows the route of a Roman road. This can be heavily congested when it passes through towns, as it has only one lane in either direction for most of way around Sanremo. A trolleybus line along the via Aurelia links Sanremo with both Taggia and Ventimiglia.

Climate[link]

Sanremo experiences a warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa).

Culture[link]

The Sanremo Music Festival[link]

The Ariston Theater hosts the celebrated annual Sanremo Music Festival, a very popular song contest held in the city since 1951. This festival inspired the Eurovision Song Contest, which started in 1956, and for years the Sanremo festival selected the Italian entry. The internationally notable song "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu", also known as "Volare", was performed at this festival for the first time by Domenico Modugno in 1958. The festival is so popular amongst Italians that it is often referred to simply as "Il Festival" (The Festival). Other events include the Tenco Prize (autumn), a song contest for authors dedicated to the memory of Luigi Tenco; the Flowers Parade in January/February in which every city of the Italian Riviera presents an original composition of flowers displayed on a Carnival/Mardi-Gras style moving car; and the summer Firework International Contest in the second week of August also called "Ferragosto".

Sports[link]

The Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition that was part of the FIA World Rally Championship from 1973 to 2003. It was replaced by Rally d'Italia Sardegna on the island of Sardinia, in hosting the Italian round of the WRC. Formerly a mixed surface event (tarmac and gravel), the rally has later been an all-tarmac event and takes place around the mountains. Sanremo is the finish of the classic Milan – San Remo cycle race (298 km), one of the five 'Monuments' of the cycling season. Milan – San Remo is traditionally held in March, and is one of the first major fixtures on the cycling season.

The main local football club was the U.S. Sanremese Calcio 1904 that has played also in Serie B and in Serie C.

Cuisine[link]

The culinary specialties of Sanremo and environs include Sardenara, Focaccia, Focaccia alle Cipolle, Torta Verde, Farinata and Tallesca olives.

Notable people[link]

• The Venerable Giorgio Baldassarre Oppezzi, a monk who died in 1525, and whose body was later discovered to be incorrupt, is buried here in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
• Maria Alexandrovna, consort of Alexander II of Russia, spent the winter of 1874 in Sanremo and as a gift to the city she donated the palms along the seaside walk of Corso Imperatrice (Empress Avenue).
• Italian-American mobster friend of Jimmy Burke, "Remo", whose name was derived from the city.
• Alfred Nobel bought a villa in Sanremo in 1891 and died there in 1896. Since 2002 it has housed a permanent exhibit on the most important discoveries of the 19th century including the research interests of Nobel himself. Sanremo continues to maintain its ties with Nobel, long after his death. Each 10 December large quantities of flowers sent by the province of Imperia, the city of Sanremo and the Board for Tourist Promotion of the Riviera dei fiori adorn the annual Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and Banquet in Stockholm.
• Italian writer Italo Calvino spent his youth in Sanremo and many of his novels, including Il Barone Rampante are reminiscent of his attachment to the city.
• Edward Lear, artist, illustrator and writer known for his nonsense poetry and limericks, lived and died in Sanremo. His tombstone is in the Foce Cemetery.
• The Italian actor and comedian Carlo Dapporto was born in Sanremo and became a household name in post-war Italy.
• The Sicilian playwright and Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello lived in Sanremo in 1933-34 and was appointed artistic director of the Casino.
• The writer Tobias Smollett stayed a few days in Sanremo in 1765 and described it thus: "St. Remo is a pretty considerable town, well-built upon the declivity of a gently rolling hill...There is very little plain ground in this neighbourhood; but the hills are covered with oranges, lemons, pomegranates and olives....The women of St. Remo are much more handsome and better tempered than those of Provence." Travels through France and Italy (1766)
• Italian director and cinematographer Mario Bava was born in Sanremo in 1914.
• Italian-born sculptor Giuseppe Moretti lived in Sanremo in his final years and died here in February 1935. Moretti designed the world's largest cast iron statue, of the Roman god Vulcan (56 ft or 17 m), which stands atop Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama (USA). The statue is the symbol of the city.
• Italian progressive-impressionist painter Demetrio (Dino) Rosa lived in Sanremo during his youth and part of his adult live.
• Mehmed VI, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, died in Sanremo on May 16, 1926.
• Juan Manuel Fangio won his first European Grand Prix in Sanremo-Ospedaletti in 1949.
• Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia from 1907 to 1909, died in Sanremo on April 5, 1925.
• Alex Liddi, who was born in Sanremo, became the first native Italian to play Major League Baseball, in 2011 with the Seattle Mariners.

Notable events[link]

The Sanremo conference, 19–26 April 1920, of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council determined the allocation of Class "A" League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East by the victorious powers. The most notable of these was the British Mandate of Palestine.

Sanremo is the home of International Institute of Humanitarian Law, the most notable institute in courses about refugees and international humanitarian law.

Sanremo hosts an annual poker tournament as part of the European Poker Tour.

International relations[link]

Twin towns — Sister cities[link]

Sanremo is twinned with:

• Atami, Japan, since 1976
• Helsingør, Denmark
• Karlskoga, Sweden
• Budva, Montenegro

See also[link]

• Sanremo railway station
• U.S. Sanremese Calcio
• Sanremo Festival

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

• (Italian) Sanremo official website
• (Italian) Sanremo Festival
• (Italian) Saint Sirus's Cathedral
• (Italian) Video and events from Sanremo
• (Italian) New Sanremo cycle path
• (Italian) Sanremo images - old port and sanctuary
• (English) All about the events in Sanremo

M.I.A. performing at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.

Music festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines, performance art, and social activities. The Pythian Games at Delphi included musical performances, and may be one of the earliest festivals known.^[1] During the Middle Ages festivals were often held as competitions.

Many festivals are annual, or repeat at some other interval. Some, including many rock festivals, are held only once. Some festivals are organized as for-profit concerts and others are benefits for a specific cause.

Another type of music festival is the educative type, organised annually in local communities, regionally or nationally, for the benefit of amateur musicians of all ages and grades of achievement. While entrants perform prepared pieces in the presence of an audience which includes competitors, the essential feature of this type of festival is that each participant receives verbal and written feedback, there and then, from a highly qualified, professional adjudicator — someone whom they might never meet in any other way. They also usually receive a certificate, classified according to merit, and some may win trophies. The competitive element is often played down, however, as the important aspect is that participants can learn from one another. Such festivals aim to provide a friendly and supportive platform for musicians to share in the excitement of making music. For many they provide a bridge between lessons & examinations and performing confidently in public.

The world's largest music festival is Summerfest, which is held for eleven days every year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Each year, it attracts between 800,000 and 1,000,000 spectators. The Woodstock Festival in 1969 drew nearly 500,000 attendees, and the Polish spin-off Przystanek Woodstock drew 700,000 in 2011. The oldest annual Music Festival in the world is Pinkpop Festival from the Netherlands.

Lists of music festivals[link]

Lists of music festivals in:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Caribbean
• Germany
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Malawi
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Romania
• South Korea
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

Lists of music festivals by genre:

• List of jazz festivals
• List of metal festivals
• List of rock and DJ festivals

See also[link]

• Christian music festival

References[link]

External links[link]

Gigliola Cinquetti (born 20 December 1947, Verona, Veneto) is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.

Biography[link]

At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" ("I'm Not Old Enough"), with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri. Her victory enabled her to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 with the same song, and she went on to claim her country's first ever victory in the event. This became an international success, even entering UK Singles Chart,^[1] traditionally unusual for Italian material. It sold over three million copies, and was awarded a platinum disc in August 1964.^[2] In 1966, she recorded "Dio, come ti amo" ("God, How I Love You"), which became another worldwide hit.^{[citation needed]}

In 1974 Gigliola Cinquetti entered the Eurovision Song Contest again, which was held in Brighton, Sussex, England. The song was called "Go [Before You Break My Heart]", which came 2nd, only to Swedish foursome Abba with their song "Waterloo". Gigliola Cinquetti scored an even bigger UK hit single than she had ten years earlier, with "Go" peaking at #8.

Sanremo performances[link]

In the following occasions, Gigliola Cinquetti performed at the Sanremo Music Festival

• 1964 "Non ho l'età (Per amarti)" - coupled with Patricia Carli
• 1965 "Ho bisogno di vederti" - coupled with Connie Francis
• 1966 "Dio come ti amo" - coupled with Domenico Modugno
• 1968 "Sera" - coupled with Giuliana Valci
• 1969 "La pioggia" - coupled with France Gall
• 1970 "Romantico blues" coupled with Bobby Solo
• 1971 "Rose nel buio" - coupled with Ray Conniff
• 1972 "Gira l'amore (Caro bebè)"
• 1973 "Mistero"
• 1985 "Chiamalo amore"'
• 1989 "Ciao"
• 1995 "Giovane vecchio cuore"

Censored in 1974[link]

She returned to fame in Eurovision Song Contest 1974, again representing Italy. Performing the song "Sì" ("Yes"), the music and lyrics of which were written by Mario Panzeri, Daniele Pace, Lorenzo Pilat and Carrado Conti, she finished second behind "Waterloo", sung by Sweden's ABBA.

According to author and historian, John Kennedy O'Connor's, The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, the live telecast of her song was banned in her home country by the Italian national broadcaster RAI, as the event partially coincided with the campaigning for the 1974 Italian referendum on divorce which was held a month later in May.^[3]

RAI censored the song because of concerns that the name and lyrics of the song (which constantly repeated the word 'Sì') could be accused of being a subliminal message and a form of propaganda to influence the Italian voting public to vote 'Yes' in the referendum.^[4] The song remained censored on most Italian state TV and radio stations for over a month.

An English language version of the song, "Go (Before You Break My Heart)", reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1974.^[1][5]

Later career[link]

One of her other songs, "Alle Porte del Sole" (released in 1973), was re-recorded in English (as "Door of the Sun") and Italian by Al Martino, two years after its initial release, and reached #17 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the United States. Cinquetti's own English version of the song was released as a single by CBS Records in August 1974, with her original 1973 Italian version on the B-side.

Cinquetti went on to co-host the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 with Toto Cutugno, who had brought the event to Italy with his victory in Zagreb the previous year - the country's first win in the contest since her own twenty-six years earlier.

In the 1990s she became a professional journalist and TV presenter, and she currently hosts the current affairs programme Italia Rai on RAI International.

Selected discography[link]

Single A-sides[link]

• "Non ho l'età" (1964)
• "Dio, come ti amo" (1966)
• "Alle porte del sole" (1973)
• "Sì" (1974)

See also[link]

• Sanremo Music Festival
• Eurovision Song Contest
• Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
• Eurovision Song Contest 1974
• Sì (song)

See also[link]

• List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gigliola Cinquetti at the Internet Movie Database
• Gigliola Cinquetti Videos grattia.com
• Russian page about Gigliola Cinquetti

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann with "Dansevise"	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1964	Succeeded by France Gall with "Poupée de cire, poupée de son"
Preceded by Emilio Pericoli with "Uno per tutte	Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964	Succeeded by Bobby Solo with "Se piangi, se ridi"
Preceded by Massimo Ranieri with "Chi sarà con te"	Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974	Succeeded by Wess and Dori Ghezzi with "Era"
Preceded by Helga Vlahović and Oliver Mlakar	Eurovision Song Contest presenter (with Toto Cutugno) 1991	Succeeded by Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger