As infallible as the sun rising in the morning or the city traffic at five in the afternoon, Sanremo Music Festival has begun in 2021 as well.
This year also the Festival, in its unique and special edition due to the COVID-19, has to respect like all of us the restrictions imposed by the pandemic: no public to occupy the red armchairs of the Ariston Theatre, artists and professionals obliged to comply with stringent safety measures. This is the context in which every evening, until next Saturday 6 March, the most famous singers and new proposals will compete on stage, under the direction of Amadeus and Fiorello.
Loved, hated, praised and discussed: certainly, at the Sanremo Festival it is difficult to remain indifferent. Italians know this well, even those who by choice or necessity do not follow it: for days we talk about nothing else, on television as on social media or in newspapers.
What many ignore, however, is that the Festival also crosses the borders of the Bel Paese – thanks to Rai Italia, the Rai channel dedicated to Italians abroad – helping to bring a taste of Italianness around the world. Visible in America, Africa, Asia and Australia, RAI Italy proposes to over 20 million Italians living abroad replicas and dedicated programs, representing for many, especially those who grew up in Italy, a way to keep alive the link with their origins.
Sanremo Music Festival is followed by “L’Italia con voi”, a program that is broadcast daily. From the Delle Vittorie Theatre in Rome, during the breaks of the live broadcast of Rai Uno, the hosts Monica Marangoni and Stefano Palatresi welcome famous guests into the studio, connect with the Ariston Theatre and with Italians abroad, commenting live on what happens on stage.
After all, the Festival has always fascinated even outside Italy, helping to export Italian music to the world and inspiring more or less successful imitations: from the famous and very popular Eurovision Song Contest, the most watched non-sporting event in the world, to lesser-known spin-offs in Norway, Spain and Chile, to events between folkloric and parody such as Shanremo, the Italian Music Festival in Shanghai.
In short, Sanremo confirms once again that Italian creativity at least does not go unnoticed.
