Agreement between municipality and RAI: the Festival stays in Sanremo
Agreement reached, putting an end to months of uncertainty and tense negotiations between the parties
3' min read
3' min read
The story continues: the Ariston can put on the party dress again and Sanremo remains the city of the Festival.
"After two days of fruitful and intense work, an agreement has been reached between the Municipality of Sanremo and RAI in the negotiation phase relating to the expression of interest aimed at identifying a partner for the organisation and broadcasting of the Italian Song Festival, which will therefore remain in the City of Flowers," Viale Mazzini announced in a note.
It might have been difficult for spectators to really imagine a Festival without Sanremo, yet the hypothesis was more concrete than expected. The tug-of-war was tough, with more than one moment when a farewell seemed inevitable. Yet, at the last metre, the compromise arrived: the agreement is closed. RAI and the City Council have signed an agreement that will ensure that the Festival will remain where it was born, in the theatre that for decades has become a piece of furniture of Italian pop culture.
A non-trivial negotiation, and not a foregone conclusion. The RAI, with the confidence of those who immediately felt they had the kermesse knife in their hands, let it slip that yes, after all, it could be done elsewhere. Sanremo, on the other hand, reminded that you cannot do Sanremo without Sanremo: the brand coincides with the place, like Champagne or Parmigiano. Moving it would make it something else.
It was a months-long tug of war, punctuated by sighs and veiled threats. Then, all of a sudden, the square with the agreement and a marriage that will not dissolve. The Ariston, a tiny and overloaded theatre, will continue to bear the unlikely weight of the country's most popular pop ritual.
