Sanremo 2026, led by Arisa, Fulminacci, Brancale, Ditonellapiaga and Fedez-Masini
The tribute to Pippo Baudo and the story through Mrs Gianna Pratesi on the first evening of the fifth festival directed by Carlo Conti
Arisa, Fulminacci, Serena Brancale, Ditonellapiaga and Fedez and Marco Masini. These, in random order, were the five Bigs in the lead at the end of the first evening of the Sanremo Festival, which saw all thirty artists of the main competition perform. Voting for them was the jury of the press room.
A festival that, rather than imagining the future, seems to want to re-read the past. And celebrate it. History is us, sang one who would not even be tied to Sanremo. History, according to Carlo Conti, is them: Pippo Baudo, the 105 years of Mrs Gianna Pratesi who voted in the 1946 Referendum and the Republic which, due to a mistake in the graphics, becomes "Repupplica". A national-popular story, ça va sans dire. The "most Baudian ever" Festival among the five directed by Conti thus opened with the voice of Pippo Baudo: the Ariston orchestra played a melody that turned into the musical theme Perché Sanremo è Sanremo as the stage lit up.
And Conti greets the family of the recordman of conduction of the national-popular kermesse par excellence, while the Ariston shouts: 'Pippo'. Then comes Olly, winner of the 2025 edition, who performs Balorda nostalgia, the song that enabled him to end the year at the top of the Fimi Niq singles and albums charts. Accompanying Conti on stage is Laura Pausini with actor Can Yaman, star of the RAI remake of Sandokan. What are the Turkish actor and the Romagna singer doing together? He makes her sing a Turkish song with a very high concentration of zeta.
For Pausini there is time for a vintage Rvm by the national Pippo. It is not the only tribute of the evening, because there is also one for the maestro Peppe Vessicchio, who drags along to the Ariston's standing ovation. There is an attempt to unite, as happens with the testimony of 105-year-old Gianna Pratesi, veteran of the Monarchy-Republic Referendum of 1946, she reveals: 'I voted Republic. In my house we were all of the Left'. The Ariston's graphics, meanwhile, mistakenly transform Republic into "Repupplica".
The most eagerly awaited musical guest is Tiziano Ferro, who first tries his hand at a medley of Ti scatterò una foto, La differenza tra te e me, Lo stadio and Perdono, then celebrates himself with the new single Sono un grande. It is a Riviera for his 25-year career, he is moved and, in the final greetings, he thanks Pausini: 'You always fool me,' he says to the co-host in tears. Then he makes an indecent proposal to Pausini for Sanremo 2027: 'Next year you and I together'. We can say, meanwhile, what was missing: comedy. Apart from the rather questionable imitation of Pausini by Vincenzo De Lucia, which would be in a different genre.
