Sanremo Festival: Chapter 1

As a child, one of the most awaited events was the Sanremo Song Festival!  I wished for it with a mixture of excitement, pleasure and curiosity...

Do remember that I lived in Montepulciano, a small, antique and chic town, but a town after all, where nothing ever happened, and by the end of the 60s... Internet was very far from existing in my life!

Anyway, I loved preparing my dolls for the big event, to sit them next to me in front of the TV set (which, obviously, was black & white). Beautiful night dresses and gowns were required. I loved it all... the music, the singers, the scandals...

Many decades have gone by now and I come across the Festival once more... I thought I have forgotten all about it... But I'm in Europe, and I've been to Italy the past couple of days, and EVERYONE there was taking about the big musical event of the peninsula! 

So I decided to take this week to enjoy this incredible kermess: a true symbol of my beloved Italy in 2010.

To begin with, Festival's nights, which used to be three, are now five.

The live broadcast lasts three hours minimum and has already shown princes (Emanuele-Philiberto de Savoia, already a winner of 2009 Dancing with the stars, is presenting with Tuscan singer Pupo and a tenor a lousy version of "Italia, amore mio," which, in case you don't know, is about the exile of the Savoia, ex kings of Italy), queens (yesterday's guest of honor was Queen Rania of Jordan, stunning in her black Armani Privé, who happily talked about her humanitarian work, relaxed and visibly in love with Italy), Susan Boyle (the talented English singer who's a complete success in spite of her looks) and even Dita Von Teese (the famous stripeuse presented a show in which she ended with an olive in a huge Martini glass, with almost no clothes on - but hey, not entirely naked... it's the RAI, remember?).

Dita Von Teese

Special Guest, Queen Rania of Jordan

And then, of course, there's the singers, all of whom present new songs to compete for the grand award of this year's Sanremo Festival, which celebrates its 60th edition. 

My personal favorite?

Malika Ayane. Lovely song. A true symbol of today's Italy. Her father's from Morocco and her mother's from Milano... When I was little it was enough to come from Naples to be considered a foreigner...

Thank God the World changes...

I must say something about the Festival's hostess: Antonella Clerici, a very blond, curvy Italian of 46, who used to have a daily cooking TV show around noon.

She moves very spontaneously around the huge stage (which no longer is black & white but instead very colorful and full of lights) and is not afraid to laugh at her own gaffes. 

I'll keep watching tonight and tell you all about it tomorrow...!

Malika Ayane's song