ITALY 2026

The Italian act and song was confirmed on 1st March. The previous evening saw the completion of The annual Sanremo Festival (76º Festival della canzone Italiana) held from February 24th to 28th. On the final evening, the rankings of the radio jury, press jury and televote created a top 5. All vote segments were re-opened to find an overall winner. During the press conference the next morning, the winner of the festival confirmed they had accepted the invitation to represent Italy at Eurovision. Going to Vienna is Sal Da Vinci with "Per sempre sì" (Forever yes)

During the competition Sal was dressed very smartly in a a range of formal tailored suits. As per the Sanremo stage, he was flanked by the orchestra on both sides and, although he had no dancers, Sal would quite often start dancing with someone sat on the front row. The stage had flashing neon blue pillars to create a disco feeling as well as a good range of camera shots to create movement. Sal commands the stage very well considering he is the only one there. He also utilises a number of poses and arm movements to emphasise the meaning of the song. The entry, entirely in Italian, harks back to the Italian Disco scene of the 70s and is effectively a playful poetic take on wedding vows with a Neapolitan feel. This entry takes me back to the orchestral disco songs of the 70s and 80s such as Krøller eller ej, Telegram and Parlez-vous français? 

The song is already the right length, which helps with the transition from Sanremo to Eurovision. I could easily see the setting having dancers - either on the stage or on the screen - although I could also see him being alone, front and centre, captivating the audience with his personality. The song is a little dated, but that kind of gives it a memorability. This probably won't be rocking up the charts or scoreboard but the Italian public are proud of this song and what it means and doing well will be a bonus.

ARTIST -  Sal Da Vinci

SONG – Per sempre si

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – F. Abbate, A. La Cava, G. Cremona, E. Maimone, F. Mercuri, F. Sorrentino, S.M. Sorrentino