“Because Sanremo is Sanremo”: The Italian Music Festival Celebrates its 72nd Edition

As usual, the Ariston Theater was the setting for the seventy-second Sanremo Festival from 1st to 5th February 2022. Presented by Amadeus for the third year running, the most awaited musical event of the year saw a live audience return, and proved to be a sensational success, as demonstrated by its record ratings.

Sanremo, as we know, has the power to unite generations and thrill spectators by focussing on music. It is the most anticipated singing event of the Italian winter, waking up the country after a year of long hibernation: entertainment, comic sketches, special guests and, of course, lots of music. If you are among the millions of Italians who follow the Festival devotedly, enjoying the performances of the singers in the competition, you will be thrilled with this auction that gives you the chance to win some objects donated by Sanremo 2022 artists in support of the San Donato group.

Back to normal?

Sanremo 2022 was not the usual Festival. After the 2021 edition which was held behind closed doors due to the pandemic, Italy's most loved singing event returned in 2022 with open doors, as a symbol of liberation, rebirth and hope. Between songs, great artists, gossip, scandal, and a monumental Amadeus, this year the Festival has given us an air of rediscovered normality.

The Sanremo week welcomed the general public in attendance and kept millions of Italians glued to the screen for five days of music. It was a winning formula that attracted the attention of every generation and aroused a lot of interest also on an international level. For RAI, the Festival proved to be yet another success in terms of audience ratings and advertising revenues.

The best of the Festival

The 72nd edition of the Sanremo Festival saw Mahmood and Blanco triumphing with the song “Shivers” just ahead of Elisa with “Or maybe it's you”, and Gianni Morandi, with “Open all doors”. An ode to the freedom to love, the duet that won the competition made Ariston and the whole world fall in love. Elisa, in second place, was awarded for the best musical composition, Gianni Morandi, in third, received the prize of the press room.

Among the most listened to songs of Sanremo 2022, many have conquered the hearts of Italians and have been listened to in loop by millions of listeners, especially during Sanremo week and in the days immediately afterwards. This is the case of “Wherever you will be” by Irama, “Ciao ciao” by La Representative of List, “Insuperabile” by Rkomi and “Farfalle” by Sangiovanni. More than any other year, this edition has made the new musical panorama coexist with the great names of Italian music. Amadeus, in fact, specifically asked for legends of past generations alongside the younger artists, such as Iva Zanicchi, Massimo Ranieri and Donatella Rettore .

All crazy for FantaSanremo

For a long time, Sanremo was labeled by young people as a show for old people. Now, however, they are the ones who fuel the success of the Festival. During the last two editions, FantaSanremo has contributed to the growth of this trend, winning over a very young audience. This phenomenon was born online and, in a short time, it went viral.

Thousands of Italians, starting with a budget of 100 "baudi" (the official game currency inspired by Pippo Baudo, one of the longest-lived presenters of the Festival), have created their teams to try to win a (symbolic) victory at the end of the five days of music. The FantaSanremo entertained both the participants and the singers in the competition thanks to the particular mechanism of bonuses and claims (some of which are really bizarre). An alternative way of following the Festival, established for fun in a bar in the Marche and which, with all probability, is destined to become a fixed appointment for future editions.