Rai have confirmed that Carlo Conti will also return to hosting the next two editions of the contest, taking over from Amadeus, who oversaw the last five festivals.
Who is Carlo Conti?
Conti, who hails from Florence, is best known for hosting three editions of Sanremo between 2015 and 2017, but has been active in the media since the 1980s, starting out as a regional radio presenter, before moving into TV, hosting the musical show Discoring.
He would go onto host shows such as Aria Fresca, L’eredità and Domenica In, accumulating a stacked resume as both a presenter and artistic director, with Miss Italia and Zecchino d’oro also amongst his work.
In 2003 he was awarded the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Italy’s highest civil honour, and in 2011 the asteroid 78535 Carloconti was named in his honour.
What is Sanremo?
Italy’s renowned Festival di Sanremo is, in many ways, the original Eurovision–the contest we know and love was modelled after it, after all! First broadcast in 1951, it is the longest-running annual TV music competition in the world.
Sanremo was developed as a way to revitalize the city of Sanremo’s economy and reputation after the Second World War, and then split into two smaller contests: the “Big Artists” section, whose winner gets first refusal to represent Italy in Eurovision, and the “Newcomers” section, first included in 1984. For the past three contests, the Newcomers section was replaced with “Sanremo Giovani” acting as a prequalifying format. Scores are determined through public voting and two groups of juries, and the festival takes place across five nights.
Italy’s Eurovision Journey
Italy has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since the very beginning and have always been considered a powerhouse in the contest. The country has won the contest on three occasions in 1964, 1990 and 2021. Italy withdrew after 1997, returning again in 2011 with Raphael Gualazzi who sang ‘Madness Of Love’. Raphael placed second in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest after scoring 189 points.
Italy’s most recent entry in 2024 was “La Noia” by Angelina Mango. At the close of voting, Italy scored a total of 268 points in the Eurovision 2024 Grand Final, placing 7th. Of these, 164 points came from the juries, whilst the remaining 104 points came from the televote.
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News Source – RAI
Photo Credit – RAI
Rory Gannon 
Giwrgos Oiko