Italian artist Achille Lauro is set to return to the Festival di Sanremo stage in a new role, as he has been confirmed as one of the co-hosts for the 2026 edition of the iconic music festival.
A Familiar Face at Sanremo
RAI announced that Achille Lauro will co-host the second evening of Festival di Sanremo 2026, which will take place at the Teatro Ariston later this February. This marks the first time the singer will appear at the festival as a presenter rather than a competing artist.
Achille Lauro has been a regular presence at Sanremo in recent years. He last competed in 2025 with “Incoscienti giovani”, finishing seventh overall in the final standings. His previous participations have often drawn attention for their strong visual identity and theatrical performances.
Beyond Sanremo, Lauro is also known to Eurovision fans after representing San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with “Stripper”, qualifying for the Grand Final and finishing 14th overall.
How Sanremo 2026 will work
Sanremo 2026 keeps its classic five-night format:
- Night 1 (Tuesday):
All 30 artists perform their songs for the first time.
- Night 2 (Wednesday):
Half of the lineup returns to the stage. The remaining 15 perform the next night. Nuove Proposte battles begin.
- Night 3 (Thursday):
The other 15 artists perform while the Nuove Proposte final happens.
- Night 4 – Cover Night (Friday):
Each artist performs an Italian or international cover released before 31 December 2025, joined by a guest performer. The Cover Night does not influence the final ranking.
- Night 5 – Final (Saturday):
All 30 big artists perform again, the ranking narrows to a Superfinal, and the overall winner of Sanremo 2026 is crowned!
As confirmed in the Festival rulebook, the studio versions of all songs will be released on 25 February at 00:00 CET, right after every artist has performed their entry during the first night.
Sanremo 2026 will take place later than usual, running from 24 to 28 February, as RAI adjusted the schedule to avoid overlapping with the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics earlier in the month.
About San Remo
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 revitalise the city of Sanremo’s economy and reputation after the Second World War, and has since 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. 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 has 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 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 2025 was “Volevo essere un duro” by Lucio Corsi. At the close of voting, Italy scored a total of 256 points in the Eurovision 2025 Grand Final, placing 5th. Of these, 159 points came from the juries, whilst the remaining 97 points came from the televote.
Are you excited to see Achille Lauro back to Sanremo stage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow That Eurovision Site on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Tumblr, and Bluesky for all the latest updates on Sanremo and Eurovision 2026!
News Source: RAI
Photo Credit: Andrea Bianchera
Euan T