We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is Sanremo, which will take place on the 28th of February. Sanremo will select the Eurovision representative for Italy in Vienna.
Who is taking part in Sanremo 2026?
There are 30 artists taking part in Sanremo. The 30 artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| Arisa | “Magica favola” |
| Bambole di pezza | “Resta con me” |
| Chiello | “Ti penso sempre” |
| Dargen D’Amico | “AI AI” |
| Ditonellapiaga | “Che fastidio!” |
| Eddie Brock | “Avvoltoi” |
| Elettra Lamborghini | “Voilà” |
| Enrico Nigiotti | “Ogni volta che non so volare” |
| Ermal Meta | “Stella stellina” |
| Fedez and Marco Masini | “Male necessario” |
| Francesco Renga | “Il meglio di me” |
| Fulminacci | “Stupida sfortuna” |
| J-Ax | “Italia Starter Pack” |
| LDA and Aka 7even | “Poesie clandestine” |
| Leo Gassmann | “Naturale” |
| Levante | “Sei tu” |
| Luchè | “Labirinto” |
| Malika Ayane | “Animali notturni” |
| Mara Sattei | “Le cose che non sai di me” |
| Maria Antonietta and Colombre | “La felicità e basta” |
| Michele Bravi | “Prima o poi” |
| Nayt | “Prima che” |
| Patty Pravo | “Opera” |
| Raf | “Ora e per sempre” |
| Sal Da Vinci | “Per sempre sì” |
| Samurai Jay | “Ossessione” |
| Sayf | “Tu mi piaci tanto” |
| Serena Brancale | “Qui con me” |
| Tommaso Paradiso | “I romantici” |
| Tredici Pietro | “Uomo che cade” |
Who is our winner from Sanremo?
We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-[amount] ranking. 1 being our favourite, [amount] being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.
5th. Fulminacci – “Stupida sfortuna” (10.20):
4th. LDA and Aka 7even – “Poesie clandestine” (9.00):
3rd. Nayt – “Prima che” (8.80):
2nd. Ermal Meta – “Stella stellina” (6.40):
1st. Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio!” (4.00):
What did some of our team members have to say about Sanremo as a whole and our winner?
Kittens: The first few years I watched Sanremo there was so little for me, and then 2024 happened and there was so much for me. And now we are back to the point of me picking up crumbs. And I know some of that is personal taste, but also I can’t help but be a bit disappointed again at the lineup of songs this year. While some people will probably delight at the appearance of yet another sad Italian man singing a ballad (this is an attack on Euan specifically) I can’t get excited by that, or some of the more mid offerings that are basically a song from the Romanian selection (derogatory) with better production. The joy comes from Ditonellapiaga, Elettra Lamborgini (despite it being a bit of a disaster) and Sal Da Vinci, whereas Ermal Meta is a surprisingly catchy song given the subject matter. But I won’t be adding too many to my playlist, and I’ll still be wondering if Sanremo will get its groove back soon.
Sivi: As an Italian, I was incredibly excited for this year’s Sanremo, as I am every single year! Overall, I’ve found very few songs that I genuinely dislike, a solid number that are decent, and about a third that I’d consider truly great.
Looking ahead to Eurovision, there are definitely some strong contenders. However, unlike in recent years, I can’t seem to identify one entry that clearly stands out above the rest. The competition feels wide open and it makes me so excited!
Rory (Ditonellapiaga): Oh my god, is this song fresh! I absolutely adore this song and it’s funky feel but it still is incredibly contemporary. I loved Ditonellapiaga back in 2022 when she sang “Chimica”, but this is like the next level. I think maybe she could revamp the staging if she did accept the invitation to Vienna, but this song really quite strong, I would easily put this in contention to win the entire show. Italy, you have one job!
What is Sanremo?
Italy’s renowned Festival di Sanremo is, in many ways, the original Eurovision–the contest we know and love was modeled 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 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 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 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.
Who would you like to see represent [country] in Vienna? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2026!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Samantha / That Eurovision Site