Italy: Sanremo 2024 participants revealed

After months of speculation, the wait is finally over and we are now able to see who is in the running to represent Italy on the Eurovision stage next year after Marco Mengoni's 4th place finish earlier this year with "Due vite."

It has been unveiled by RAI (the Italian Broadcaster) that 30 artists will be competing for a ticket to Malmö in May, and among those are some familiar faces. As of now, 27 acts have been announced. The big acts:

4 former Eurovision participants

Many of the 27 announced participants in Sanremo 2024 have competed in the contest in the past (Big Artists section / Sezione Campioni). Four of them are former Eurovision representatives:

Sanremo 2024

Next year's Festival di Sanremo will feature five live shows, all hosted by Amadeus together with various co-hosts:

• Tuesday, 6 February

During the first night, all songs will be performed. On the first night, only the press jury will vote (TV jury and online jury). Co-host: Marco Mengoni (Italy 2013 and 2023).

• Wednesday, 7 February

On the second night, half of the songs up for competition will be performed and judged by 50% radio jury and 50% public voting. Co-host: Giorgia.

• Thursday, 8 February

The remaining songs will be performed. The voting method will be the same as Wednesday. Co-host: Teresa Mannino.

• Friday, 9 February

Each of the 30 artists will perform a cover of another song. The artists can perform the song solo or together with an acclaimed Italian or international guest artist. Co-host: Lorella Cuccarini.

• Saturday, 10 February

The 30 songs will be performed one last time this Saturday. Public voting from the 5th night, combined with the results from the previous nights, will select five songs for the Superfinal. Here, the voting will be split between public voting (34%), the press jury (33%), and the radio jury (33%). The winner will have the option to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Co-host: Fiorello.

Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest

Italy has participated in 48 Eurovision contests. They have won three times:

• 1964: Gigliola Cinquetti – Non Ho L'étà
• 1990: Toto Cutugno – Insieme: 1992
• 2021: Måneskin – Zitti e buoni

Their worst result came in 1966, when they finished last.

Italy's most well-known song is "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu," better known as "Volare" from 1958. It is also the most covered Eurovision Song Contest song ever. The song has been covered by famous stars such as Dean Martin, Cliff Richard, David Bowie, and many more.

Italy took a long pause from the Eurovision Song Contest between 1998 and 2010. Since then, Italy has been a "Big-5" country, which means they don't have to go through the Semi-final round and are automatically qualified for the Grand Final.