Italy: Ditonellapiaga and Tonypitony win Sanremo 2026 Cover Night
Tonight was cover night for Sanremo 2026, where all artists a cover song of their choice alongside a singer of their choice. After all 30 acts went and the votes were counted, Ditonellapiaga would win Cover Night together with Tonypitony with their cover of "The lady is a tramp"
È arrivata la serata cover!
Tonight, the infamous Cover Night for the 2026 edition of Festival di Sanremo was held. All 30 acts prepared a cover of a song of their choosing to perform alongside a special guest of their choice.
Once all the acts took to the stage, a vote was cast to determine who would rise to the top of Cover Night. Voting to determine the winner was split three ways: 33% radio jury, 33% press jury (TV, online media), and 34% public vote.
When the scores came in, it was Ditonellapiaga awarded the victory with their cover of "The lady is a tramp", alongside Tonypitony.
Sanremo 2026 – 4th night
Lineup
Though Ditonellapiaga won Cover Night, it should be noted that the results tonight do not affect the scores for the ultimate winner or any placement of Sanremo 2026.
We saw less interval acts tonight due to there being 30 cover performances, but the interval acts sure made the show even better.
At the Suzuki Stage tonight was Francesco Gabbani with a mesmerizing performance of his Sanremo 2025 song "Viva la vita".
Costa Toscana presents us for a fourth night, Max Pezzali, in yet another captivating performance, tonight with 'Gli anni', the hit from 883 from the 90's.
Tomorrow is Night 5, the final night of Sanremo 2026. All 30 acts will take the stage one last time to perform their songs. The top five will be revealed (all scores combined from Nights 1, 2, 3, and 5), and they will head to a Superfinal. The winner will be determined via a new round of voting, consisting of a split between 33% radio jury, 33% press jury (TV, online media), and 34% public vote. The act with the most points will take home the Sanremo 2026 crown, a place in Sanremo history, and be presented the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision 2026 this May in Vienna.
Sanremo 2026
This year marks the 76th edition of Festival di Sanremo. There will be five shows across five nights, all hosted by Artistic Director Carlo Conti, alongside Laura Pausini from the Teatro Artison in Sanremo, Liguria, Italy. 30 songs are taking part in Sanremo 2026.
Night 1 - Tuesday, 24 February:
All 30 acts took the stage to perform their song. The top 5 of Night 1 was released in a random order. Vote determined via 100% press jury (TV, online media). Co-host: Can Yaman.
Night 2 - Wednesday, 25 February:
15 artists performed their songs again. The top 5 of Night 2 was revealed in a random order. Vote determined via 50% radio jury, 50% televote. Co-host: Achille Lauro
Night 3 - Thursday, 26 February:
The remaining 15 artists performed their songs again. The top 5 of Night 3 were revealed in a random order. Vote determined via 50% radio jury, 50% televote.
Night 4 - Friday, 27 February:
Cover Night! All 30 artists performed a cover of their choice, either solo or alongside another singer. The winning cover song was announced at the end of the night (results separate from actual Sanremo winner). Vote determined via 33% radio jury, 33% press jury (TV, online media), 34% televote.
Night 5 - Saturday, 28 February:
L'ultima notte! All 30 acts perform again with the top 5 (totaled from Nights 1, 2, 3, & 5) will advance to the Superfinal. One of the acts in the Superfinal will take home the Sanremo 2026 crown, and the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision 2026. Vote determined via 33% radio jury, 33% press jury (TV, online media), 34% televote.
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
Italy has participated in 50 Eurovision contests. They have won three times:
- 1964: Gigliola Cinquetti – Non ho l'età
- 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.
