Partecipanti al Festival di Sanremo | Sanremo Music Festival Participants

Created by ⰍⰓⰀⰔⰑⰎⰑⰂ on 08 May 2023
Partecipanti al Festival di Sanremo | Sanremo Music Festival Participants

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather in one place all collections dedicated to separate participants' entries at the Sanremo Music Festival throughout the years. It is not meant to be exhaustive (for that purpose you can consult this Wikipedia article – only in Italian for the moment – and any artist's page), but it will be updated. With that being said, I am not planning on creating collections for as many artists as possible – just for the ones I'm personally interested in. Therefore, if anyone else wants to take the initiative and make this collection richer, make sure to write a comment below containing a link to any new collections. All artists in here will be sorted alphabetically.

Other Sanremo-related collections:

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Total number of participations as of 2023: 15
Victories: 2 (bolded out)

1978 – Un'emozione da poco
1982 – Io no
1984 – Non scendo
1985 – A lei
1986 – È tutto un attimo
1988 – Quando nasce un amore
1989Ti lascerò
1990 – Donna con te
1997 – Storie
1999Senza pietà
2001 – L'eterno movimento
2003 – Cambierò
2006 – Processo a me stessa
2011 – La mia anima d'uomo
2023 – Sali (Canto dell'anima)

The Italian singer Anna Oxa (born on the 28th of April 1961 in Bari) began her career by making her debut at the popular Sanremo Music Festival with the song Un'emozione da poco ("A Shortlived Emotion") at the age of 17. One of the Italian artists with the most participations at the event, she is well-known for her eccentric appearances, some of which have caused some controversy for their time.

As of 2023, she has participated 15 times in total. Her latest entry to date is from 2023 with which she joined the top 5 of Italian artists with the most participations at the festival, the other four being Al Bano, Peppino di Capri, Toto Cutugno and Milva, all of whom have the same amount of entries as of 2023.

Her most active Sanremo period was in the 1980s when she was present almost every year. As of 2023, she has won two editions:

Thanks to their victory in 1989, Oxa and Leali represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Content later that same year, but with a different song – Avrei voluto ("I Wanted"). Despite her solo victory in 1999, however, she wasn't able to represent her country at the contest due to Italy's withdrawal from it the year prior which lasted up until 2010.

In 1994, she co-hosted the festival's 44th edition alongside Pippo Baudo and Cannelle.

Side note: From what I've read over the years, there may have been a few songs that weren't admitted to the festival. I've never found any trustworthy sources confirming or denying this (as is the case usually with every year's edition), but in any case, the songs in question are: Navigando ("Sailing", 1983) and Chissà ("Who Knows", 1998).

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

16 items

Total number of participations as of 2025: 11 (5 with Matia Bazar, 6 as a solo performer)
Victories: 1 (1 with Matia Bazar, bolded out, 0 as a solo performer)

As a member of Matia Bazar:
1977 – Ma perché
1978…e dirsi ciao
1983 – Vacanze romane
1985 – Souvenir
1988 – La prima stella della sera

As a solo performer:
1998 – Amore lontanissimo
1999 – Non ti dimentico
2003 – Di un amore
2005 – Echi d'infinito
2007 – Canzone fra le guerre
2014 – Da lontano and Quando balliamo

The Italian singer-songwriter Antonella Ruggiero (pronounced [antoˈnɛlla rudˈd͡ʒɛːro]; born on the 15th of November 1952 in Genoa) began her career in 1974 as a solo and background singer for a short period, then in 1975 joined the band Matia Bazar of which she was the main vocalist until 1989.

As of 2025, she has participated 11 times in total: 5 times with Matia Bazar, winning once in 1978, and 6 times as a solo performer, but without a victory yet. Her latest entry was in 2014.

The band made its debut at the festival in 1977 with Ma perché ("But Why"), reaching the finals, and won in 1978 with …e dirsi ciao ("…And Tell Each Other Goodbye/Hello"1). The songs Vacanze romane ("Roman Holiday", 1983) and Souvenir (1985), although placed 4th and 10th respectively, received the Critics' Award of the festival.

Almost a decade after leaving Matia Bazar in 1989, Ruggiero made her solo debut at the festival in 1998 with Amore lontanissimo ("My Distant Love") and got placed second behind Annalisa Minetti with Senza te o con te ("Without You or with You"). She kept the same placement next year as well – behind Anna Oxa with Senza pietà ("Without Mercy") – presenting Non ti dimentico ("I Won't Forget You"). Both of these entries remain her best placements to date.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place, including those with Matia Bazar. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of a live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

  • 1. Both meanings are used in the context of the lyrics.

14 items

Total number of participations as of 2023: 9
Victories: 0

1982 – Una sporca poesia
1983 – Oramai
1984 – Non voglio mica la luna
1985 – Il mio angelo
1986 – Fatti miei
1988 – Per noi
1989 – Se non avessi te
1991 – Il mare più grande che c'è (I Love You, Man)
2002 – Accidenti a te

The Italian singer-songwriter Fiordaliso (born on the 19th of February 1956 in Piacenza) began her career in 1981 and has been active ever since.

As of 2023, she has participated nine times at the popular Sanremo Music Festival. Her debut at it was in 1982 and her latest participation to date is from 2002. She hasn't won any editions yet and her best placement so far is from 1984 when she was placed 5th with the song Non voglio mica la luna ("I Don't Want the Moon") – the singer's most well-known song which despite its Sanremo placement became a huge hit both in Italy and abroad and numerous artists performed covers of it. It remains one of the most memorable songs of Sanremo's 1984 edition, and maybe of all of its editions overall.

Her most active Sanremo period was in the 1980s when she was present almost every year except for 1980, 1981 and 1987. In 1987, the song Quello che le donne non dicono ("What Women Don't Say") was meant to be performed initially by Fiordaliso, but was eventually given to Fiorella Mannoia who performed it at the festival and was placed 8th out of 24 in the Campioni ("Champions") section. The song turned out to be her most well-known one to this day.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all of Fiordaliso's Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

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Total number of participations as of 2025: 6
Victories: 0

1981 – Caffè nero bollente
1984 – Come si cambia
1987 – Quello che le donne non dicono
1988 – Le notti di maggio
2017 – Che sia benedetta
2024 – Mariposa

The Italian singer-songwriter Fiorella Mannoia (born on the 4th of April 1954 in Rome) began her singing career in 1968.

She made her debut at the popular Sanremo Music Festival in 1981 and has participated 6 times in total as of 2025, the first 4 of which were during the 1980s. Her best placement to date was in 2017 with Che sia benedetta ("May It Be Blessed") when she was placed second behind Francesco Gabbani with his Occidentali's Karma ("Westerners' Karma").

Despite having no victories to date, three of her songs won the following awards:

In 1987, her song Quello che le donne non dicono ("What Women Don't Say") was meant to be performed initially by Fiordaliso, but was eventually given to Mannoia who performed it at the festival and was placed 8th out of 24 in the Campioni ("Champions") section. The song turned out to be probably her best known one to this day.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all of her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

7 items

Total number of participations as of 2023: 11
Victories: 3 (bolded out)

1965 – I tuoi anni più belli
1966 – La notte dell'addio
1967Non pensare a me
1968 – Per vivere
1969Zingara
1970 – L'arca di Noè
1974Ciao, cara, come stai?
1984 – Chi (mi darà)
2003 – Fossi un tango
2009 – Ti voglio senza amore
2022 – Voglio amarti

The Italian singer Iva Zanicchi (pronounced [ˈiːva d͡zaˈnikki]; born on the 18th of January 1940 in Ligonchio) began her career in 1960 and has been active ever since.

As of 2023, she has participated 11 times at the popular Sanremo Music Festival. Her debut at it was in 1965 and her latest entry to date is from 2022. Her most active Sanremo period was in the 1960s and she has won 3 editions so far, with which she is currently the only female singer with the most victories at the music event:

  1. In 1967 with Non pensare a me ("Don't Think of Me") in combination with Claudio Villa;
  2. In 1969 with Zingara ("Gypsy") in combination with Bobby Solo;
  3. In 1974 with Ciao, cara, come stai? ("Hi, Dear, How Are You?").

Thanks to her victory in 1969, Zanicchi represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Content later that same year, but with a different song – Due grosse lacrime bianche ("Two Big White Tears") with which she was placed 13th out of 16.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

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Total number of participations as of 2024: 12
Victories: 0

1986 – Re
1988 – Io, sì, io
1991 – In questa città
1993 – Stiamo come stiamo
1994 – Amici non ne ho
1995 – ANGELI & angeli
1997 – Luna
2002 – Dimmi che mi ami
2008 – Musica e parole
2012 – Respirare
2019 – Cosa ti aspetti da me
2024 – Pazza

The Italian singer-songwriter Loredana Bertè (born on the 20th of September 1950 in Bagnara Calabra) began her career in 1970 and has been active ever since.

Although she had already gained significant popularity in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, her debut at the popular Sanremo Music Festival was only in 1986. Despite her 12 participations as of 2024, she hasn't won any editions yet and her best placements were in 2012 (in duet with Gigi D'Alessio) and in 2019 as a solo artist when she was placed 4th.

On the day after her first performance during the 2008 edition, it was discovered that her song Musica e parole ("Music and Words") was actually a plagiarised version of Ornella Ventura's 1988 song L'ultimo segreto ("The Last Secret"), which is in direct conflict with the festival's rules stating that all songs should be brand new and never performed before. Bertè's song was thereby disqualified from the competition; however, upon request of the artistic direction, the singer was given the chance to perform her song during the third and fourth evenings, both times accompanied by Ivana Spagna.

Songs (either rumoured or confirmed) that were supposed to participate in other editions of the festival, but didn't make it (check this collection for more information):

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

  • 1. Contrary to what's been communicated officially since the song's release, the Arabic word "mufida" (مفيدة) – feminine form of the adjective "mufid" (مفيد) meaning "useful" – has nothing to do with the word for "sister", which is "uḵt" (أخت). It is not clear as to how this misunderstanding has occurred.

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Total number of participations: 7
Victories: 0

1985 – Il viaggio
1986 – Lei verrà
1987 – Dal cuore in poi
1990 – Tu… sì
1995 – Dove vai…
1998 – Luce
2007 – Chissà se nevica

The Italian singer-songwriter Mango, known also as Giuseppe Mango and Pino Mango1 (born on the 6th of November 1954 in Lagonegro – died on the 8th of December 2014 in Policoro) began his career in 1976.

During his lifetime, he participated 7 times in total in the popular Sanremo Music Festival. His debut at it was in 1985 and his last entry was in 2007. Although he didn't win any editions, he won the Critics Award in 1985 and his 1995 song won the Fonopoli Award for best arrangement.

Besides participating in the music event, he wrote songs for other artists who also took part in the festival with them, such as:

He wrote a couple of other songs for the aforementioned artists, whereas other artists he wrote songs for outside of Sanremo are Patty Pravo, Mia Martini, Andrea Bocelli, Mango's wife Laura Valente, Scialpi and others (for more detailed information on his collaborations, you can check this page in his official website in Italian).

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all of Mango's Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of his live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

  • 1. Some songs are authored by both him and his brother Armando Mango. In order to avoid confusion, the singer will be credited just as Mango in the description boxes of each song, whereas his brother's name will be mentioned explicitly.

8 items

Total number of participations as of 2025: 9
Victories: 0

1972 – Montagne verdi
1981 – Pensa per te
1986 – Senza un briciolo di testa
1987 – Tanti auguri
1988 – Dopo la tempesta
1990 – Verso l'ignoto
2005 – Uomo bastardo
2007 – Forever, per sempre
2025 – Pelle diamante

The Italian singer Marcella Bella (born on the 18th of June 1952 in Catania) began her career in 1969 and has been active ever since.

As of 2025, she has participated 9 times at the Sanremo Music Festival. Her debut at it was in 1972 and her latest entry to date is from 2025. Although she hasn't won any editions yet, she was placed third in 1986 which remains her best placement to date. Her most active period was in the 1980s with four participations in total. She was a guest outside of the competition at the 1977 edition of the festival where she presented her song Abbracciati ("Embraced").

Her elder brother Gianni Bella is a singer-songwriter who has written almost all of the songs in her repertoire throughout the years – the music to almost all of her Sanremo songs is authored by him – and both of them have been collaborating ever since her debut and have recorded many duets. They also participated as a duo at the event twice: in 1990 and in 2007.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

10 items

Total number of participations: 5
Victories: 0

1982 – E non finisce mica il cielo
1989 – Almeno tu nell'universo
1990 – La nevicata del '56
1992 – Gli uomini non cambiano
1993 – Stiamo come stiamo

The Italian singer-songwriter Mia Martini, stage name of Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè, known endearingly as Mimì (born on the 20th of September 1947 in Bagnara Calabra – died on the 12th of May 1995 in Cardano al Campo), began her career in the early 1960s as Mimì Bertè, later took the stage name Mia Martini and was active until her unexpected death in 1995.

Known for her relatively short but turbulent life and career, she was and still is one of the most important figures in modern Italian pop music. She grew to popularity in the early 1970s. Despite being very popular during that decade, it was only in 1982 that the singer participated for the first time at the Sanremo Music Festival. With 5 participations in total, one of which (her last one) was a duet with her sister Loredana Bertè, she was awarded the Critics Award of the festival for her first three entries. After her death, the award was renamed to the Mia Martini Critics Award in her honour and has been assigned to numerous artists at every edition ever since. She never won any editions, but her best placement was in 1992 when she was placed 2nd with the song Gli uomini non cambiano ("Men Don't Change") which has became one of her most well-known songs to this day.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

6 items

Total number of participations: 15
Victories: 0

1961 – Il mare nel cassetto
1962 – Tango italiano and Stanotte al luna park
1963 – Ricorda and Non sapevo
1964 – L'ultimo tram
1965 – Vieni con noi
1966 – Nessuno di voi
1967 – Uno come noi
1968 – Canzone
1989 – Un sorriso
1972 – Mediterraneo
1973 – Da troppo tempo
1974 – Monica delle bambole
1990 – Sono felice
1993 – Uomini addosso
2007 – The Show Must Go On

The Italian singer Milva, stage name of Maria Ilva Biolcati (born on the 17th of July 1939 in Goro – died on the 23rd of April 2021 in Milan) began her career in 1958 and was active until 2012 when she retired. Besides in her native country, she was quite popular abroad as well, more specifically in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), in Japan, as well as in the former USSR.

One of the Italian artists with the most participations at the Sanremo Music Festival, she participated 15 times in total. Her debut at it was in 1961 and her last entry was in 2007. As of 2023, she is in the top 5 of Italian artists with the most participations at the music event, the other four being Al Bano, Peppino di Capri, Toto Cutugno and Anna Oxa, all of whom have the same amount of entries so far.

Despite her numerous participations, Milva never won any editions. Her best placements were in 1962 (with the song Tango italiano) and in 1965 (with Vieni con noi) when she was placed second. Her most active period was undoubtfully in the 1960s when she was present every single year except for 1960. During that decade, the festival's rules required that two separate artists perform the same song, both of which shared the same placement in the final results. All that information will be included in the description box for every entry. In 1962 and in 1963, she took part with two songs for each edition. All summarised, she performed 17 songs at the event.

Thanks to the festival being broadcasted outside of Italy as well, some of her songs became well-known abroad, particularly her 1972 entry Da troppo tempo ("It's Been Too Long") which seems to be quite popular in Turkey where a lot of artists have sung its Turkish adaptation under the title of Tek Başına ("All Alone"), most notably Ayten Alpman and Nilüfer.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

18 items

11. Festival di Sanremo: Mina Collection

Total number of participations: 2
Victories: 0

1960 – È vero and Non sei felice
1961 – Io amo, tu ami and Le mille bolle blu

The Italian singer Mina (born on the 25th of March 1940 in Busto Arsizio) began her career in 1958 and has been active ever since.

Despite her very long and prolific career and her huge popularity throughout the decades, both of which have earned her the reputation of the greatest Italian female singer of all times, Mina participated only twice (in 1960 and 1961) at the popular Sanremo Music Festival, performing four songs in total. During her second participation, in 1961, the press proclaimed her in advance the winner of the edition, which, contrary to the expectations, didn't happen, and after the artist's evident disappointment with the final results, she promised to never take part in any song competition ever again, a promise which she has managed to keep to this day.

The rules of both the editions she took part in required all songs to be performed by two separate artists who were considered as one artist/entry in the classifics. This information will be mentioned in the description box for every entry. Only one of her four Sanremo songs can be said to have become a well-known classic in her repertoire to this day: Le mille bolle blu ("A Thousand Blue Bubbles") from 1961, which was placed 4th.

Although she withdrew completely both from the festival (since 1961) and from the stage (since 1978), during the 2018 edition she collaborated with the telecommunications company TIM that was sponsoring the event. For the occasion, five short videos were used as advertisements, in which the singer appeared in digital form as an alien captain of a spaceship travelling towards the Earth and more specifically Sanremo. During the final, fifth evening, a 3D hologram depicting Mina was projected on the stage of the Ariston Theatre (where the event has been held during the last couple of decades) performing a cover of Another Day of Sun from the musical film La La Land.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all four of her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

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Total number of participations as of 2023: 8
Victories: 0

1965 – Abbracciami forte
1966 – Io ti darò di più
1967 – La musica è finita
1968 – Casa bianca
1970 – Eternità
1989 – Io come farò
1999 – Alberi
2018 – Imparare ad amarsi

The Italian singer Ornella Vanoni (born on the 22nd of September 1934 in Milan) began her career in 1956 and has been active ever since.

As of 2023, she has participated 8 times at the Sanremo Music Festival. Her debut at it was in 1965 and her latest entry to date is from 2018. Although she hasn't won any editions yet, she was placed second both in 1965 and 1968 which remain her best placements so far. Her most active period was in the 1960s with four participations in total. In the 1960s and in the early 1970s, the festival's rules required that two separate artists perform the same song, both of which shared the same placement in the final results. All that information will be included in the description box for every entry.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all her Sanremo songs in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

9 items

Total number of participations as of 2023: 10
Victories: 0

1970 – La spada nel cuore
1984 – Per una bambola
1987 – Pigramente signora
1995 – I giorni dell'armonia
1997 – …e dimmi che non vuoi morire
2002 – L'immenso
2009 – E io verrò un giorno là
2011 – Il vento e le rose
2016 – Cieli immensi
2019 – Un po' come la vita

The Italian singer Patty Pravo, stage name of Nicoletta Strambelli (born on the 9th of April 1948 in Venice), began her career in 1966 and has been active ever since.

As of 2023, she has participated 10 times in total in the popular Sanremo Music Festival. Her debut at it was in 1970 and her latest entry to date was in 2019. Although she hasn't won any editions yet, she has won the Mia Martini Critics Award twice: in 1997 and in 2016.

In 1990, the singer was supposed to participate in the 40th edition of the festival with the song Donna con te ("Woman with You"), but due to her wanting to change parts of the lyrics and its authors disagreeing with her wish, just a few days before the edition, she refused to take part in the event. As a result, the song was given eventually to Anna Oxa, with which she was placed 4th out of 20 in the Campioni ("Champions") section and which became one of her most well-known songs. The song in its initial version was called Fandango, but was shortly after renamed to Donna con te and had completely different lyrics. Pravo recorded four versions of the same melody in total: Fandango, the first and second versions of Donna con te, as well as Locura me llamarás ("You'll Call Me Madness"), a Spanish version of Donna con te. The second version and the Spanish adaptation were supposed to be included in a single, but it never got released and there doesn't seem to be a surviving recording of the Spanish song anywhere on the Internet currently.

As the title suggests, the purpose of this collection is to gather all Sanremo songs by Patty Pravo in one place. The description box will include a translation of the title, how the song was placed in that edition and which album it got included in. Whenever possible, a video of her live performance for the corresponding year will be present as well (some of them may get deleted over time due to copyright; feel free to let me know by writing a comment whenever that happens so I can replace the link).

11 items

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