Sanremo winner to sing Per Sempre Sì – in Italian.
Sal Da Vinci, the Neapolitan singer-songwriter who won the 2026 Sanremo Music Festival, will represent Italy at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna next week.
The 56-year-old artist claimed victory at Italy’s top song competition in February with his melodic ballad, Per sempre sì, which he will now perform on the Eurovision stage.
Singing in Italian
Da Vinci confirmed this week that he will not alter the song for the Eurovision. The contest’s regulations permitted him to substitute some lines in English, but he declined to do so, explaining: “This song reached its success exactly as it is – in Italian.”
The decision to perform entirely in Italian is relatively rare at Eurovision, where many competing acts choose to sing partly or entirely in English.
Da Vinci described the scale of the Eurovision stage with evident awe, noting it is roughly five times the size of the Teatro Ariston stage in Sanremo.
“It’s something extraordinary,” he said, “and I still can’t believe how all this has been possible. I am moved and grateful.”
Big Five
As one of the “Big Five” nations – alongside France, Germany, Spain and the UK – Italy qualifies automatically for the final, with Italian state broadcaster RAI among those making the largest financial contributions to the contest.
Italy last won the Eurovision in 2021, courtesy of Måneskin, and has previously triumphed through Totò Cutugno in 1990 and Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964.
The Vienna contest will mark Italy’s 51st participation in the event, however Da Vinci’s entry is in fact Italy’s 53rd Eurovision song.
In 1956 each country brought two songs to the competition, along with the song Fai rumore by Diodato, the Italian song ready for the Eurovision in Rotterdam 2020 which was cancelled due to covid.
Israel controversy
The 2026 contest has not been without controversy. Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain all withdrew in protest over the inclusion of Israel, citing its military campaign in Gaza.
Last December, RAI pledged its support for Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and confirmed that Italy would compete in the annual event.
Da Vinci declined to engage with the political debate, stating: “It’s a political matter – music has nothing to do with it.” He added that he respects the protests, but is just happy to represent his country, without getting into politics.
Fourth Eurovision win for Italy?
Asked directly whether he expected to win, Da Vinci acknowledged that the thought was not far from his mind.
“I’m here to sing well and give a good performance” – he said – “Of course I can’t say I don’t dream. I’ll give it everything I have.”
The contest will span three evenings: two semi-finals on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May, broadcast on RAI 2, and the grand final on Saturday 16 May on Rai 1, all presented for Italian audiences by television presenter Gabriele Corsi and singer Elettra Lamborghini.
Photo credit: Luigi Borrone / Shutterstock.com
