Members of the Euromix editorial team convened to vote for the competing songs in “Festival Di Sanremo 2026″. Who should represent Italy at Eurovision according to the editorial team?
Italy’s “Festival Di Sanremo 2026” will take place tomorrow, Saturday, February 28th, 2026, at 20:40 CET. The winner of the national final will represent the country at Eurovision 2026 which will be held in Vienna, Austria. The voting in the final will take place in two stages. In the first stage, the top five songs will be selected through a public voting (100%). In the second stage, another round of voting will determine which of the five songs will represent Italy at Eurovision 2026, by a combination of audience votes (34%), a professional jury composed of journalists (33%), and a professional jury of radio broadcasters (33%). In anticipation of this event, Euromix editorial team members gathered to listen to the participating songs and select their favorites from Italy’s “Festival Di Sanremo 2026”.
Editorial Picks: Who Should Represent Italy?
Avi Zaikaner: First Place – Serena Brancale – “Qui con me”
Serena Brancale brings to the Eurovision stage a powerful ballad in the language of Italian love, expressing affection and longing – apparently for one of her late parents. It’s a song filled with love for someone who has passed away yet continues to live within us. Serena’s live performance is stunning. Her vocal abilities are impressive, and she delivers the song with deep emotion.
Ofek Jerassi: First Place – Arisa – “Magica favola”
“Festival Di Sanremo” this year is far better than last year! There are many upbeat songs, yet at the top of my ranking stands a ballad – not a masculine one, but the soft and soothing feminine ballad by Arisa. It’s a classic Italian song, yet melancholic and magical, and could easily bring Italy a great result!
Adiel Shtainmetz: First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
Oh Italy, what an exhausting national final. Thirty songs, and I could barely find five I actually liked… My undisputed first place goes to Ditonellapiaga with the hit “Che Fastidio”! Italy, please choose this one! It’s such a unique song, with an incredible performance that would truly stand out at Eurovision. If Italy wants to step out of its comfort zone and pick the most creative entry capable of taking them to the top – this is the one!
Neta Geffen: First Place – Bambole Di Pezza – “Resta con me”
Although Italy is one of my favorite countries in Eurovision, until this year I hadn’t followed “Festival Di Sanremo” because of its large number of songs. When I listened to this year’s entries, the song “Resta con me” by Bambole Di Pezza immediately stood out. Among a sea of Italian ballads and pop songs, this one caught my attention thanks to its raw and unapologetic energy. It’s Italian rock with a beating heart, a catchy chorus, and a strong emotional statement. Bambole Di Pezza stand out through their personality and authenticity, and in my view, this is precisely the kind of choice that could bring something different and refreshing from Italy to Eurovision.
Oscar Diefenthal: First Place – Malika Ayane – “Animale Notturni”
As an avid follower of “Festival Di Sanremo” over the past decade, I feel that this year’s edition is quite different from what we’re used to – and with it comes my favorite to win. Malika Ayane, with her song “Animale Notturni” (in English: “Night Animal”), delivers a romantic, groovy piece infused with scents of 1970s Japanese jazz. It’s a song with a vibe uncommon for both “Festival Di Sanremo” and Eurovision, yet so good and perfectly suited for Europe’s grand stage.
Maor Heumann: First Place – Bambole Di Pezza – “Resta con me”
The pop‑punk band Bambole Di Pezza (in English: “Rag Dolls”) comes to “Festival Di Sanremo” with a raw and beautiful song that repeatedly echoes the phrase “stay with me”. I’m usually not drawn to orchestrated Italian ballads, but in this case, the touching composition and the stirring vocals of the excellent lead singer Martina Cleo Ungarelli won me over completely.
Talor Fishler: First Place – LDA & Aka 7even – “Poesie clandestine”
To be honest, I didn’t find any song in this year’s “Festival Di Sanremo” that truly captivated me, even though there were plenty of options. But if I have to choose one, I think the best choice for Italy this year is the song “Poesie clandestine”. It’s good music with a pleasant rhythm, and LDA & Aka 7even bring voices that blend beautifully together, accompanied by a charming energy that really draws listeners in.
Noy Yehoyada: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
After carefully filtering through all the ballads at “Festival Di Sanremo”, I managed this year to find ten songs for my Top 10 that I genuinely love and enjoy listening to! Among all the songs I ranked, my favorite is the song “Che Fastidio!” by Ditonellapiaga, who delivered a dazzling, precise, and impressive performance on stage. Hopefully, Italy will for once choose a female artist – there’s such a wonderful lineup of talented women to choose from. Enough with the chauvinism!!!
Tal Dahan: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
I’m not a huge fan of “Festival Di Sanremo”, but to my great surprise, my Top 10 this year includes songs I actually enjoy listening to for pleasure! I pray that the Italians, for once, won’t pick another dull male ballad as usual, but rather an original and fun female song – just like the one by Ditonellapiaga! The song is truly different from everything we’ve seen, especially from Italy, and it’s highly enjoyable both to listen to and to watch live. The singer exudes confidence, and I’d be thrilled to see a song like this at Eurovision.
Aviad Berger: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
I’m usually not a fan of the Italian “Festival Di Sanremo”, which in my view feels tiresome and somewhat pointless for non‑Italians, but this year I actually like quite a few of the songs. At the top of my list is the song “Che Fastidio,” a great and fun song with a performance that can truly stand out from the rest. Wow, I really hope this one gets selected. Good luck, Italy – please don’t go for another generic male ballad!
Adi Gazal: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
When the show began, I didn’t expect the very first song to end up being my winner, but Ditonellapiaga was the only one to receive a full five stars from me. No complaints, no notes – it’s a perfect song: upbeat, unmistakably Italian, yet completely different from the dull ballads that weigh down “Festival Di Sanremo” every year. I truly hope Italy has the good sense to choose her and lift everyone’s spirits in Vienna!
Maayan Eli: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
There was only one song I truly liked, and it was this one. This year’s “Festival Di Sanremo” was overloaded with an unprecedented number of ballads. Ditonellapiaga’s song is fun, engaging, has a great rhythm, and feels cool overall. It carries a real sense of freshness, and I hope it gets chosen because we deserve a song in this style this year – and honestly, I didn’t find a better option.
Talya Raviv: First Place – First Place – Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
Among all the Italian “Festival Di Sanremo” entries, I really connected with the song by Ditonellapiaga. It reminded me a bit of Angelina Mango from Eurovision 2024 and the singer Raye, bringing a young, fun, and rhythmic refreshment to “Festival Di Sanremo” lineup. I believe the European audience will absolutely love this song – it has the potential to reach the Top 10 and perform very well in the competition in Vienna.
Full Results
| Artist | Avi | Ofek | Adiel | Neta | Oscar | Maor | Talor | Noy | Tal | Aviad | Adi | Maayan | Talya | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ditonellapiaga | 4 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 110 |
| Bambole di pezza | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 87 | ||||
| Arisa | 10 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 68 | |||||
| Mara Sattei | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 51 | ||||
| Sal Da Vinci | 10 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 45 | ||||||
| Malika Ayane | 12 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 42 | |||||||
| LDA & Aka 7even | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 41 | ||||
| Serena Brancale | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 35 | ||||||
| Sayf | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 33 | |||||
| Elettra Lamborghini | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 30 | ||||||
| J-Ax | 2 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 29 | |||||||
| Dargen D’Amico | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 27 | ||||||||
| Nayt | 7 | 10 | 4 | 21 | ||||||||||
| Maria Antonietta & Colombre | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 21 | ||||||||
| Michele Bravi | 8 | 7 | 15 | |||||||||||
| Fedez & Marco Masini | 8 | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Samurai Jay | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||
| Leo Gassmann | 10 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Ermal Meta | 2 | 8 | 10 | |||||||||||
| Fulminacci | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Enrico Nigiotti | 6 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Tredici Pietro | 2 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Tommaso Paradiso | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Raf | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Luchè | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Levante | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||
| Francesco Renga | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Chiello | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
| Patty Pravo | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Eddie Brock | 0 |
List of Contestants and Their Songs:
- Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio”
- Michele Bravi – “Prima o poi”
- Sayf – “Tu mi piaci tanto”
- Mara Sattei – “Le cose che non sai di me”
- Dargen D’Amico – “AI AI”
- Arisa – “Magica favola”
- Luchè – “Labirinto”
- Tommaso Paradiso – “I romantici”
- Elettra Lamborghini – “Voilà”
- Patty Pravo – “Opera”
- Samurai Jay – “Ossessione”
- Raf – “Ora e per sempre”
- J-Ax – “Italia Starter Pack”
- Fulminacci – “Stupida sfortuna”
- Levante – “Sei tu”
- Fedez & Marco Masini – “Male necessario”
- Ermal Meta – “Stella stellina”
- Serena Brancale – “Qui con me”
- Nayt – “Prima che”
- Malika Ayane – “Animali notturni”
- Eddie Brock – “Avvoltoi”
- Sal Da Vinci – “Per sempre sì”
- Enrico Nigiotti – “Ogni volta che non so volare”
- Tredici Pietro – “Uomo che cade”
- Bambole di pezza – “Resta con me”
- Chiello – “Ti penso sempre”
- Maria Antonietta & Colombre – “La felicità e basta”
- Leo Gassmann – “Naturale”
- Francesco Renga – “Il meglio di me”
- LDA & Aka 7even – “Poesie clandestine”
Click on the song title to listen!
Eurovision 2026: This will be Italy’s 51st participation in Eurovision. Italy joined the contest in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Italy’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2021 with the song “Zitti e buoni” performed by the band Måneskin.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
