The EBU and RAI have unveiled the concept behind the 2022 Eurovision postcards.

Every year, Eurovision fans look forward to the presentation postcards which precede each country’s performance during the live ESC shows. Throughout the years we have witnessed various different styles of presentation postcards showcasing artists in the host country or in their homeland, showcasing the host country’s hot spots and main attractions, depicting the host country’s culture and traditions etc…

A special drone named Leo will play a key role in the 2022 Eurovision postcards which will depict the 40 competing acts and various iconic locations and scenic landscapes in Italy.

This year the Eurovision hosts will introduce each act individually prior to their performance very much in the Sanremo style.

The EBU and RAI’s press release states:

This year’s postcards will be a journey to discover the beauty of Italy, throughthe wonders of flight to capture breath-taking views of the Italian landscape.Thanks to the FPV drone shooting technique combined with a stabiliseddrone, as well as CGI and postproduction graphics, the postcards will beportrayed through the curious and fervent eyes of our drone Leo, which willbe called in by the presenters every time a new contestant is on stage.

Its mission will be very thrilling: at first, it will show its surroundings, then theflight will be normalised so that viewers can admire the location. Leo will wander around the location and picturesshowing the participants and their artistic world willappear as if by magic.

Leo will curiously observe such images and itwill then decide when to stop. Eventually,a beam of light will come out of his body,and it will show unreleased videos bythe contestants, who will interact withLeo on camera.At the end, shots of our Leo filminghis flight over the skies of Italy willbe shown, as the live show fromthe Pala Olimpico starts again.

The Postcard Locations

Semi-final #1

• Albania – Barumini (South Sardinia, Sardinia)
• Latvia – Merano (Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige)
• Lithuania – Bergamo (Lombardy)
• Switzerland – Termoli (Campobasso, Molise)
• Slovenia – Civita di Bagnoregio (Viterbo, Lazio)
• Ukraine – Florence (Tuscany)
• Bulgaria – Castel del Monte (Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia)
• Netherlands – Ravenna (Emilia Romagna)
• Moldova – Urbino (Marche)
• Portugal – Genova (Liguria)
• Croatia – Grinzane Cavour (Cuneo, Piemonte)
• Denmark – Procida (Naples, Campania)
• Austria – Miramare Castle (Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia)
• Iceland – Cortina d’Ampezzo (Belluno, Veneto)
• Greece – Selinunte (Trapani, Sicily)
• Norway – Lake Scanno (L’Aquila, Abruzzo)
• Armenia – Marmore Waterfall (Terni, Umbria)

Semi-final #2

• Finland – Laghi di Fusine a Tarvisio (Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia)
• Israel – Manarola – Cinque Terre (La Spezia, Liguria)
• Serbia – Rocca Calascio (L’Aquila, Abruzzo)
• Azerbaijan – Varenna (Lecco, Lombardy)
• Georgia – Burano (Venice, Veneto)
• Malta – San Galgano Abbey in Chiusdino (Siena, Tuscany)
• San Marino – Rome (Lazio)
• Australia – MART Rovereto (Trento, Trentino Alto Adige)
• Cyprus – Monte Cervino (Aosta, Valle d’Aosta)
• Ireland – Matera (Basilicata)
• North Macedonia – Cala Luna in Dorgali, Gulf of Orosei (Nuoro, Sardinia)
• Estonia – Sacra di San Michele in Sant’Ambrogio di Torino (Piemonte)
• Romania – Le Castella in Isola di Capo Rizzuto (Crotone, Calabria)
• Poland – Scala dei Turchi in Realmonte (Agrigento, Sicily)
• Montenegro – Monte Conero (Ancona, Marche)
• Belgium – Perugia (Umbria)
• Sweden – Rimini (Emilia Romagna)
• Czech Republic – Reggia di Caserta (Campania)

Grand Final (featuring Big Five postcards)y

• France – rice fields of Cavour (a canal for rice fields built by Cavour in Turin soon after Italian unification, in Chivasso, Piemonte)
• Germany – Turin Lingotto (Piemonte)
• Italy – Mole Antonelliana, Turin (Piemonte)
• United Kingdom – Orta San Giulio (Novara, Piemonte)
• Spain – Alagna Valsesia (Vercelli, Piemonte)

A window to the world

Hosting the Eurovision Song Contest is an extraordinary window for the host city and country to showcase themselves globally. Next week all eyes will be set on Turin and Italy during the 2 Eurovision weeks when  40 delegations will land in the Alpine city along with the whole Eurovision bandwagon.

The presentation postcards serve as a massive platform for the host country to promote its tourism and showcase itself on a global scale as millions of viewers tune in to watch Europe’s favorite television show. The Eurovision Song Contest reaches households beyond Europe, from Australia to Argentina, from China to New Zealand, from USA to India etc.

The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 10, 12 and 14 May at the Pala Olimpico in Turin, Italy.

Source: EBU/RAI
Photo credit: eurovision-spain.com