RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, has confirmed that Italy will participate at the forthcoming 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden next year and published the rules and regulations for Sanremo 2024.

Thus Italy joins the list of countries that have so far confirmed their participation at the 2024 Eurovision edition.

The 2024 Italian Eurovision act and entry will be yet again determined via the Italian Sanremo Song Festival as has been tradition in recent years. The winner of Sanremo 2024 will represent Italy at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

RAI’s Sanremo 2024 rules regading Eurovision 2024 read:

The winning Artist of the 74th Festival della Canzone Italiana will participate, in representation of Italy, at the 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, at the request of RAI.

Artists interested in taking part in the event and their respective houses record companies will however be required to deliver in advance to Rai – within the deadlines which will be indicated by the latter on the basis of the production needs of the company event – the acceptance form for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (provided by the Festival Organization) duly signed.

In the event that the winning Artist of the Festival does not deliver the form within the indicated times, RAI will reserves the right to choose the Artist representing Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 according to its own unquestionable criteria, without the aforementioned winning Artist or his House record company have nothing to claim

Italy in Eurovision

Italy is one of the founder members of the Eurovision Song Contest having debuted in the very first contest in 1956. The country has won the event thrice with Gigliola Cinquetti (1964), Toto Cutugno (1990) and Maneskin (2021).

The country has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by its most celebrated and internationally acclaimed artists throughout its Eurovision history: Ana Oxa, Domenico Modugno, Albano, Romina Power, Franco Batiatto, Umberto Tozzi, Matia Bazar, Marco Mengoni, Emma Marrone, Il Volo, Francesco Gabbani, Raphael Gualazzi, Massimo Ranieri, Ricardo Fogli, Mahmood etc.

Italy withdrew from the competition in 1998 and returned to Eurovision in 2011 after a 13 year hiatus. Since their return to the contest the Italians have enjoyed great success in the event placing 9 times in the top 10 of the scoreboard including a victory in 2021.

The southern European country has partaken 48 times in Europe’s favourite television show.

In 2023 Marco Mengoni represented Italy at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool with his entry ‘Due Vite‘ achieving an honourable 4th placing in the Grand Final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6IiOSut_4M

Source: RAI
Photo credit: Corinne Cumming/ EBU