The names of the candidates that will compete in the 2014 Sanremo Song Festival in the Campioni category have been announced today. The 2011 Italian representative Raphael Gualazzi  is back in the competition.

It is yet unclear if RAI, the national Italian broadcaster will use the famous Sanremo Song Festival as the mechanism to select the 2014 Italian Eurovision representative as has been the case since their return in 2011. Italy has selected their Eurovision representatives via this competition in 2011, 2o12 and 2013. Raphael Gualazzi(2011) , Nina Zilli (2012) and Marco Mengoni (2013) were all selected via this grandiouse musicfest.

The artistic board of the 2014 Sanremo Song Festival composed by:Fabio Fazio, Claudio Fasulo, Pietro Galeotti, Massimo Martelli, Francesco Piccolo, Stefano Senardi, Michele Serra along with the collaboration of music director Mauro Pagani, have selected the 14 acts that will compete in the Campioni category. Each act will compete with 2 songs. A total of 28 songs will compete in this category.

The 14 candidates- CAMPIONI cateogory

ARISA
Lentamente
Controvento

NOEMI
Bagnati dal sole
Un uomo e’ un albero

RAPHAEL GUALAZZI feat. Bloody Beetroots
Liberi o no
Tanto ci sei

PERTURBAZIONE
L’Unica
L’Italia vista dal bar

CRISTIANO DE ANDRE’
Invisibili
Il cielo e’ vuoto

RENZO RUBINO
Ora
Per sempre e poi basta

FRANKIE HI-NRG
Pedala
Un uomo e’ vivo

GIULIANO PALMA
Cosi’ lontano
Un bacio crudele

RICCARDO SINIGALLIA
Prima di andare via
Una rigenerazione

ANTONELLA RUGGIERO
Quando balliamo
Da lontano

GIUSY FERRERI
L’amore possiede il bene
Ti porto a cena con me

FRANCESCO RENGA
A un isolato da te
Vivendo adesso

FRANCESCO SARCINA
Nel tuo sorriso
In questa citta’

RON
Un abbraccio unico
Sing in the rain

The 64th Sanremo Song Festival will be held in Sanremo from the 18- 22 February 2o14. Fabio Fazio will host the shows throughout the week (Tuesday- Saturday).

The dates for Festival di Sanremo 2014

18 February – Night 1
19 February – Night 2
20 February- Night 3
21 February- Night 4
22 February-  Final

Raphael Gualazzi represented Italy at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf, achieving an honorable 2nd place in the competition.

Stay tuned to esctoday.com for the latest news on Sanremo 2014, Italy and the Eurovision Song Contest.