Attenzione!  RAI has revealed more Sanremo Song Festival 2015 information.

The 65th edition of the legendary song festival will take place in February, with the Grand Final to be held on Saturday 14 February at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo.  As previously confirmed, the winner of the Grand Final will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna next year if they are available and agreeable.

The Sanremo Campioni candidates have been extended from an initial number of sixteen to twenty.  The Festival’s Artistic Director Carlo Conti, who will also be hosting the competition, explains the reasoning:

This decision responds to my concept of the Festival ..  To, where possible, give the music the lead role.

The eight Nuovi Proposte candidates were announced live on TV by Carlo Conti earlier today (Thursday 11 December) and are listed below:

Nuovi Proposte candidates

• Serena Brancale – Galleggiare
• Giovanni Caccamo – Ritornerò da te
• Kaligola – Oltre il giardino
• Kutso – Elisa
• Enrico Nigiotti – Qualcosa da decidere
• Rakele – Io non lo so cos’è l’amore
• Amara – Credo
• Chanty – Ritornerai

Following a fourteen year absence, Italy returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 with Raphael Gualazzi.  He, Nina Zilli (2012) and Marco Mengoni (2013) were all selected to represent Italy at Eurovision via the Sanremo Festival.  Watch their Eurovision entries below:

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