RAI, the national Italian broadcaster has confirmed via its official Eurovision Facebook page that the 2015 Italian Eurovision representatives Il Volo will fly to Vienna with their Sanremo winning entry Grande Amore.

Last Saturday Italian trio Il Volo conquered Italy when they won the 65th Sanremo Song Festival with their entry Grande Amore. They will represent Italy at the forthcoming 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna next May.

Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero aka Il Volo have received massive mediatic exposure both in Italy and overseas since their victory last Saturday. Major Italian newspapers and magazines have dedicated the boys headlines and front page covers.

Il Volo already enjoys great fame, name and recongnition in China, USA, South America and Russia and Europe having travelled across the globe and performed throughout the continents. They have a massive fan following both at home in Italy and overseas.  Their Sanremo winning melody Grande Amore has gone viral both in Italy and overseas.

The official videoclip of their Sanremo winning entry Grande Amore has received more than 5.4 million views on Il Volo’s official Youtube channel in just few days, having been released officially on 12 February.

ll Volo won the Sanremo Song Festival with their entry Grande Amore. For Eurovision Grande Amore, will have to be shortened to 3 minutes in order to comply with the Eurovision Song Contest rules; the length of the competing song must not be more than 3 minutes.

The 2015 Sanremo Song Festival was held at Teatro Ariston, Sanremo from 10-14 February.  A total of 20 acts battled for the grand prix in the Campioni category whilst a total of 8 acts battled in Nuovi Proposte Categorty. The show was hosted by Carlo Ponti, Emma Marrone (Italy 2014) and Arisa.

Sanremo 2015 and Eurovision

Last September RAI announced that winner of the forthcoming 2015 Sanremo Song Festival would be eligible to represent Italy at the 2015 Eurovison Song Contest in Vienna next May if he/she wishes to.

Italy has long had the tradition of sending Sanremo winners or participants to the Eurovision Song Contest. The 2015 Sanremo rules and regulations , stated that the winner of the 2015 Sanremo Song Festival would be eligible to represent Italy at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest if he/hes wishes to.

Article n.27 in the 2015 Sanremo Song Contest rules states:

The winner of the Campeoni category at the Sannremo Song Festival will have the right to participate at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest and represent Italy in the contest if he/she are available and agreeable.

 In case the artist is not available , the organizers of the above event will reserve the right to choose another participant via their own criteria.

About Italy

Since its return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, Italy has selected its Eurovision representatives via the Sanremo Song Festival: Raphael Gualazzi (2011), Nina Zilli (2012) and Marco Mengoni (2013). But this changed in 2014 when RAI opted for an internal selection and Emma Marrone was given the grand honour of representing Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with her entry La mia citta.

Italy debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and was one of the founder members of the contest. The country has won the event 2 times in 1964 with Gigliola Cinquetti and 1990 with Toto Cotugno. Italy withdrew from the event in 1998 and returned back in 2011.

The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 19, 21, 23 May at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.

Stay tuned to Esctoday.com for the latest information on Italy , Sanremo 2015 and the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.