| Sanremo Music Festival 2011 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | |
| Semi-final 1 | 15 February 2011 |
| Semi-final 2 | 16 February 2011 |
| Semi-final 3 | 17 February 2011 |
| Semi-final 4 | 18 February 2011 |
| Final | 19 February 2011 |
| Host | |
| Venue | Teatro Ariston Sanremo, Italy |
| Presenter(s) | Gianni Morandi and Luca Bizzarri, Paolo Kessisoglu, Belén Rodríguez, Elisabetta Canalis |
| Musical director | Marco Sabiu |
| Artistic director | Gianmarco Mazzi |
| Host broadcaster | Rai 1 |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Mixed (televotes, jury and orchestra votes) |
| Big Artists section | |
| Number of entries | 14 |
| Winner | Roberto Vecchioni "Chiamami ancora amore" |
| Newcomers' section | |
| Number of entries | 8 |
| Winner | Raphael Gualazzi "Follia d'amore" |
The Sanremo Music Festival 2011 (Italian: Festival di Sanremo 2011), officially the 61st Italian Song Festival (61º Festival della canzone italiana), was the 61st annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 15 and 19 February 2011 and broadcast by Rai 1. The festival was presented by singer Gianni Morandi with Paolo Kessisoglu, Luca Bizzarri, Belén Rodríguez and Elisabetta Canalis,[1] while artistic director was Gianmarco Mazzi.[2]
The competition was divided in two sections. The Big Artists section, including 14 established Italian artists, was won by Roberto Vecchioni with the song "Chiamami ancora amore", while the Newcomers section was won by Raphael Gualazzi, performing "Follia d'amore".
For the first time since 1997, the festival also served as the Italian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, with the country returning to the competition after being absent for 13 editions. The Italian entry, also "Follia d'amore" by Gualazzi (in a new version titled "Madness of Love"), was chosen among the contestants by a specific jury, composed of Gianni Morandi, Rai 1 director Mauro Mazza, Rai 2 director Massimo Liofredi, the mayor of Sanremo Maurizio Zoccarato, the municipality's promotional board member Giorgio Giuffra and director of international affairs Marco Simeon.[3]
- ^ "Sanremo, è il Festival dell'Unità d'Italia" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Morandi: Ecco il mio Sanremo. Ma Belen e la Canalis non ci sono". La Stampa (in Italian). 26 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Italy: Raphael Gualazzi to Düsseldorf". EscDaily.com. 19 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2012.