5 iconic Sanremo moments you might not remember

More than a music festival, Sanremo is a celebration of Italian pop culture. While the years go by and the tunes are forgotten, historical gaffes and scandals resurface every February on everyone's mind: "Do you remember that time when Pippo Baudo...?". No one can predict what will happen at next week's festival, whether Anna Oxa will go back to wearing a loincloth as she did in 1999, or whether Elodie has prepared a dance routine like the one of the 71st edition. For now, we will limit ourselves to exhuming nostalgic images of Sanremo that perhaps nowadays would not make such a stir. 

1. Loredana Berté's fake pregnancy (1986)

On the notes of Re , Loredana Berté stunned the Italian public with a look by Versace that would still be modern today: a mini leather jumpsuit, wide studded shoulders, and Texan-style ankle boots. The real scandal was the accessory she wore under her dress, a fake baby bump. Imitating a pregnancy together with the dancers accompanying the exhibition, Loredana Bertè's debut on the Ariston stage caused her to lose her record contract, but in a recent post on Instagram the singer still claims that day: «I wanted to show that a woman when she is pregnant is not sick but is even stronger!». 

2. Raffaella Carrà defending Eminem (2001)

In 2001, the American rapper made a stop in Sanremo to promote his LP 'The Marshall Mathers'. The night before his performance, many objected, complaining that his lyrics were inappropriate for the Sanremo audience. It was Raffaella Carrà who defended Eminem and re-officialised his invitation during a press conference, in which she declared: «I see him as a guy who is in dire need of affection. I will meet him before his performance. If he tells me he doesn't want anybody on stage and he doesn't want any questions, I will accommodate him, I don't want to pressure any artist».

3. Marcella Bella in Uomo Bastardo (2005)

Marcella appeared on the Ariston stage in 2005 to sing her song Uomo Bastardo, with a huge glittery inscription on her bottom bearing the title of the song on a black mermaid dress. Despite wearing one of the ugliest dresses in the history of Sanremo, he made it to the final due to his over a decade of popularity, but was defeated by Toto Cutugno in his own category.

4. Belen's butterfly tattoo (2012)

It was the year 2012, Gianni Morandi was presenting the 62nd edition of the Festival flanked by Elisabetta Canalis and Belen Rodriguez. Those were the years of the Facebook boom, for the first time anyone could speak their mind to the whole of Italy and from their comfortable sofa. What caused a scandal at Sanremo and on social media that year was the Argentine soubrette's 'butterfly', a tattoo on her groin revealed to the public by a two-tone dress with a vertiginous slit that went viral on the web in a matter of minutes. 

5. Bugo and Morgan's dispute(2020)

«Bad intentions and rudeness/ your bad impression last night». These were the words that motivated Bugo to leave the stage during his performance with Morgan, disqualifying their song 'Sincero' during the fourth evening of the Festival. In a year where the public was absent and the whole of Italy was locked at home to watch the Show, the image of Morgan at the piano asking «What's going on, where is Bugo?» became the most meme-ised photo of the year. The quarrel, which arose from several squabbles between the two singers, was only recently settled in court with Bugo's victory, deeming the live editing of the lyrics illegal.