5 moments from the third night of Sanremo 2025 that you may have missed

«Because Sanremo is Sanremo» was the slogan that accompanied the old editions of the Festival before Amadeus brought it into its more pop era. A tautology often used to indicate that the institutional, often rigid nature of the Festival, along with its somewhat outdated conception of Italian pop culture by its authors. The Sanremo brand was originally that of a somewhat unwatchable show that parents enjoyed but didn't say anything to their children, and perhaps this edition is bringing the Festival back to its original nature. In short, it is clear that in this edition, fun has been sacrificed for smoothness, also marking the return of educational announcements, easy sentimentality, yet another child prodigy used to melt the audience’s hearts, along with somewhat disappointing moments such as the appearance of the cast of Mare Fuori, whose actors were literally left outside the Ariston for an all-too-brief segment; and the guest appearance of Duran Duran, pulled from the pile of budget-friendly guest stars and dusted off from the ‘80s. In short, a bit of craziness would be needed to keep the over ten million viewers awake - which didn’t stop us from finding five moments that defined last night’s third evening.

Here are the 5 moments from the third night of Sanremo 2025 you might have missed.

1. Marry Me Simon

In Sanremo, anything can happen, but who would have thought that the real twist wouldn’t be the stolen kiss but the thrown bouquet? During Duran Duran’s performance, Katia Follesa appeared dressed as a bride, holding a sign that read "I will marry Simon Le Bon." With his typical British aplomb, he kindly pointed out that his current wife wouldn’t be too happy with the idea, but he played along and surprised her with a chaste kiss. At that point, like any respectable bride, Follesa threw the bouquet. No fierce bridesmaids this time, just an elegant and composed audience—at least until the bouquet landed in the hands of Lucia Di Bisceglie, president of the Bari Chamber of Commerce and Unioncamere Puglia. The cameras, as merciless as ever, immediately captured the unexpected epilogue of the fake wedding, while Carlo Conti, in full officiant mode, made sure no Rai executives were hit in the excitement of the moment.

2. The kids' parade

Elon Musk and Carlo Conti have one thing in common: bringing children along as a tool to captivate the audience. Last night’s kid was particularly energetic and confident on stage, but the reason he was there was to showcase his encyclopedic knowledge of the Festival. Entertaining and pleasant, sure, but that didn’t stop Conti from rushing him along as well. At least, with his final joke, Conti quipped that the kid could host next year’s Festival—probably making Alessandro Cattelan shudder, as he has been dreaming of hosting Sanremo for about a decade, only to be repeatedly bypassed by more experienced (and older) presenters. In fact, next year, it might be time to give more space to the younger generation.

3. Give Tony Effe his chain back

Sanremo is the festival of emotions, and Tony Effe unleashed them all last night, especially anger. After his performance, speaking on Rai Radio2, he didn’t hide his irritation over the sudden confiscation of his gold chain before stepping on stage. "They took my chain! Why? Ask them. I’m pissed off, now it’s gonna be a problem!" he snapped, making it clear that the matter was far from settled. Ema Stokholma tried to calm things down, explaining that the likely reason for the censorship was an overly visible logo. Sanremo rules—no hidden advertising. But Tony didn’t take it well, and the After Festival with Cattelan turned into almost a post-rant. On the bright side, compared to the first night, the rapper seemed more comfortable: tattoos finally on display and an outfit less stiff, as if he had shed an armor that was too tight. Sure, the chain was gone, but at least he regained some of himself. Maybe next year, a simple sign will do: *Give me my chain back*.

4. Suddenly, Vic De Angelis

Post-Maneskin turbulence: now that Damiano has gone full American, turning his popularity into subtle unpopularity—at least among the Italian audience—the other members are living, if not their best life, at least a life. Victoria has done the best: she’s become a DJ, an international celebrity, an influencer, and still a bassist on special occasions. She actually appeared only briefly during the Duran Duran medley, fitting into the meme originally meant for Kevin Bates, which we paraphrase: «She don’t got a single song where she need to be doing this». Indeed, for a moment, we wondered if she was really playing. The music didn’t justify her wild dancing, especially considering that the volume of her bass wasn’t exactly prominent and that her many movements probably didn’t make executing that bassline any easier. Still, enthusiasm is key, and luckily Victoria always brings it. Too bad she, too, was brushed off so quickly.

5. The co-hosts' lightning round

We use the term “lightning round” to describe how quickly their appearance, whether solo or together, flew by. Last night’s trio was delightfully varied: Miriam Leone was the classic figure, Elettra Lamborghini the most mainstream, and Katia Follesa the funniest. A powerhouse trio in terms of talent and entertainment value, yet Conti only used them for dramatic outfit changes and brief artist introductions. And while we are all still traumatized by the “letter to myself” from Sanremo 2023, which Katia Follesa didn’t miss a chance to mock in a very brief gag (Conti seems to be a rather strict host, almost Sanremo’s very own Miss Rottenmeier), two moments for each to say something wouldn’t have hurt. Fortunately, Lamborghini managed to gift us at least one moment of precious madness when she started talking about her husband.