The 75th Sanremo Festival awarded singer-songwriter Olly the top prize on Sunday for his song 'Bittersweet nostalgia.'
"It sounds utterly unbelievable, but it's a true story," the young Genoese artist said on the stage of the Ariston Theatre, before taking the stage again after a very long evening.
I didn't expect this ending," Olly said, "it was a leap of faith from the first performance. I am in shock. But my life will remain the same, every day I'll be playing the piano, the guitar, with the guys I've been playing with for ten years. I hope to play as much as possible.
As is tradition, Olly will also be invited to the Eurovision contest. The winners of the Sanremo Festival are entitled to participate by default, but they can theoretically decline the invitation.
In second place, and receiving the Mia Martini Critics' Prize, was Lucio Corsi for his song 'Volevo essere un duro.' Brunori Sas, a singer-songwriter, took third place with his song 'L'albero delle noci.'
From a preference perspective, however, it was a close call: the winner Olly was only 0.4% ahead of Corsi: it was 23.8% to 23.4%, considering the television vote, press room, and radio jury. Brunori Sas took home 20.3%.
The top contender, Giorgia, managed to finish only in sixth position.
The special guest for the last evening of the festival was the Italian singer-songwriter Antonello Venditti, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Venditti is a true icon, with a 50-year career and 40 million records sold worldwide.
He performed two of his classic songs to the audience at the Ariston.
Following him was another notable guest: Edoardo Bove, a young footballer whose promising career was tragically cut short due to a sudden illness, who spoke to the audience about his experience.
As probably the largest music competition in Europe after Eurovision, the Sanremo festival has served as a launchpad for the success of numerous Italian musicians - most notably Måneskin, the Rome-based band who, following their triumph on the Ariston stage and their success at Eurovision, achieved international fame.