Festival di Napoli

The Festival della Canzone Napoletana ("Festival of Neapolitan Song"), commonly known as the Festival di Napoli, is a Neapolitan song contest. The first edition was held in 1952 and the last in 2004. From 1952 to 1970 the show was broadcast on RAI and from 1998 to 2004, in a differently spirited version, by Rete 4.

Festival della Canzone Napoletana (Festival of Neapolitan Song)
Ornella Vanoni at the festival in 1964
Genre	Neapolitan song folk classical pop rock
Location(s)	Italy
Years active	1952–1971 1981 1998–2004
Founders	RAI

History

A symbol of Neapolitan song of the second half of the twentieth century, the Festival della Canzone Napoletana was born in Naples in 1952, the year following the birth of the Sanremo Music Festival.

Among the protagonists of the Festival from 1952 to 1970 would be such Neapolitan singers as Sergio Bruni, Aurelio Fierro, Nunzio Gallo, Maria Paris, Giacomo Rondinella, Mario Abbate, Gloria Christian, Mario Trevi, Fausto Cigliano, Franco Ricci, Mirna Doris, Tony Astarita, Mario Merola, Enzo Del Forno, Peppino di Capri, Gianni Nazzaro, Nino Fiore, Gegè Di Giacomo, Tullio Pane, Peppino Gagliardi, Giulietta Sacco. They would be joined by such singers from the Sanremo Festival, as Carla Boni, Wilma De Angelis, Domenico Modugno, Ornella Vanoni, Claudio Villa, Don Backy, Giorgio Gaber, Julie, Fred Bongusto, Nilla Pizzi, Oscar Carboni, Betty Curtis, Giorgio Consolini, Tony Dallara, Jula De Palma, Johnny Dorelli, Equipe 84, Louiselle, Los Marcellos Ferial, Marino Marini, Miranda Martino, Milva, Gino Latilla, Anna Identici, Wilma Goich, I Giganti, Luciano Tajoli, Teo Teocoli, Achille Togliani, Iva Zanicchi, Carmen Villani, Luciano Virgili, Narciso Parigi, Katyna Ranieri, Flo Sandon's, Lara Saint Paul, Memo Remigi, Dean Reed, Anna German, Mei Lang Chang, Nini Rosso, Robertino, Teddy Reno and authors as Franco Franchi, Oreste Lionello, Nino Taranto, Renato Rascel, Ombretta Colli, Lando Fiorini, Beniamino Maggio, and Angela Luce.

As presenters the festival would see, over the years, such people as Nunzio Filogamo, Enzo Tortora, Pippo Baudo, Mike Bongiorno, Corrado, Daniele Piombi.

Interrupted in 1971, after many organizational efforts it returned to the city in 1981, taking the name "Festival di Napoli '81". The show, divided into three nights and organized by DAN with the help from RAI and the patronage of the Campania Region, was presented by Franco Sulfites, assisted by Maria Laura Soldano, and broadcast in full color from the Metropolitan Theatre of Naples on the television channel Rai Tre from 22.30 until the end. It was also broadcast on the radio on Rai's second station from 22.45.

After that edition, the Festival, once again, was interrupted for a long period of time. In 1998 it returned, though with a different spirit and different results, on Rete 4 and was held regularly until 2004, when it ceased again.

Winners

Year	Artist	Song
1952	Nilla Pizzi and Franco Ricci	"Desiderio 'e Sole"
1953	The Festival di Napoli was not held this year. See Note 1 below.
1954	Tullio Pane and Achille Togliani	"Suonno d'ammore"
1955	Gino Latilla with Carla Boni and Maria Paris	"'E stelle 'e Napule"
1956	Grazia Gresi and Aurelio Fierro	"Guaglione"
1957	Marisa Del Frate	"Malinconico autunno"
1958	Nunzio Gallo and Aurelio Fierro	"Vurria"
1959	Fausto Cigliano and Teddy Reno	"Sarrà chi sa?"
1960	Ruggero Cori and Flo Sandon's	"Serenata a Margellina"
1961	Aurelio Fierro and Betty Curtis	"Tu si' 'a malincunia"
1962	Sergio Bruni and Gloria Christian	"Marechiaro marechiaro"
1963	Claudio Villa and Maria Paris	"Jammo ja'"
1964	Domenico Modugno and Ornella Vanoni	"Tu si' 'na cosa grande"
1965	Aurelio Fierro and Tony Astarita	"Serenata all'acqua 'e mare"
1966	Sergio Bruni and Robertino	"Bella"
1967	Nino Taranto and I Balordi	"'O matusa"
1968	Mirna Doris and Tony Astarita	"Core spezzato"
1969	Aurelio Fierro and Mirna Doris	"Preghiera a 'na mamma"
1970	Peppino di Capri and Gianni Nazzaro	"Me chiamme ammore"
1971	The Festival di Napoli was not held this year. See Note 2 below.
1981	Mario Da Vinci	"'A mamma"
1998	Ylenia	"Ehi Pascà!"
1999	Gianni Fiorellino	"Girasole"
2000	Pia Paterno	"Sempre con te"
2001	Mario and Francesco Merola	"L'urdemo emigrante"
2002	Anna Calemme e gli Istentales	"Vorrei"
2003	Roberto Polisano	"Amore senza parole"
2004	Marika	"Astrigneme"

Notes

• Note 1: In 1953, the Festival was not held because it was initially designed to be biennial (every other year), but the Organization later reconsidered.
• Note 2: In 1971, the Festival was not held because it was suspended by RAI.

See also

• Canzone Napoletana
• List of historic rock and pop festivals
• List of music festivals in Italy

External links

• Media related to Festival di Napoli at Wikimedia Commons