This year marked the 75th edition of the Festival of Sanremo, Italy’s most famous music festival. This isn't the first time we've covered the competition, where 29 artists premiered brand-new songs, with one ultimately crowned the winner through votes from journalists, radio staff, and the public. This year’s winner was Olly, born in 2001, who triumphed with his song, Balorda Nostalgia.
Sanremo also highlights Italy’s rich linguistic diversity, featuring songs in regional dialects. With an uncountable number of dialects across the country, variations are often more pronounced between regions and subtly distinct even between neighboring cities. These dialects remain a crucial part of Italy’s cultural identity, and a crucial part of the music it produces.
In the current Italian music industry, regional dialects have a strong presence, either freshly reviving old stories or painting urban landscapes in their listeners' minds. Artists like La Niña (our pick for the “Meet the Artist” section!) use dialects to tell contemporary stories while evoking the past.
Serena Brancale, born in Bari, went viral last summer with a song seemingly about salted cod, Baccalà, all in very strict dialect, fusing jazz, soul, and funk influences.
Neapolitan music is one of the most prolific in Italy. At Sanremo 2024, young rapper Geolier (born in 2004) made it to the podium with I p’ me, tu p’ te, a track that has sold over 400,000 copies. The momentum continued into 2025 with a new album from Liberato, known for his poetic lyrics in Italian, Neapolitan, English, French, and Spanish—all while maintaining an air of mystery by never revealing his face.
And going back to Sanremo 2025, Rocco Hunt, born in Salerno was among the artists competing with Mille vote ancora, a song that blended Italian with dialect.
It's a song that speaks about the affection a person feels for their homeland. In particular, it tells my story—but above all, the story of many other young people. If I had to imagine an image that represents my song, I’d picture an ordinary neighborhood or a child dreaming.
- Rocco Hunt
What stands out about his lyrics is how they start in Italian but transition into dialect as the song reaches its emotional peak, reinforcing the deep connection between language and sentiment.
On a lighter note, Serena Brancale, after Baccalà, attended the competition with Anema e Core. Maintaining her signature joyful energy, it is an uptempo love song in Italian with touches of southern dialects, as well as English and, of course, Italian. In this case, dialect serves as a tool to express raw passion, while English add a cinematic flair to the story.
The lyrics were born from a shared vision among friends. And in the music, there's a bit of jazz and a bit of electronic sounds, just like you heard last year in Baccalà.
Serena Brancale
Damme Na Mano by trap artist Tony Effe, was instead a tribute to Rome. His love song merged hip-hop with traditional Italian folk influences, enriched by the magnificent orchestra of the Teatro Ariston, which accompanies the singers throughout the festival.
Thursday night at Sanremo is always dedicated to duets on non-competing songs, and this year was no exception. Rocco Hunt invited Clementino to pay tribute to the legendary Pino Daniele, known for blending blues, jazz, rock, and traditional Neapolitan music throughout his career.
Another iconic singer-songwriter, Fabrizio De André, was covered during the evening. Bresh invited Cristiano De André, Fabrizio’s son, to perform Creuza de mä in the Genovese dialect, an homage not just to the late artist but also to Liguria, the region that proudly hosts the Sanremo Festival each year.
By embracing regional dialects, artists not only honored their roots but also brought fresh perspectives to the Italian music scene. As Italy’s musical landscape continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: its rich linguistic heritage will always have a voice on stage.
