A Warm welcome to all guests and participants joining us in Bologna, Italy, for the 157 edition of the Forum Song Contest.
The theme for this edition is Trust, Peace and Music.
The inspiration for Trust is the winning entry from the previous edition, Mi fiderò, by Marco Mengoni feat. Madame. Please enjoy this encore performance by our reigning champion:
In these difficult times we must trust in the principles of peace, freedom, democracy and human development. We must have trust that the forces of good will always prevail over evil.
Peace is a basic requirement for humans to develop and flourish. In a peaceful environment we can reach our greatest potential. We demand that peace be respected, as we cannot allow the advancements towards a peaceful co-existence of all human beings to be erased.
Music can be an important tool to express our feelings, our hopes and our values; to communicate with others across all barriers and boundaries. Music has the power to bring people together, regardless of language and culture. Let the music unite us all!
The Host City for this FSC-edition is Bologna, Italy.
Bologna is the historical capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the 7th-most populous city in Italy with a population of 400 000; while the Metropolitan area is home to more than 1 million people. It is also known as the Fat, the Red and the Learned city. This refers to the city's rich cuisine, the Spanish tiled rooftops, and being home to the oldest university in the Western world.
The history of Bologna goes back to the 6th century BCE, when the Etruscans founded a city called Felsina on the site where Bologna stands today. It was later inhabited by the Celts, who called it Bona, and then by the Romans who called it Bonōnia. By the Middle ages it was a free municipality, and one of the largest European cities by population.
Bologna is famous for its towers, churches and lengthy porticoes. The historical centre is well preserved, thanks to a careful restoration and conservation policy. The University of Bologna, established in AD 1088, is the oldest university in the Western world. The city is home to a large student population, which gives it a cosmopolitan character.
Bologna is an important agricultural, industrial, financial and transport hub. It houses the headquarters of many large mechanical, electronic and food companies, as well as one of the largest permanent trade fairs in Europe. It has the highest economic growth rate in Italy, and is one of the wealthiest cities in Italy, and often ranks as one of the top Italian cities for quality of life.
In 2000, Bologna was declared European Capital of Culture, and in 2006 a UNESCO City of music, and it also became part of the Creative Cities Network. In 2021 UNESCO recognised the lengthy porticoes as a World Heritage Site. In total, there are 38 kilometres of porticoes in the city's historical centre, which makes it possible to walk for long distances while being sheltered from the elements.
The Piazza Maggiore is a sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes and medieval and Renaissance structures such as City Hall, the Fountain of Neptune and the Basilica di San Petronio. Among the city’s many medieval towers are the Two Towers, leaning Asinelli and Garisenda. The Archiginnasio was once the main building of the University of Bologna and dates back to the 16th century. Here you can visit the Teatro Anatomico, an ornate anatomical theatre built in 1636 entirely from wood and decorated with statues.
The host Venue for this edition of FSC is the Unipol Arena.
Unipol Arena (previously known as Futurshow Station, PalaMalaguti and originally Palasport Casalecchio) is an indoor sporting arena located in Casalecchio di Reno, Province of Bologna, Italy. The seating capacity of the arena for basketball games is 11,000 people, and the seating capacity for concerts is 20,000 people. It was opened in December 1993. It was home to the Virtus Bologna basketball team from 1996 to 2017. It is served by Casalecchio Palasport railway station.
It is now time to introduce our hosts for the evening, please put your hands together for Alessandro Cattelan and Annalisa:
Alessandro Cattelan (born 11 May 1980 in Tortona) is an Italian television and radio presenter best known for presenting the Italian edition of Total Request Live, broadcast by MTV Italia, and Le Iene, broadcast by Mediaset's Italia 1. Cattelan also hosted the Italian version of The X Factor from 2011 to 2020. He was also nominated as a possible candidate for the Sanremo Music Festival 2020, as well as being confirmed by RAI as one of the three hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.
Annalisa Scarrone (born 5 August 1985) better known as simply Annalisa or Nali, is an Italian singer-songwriter, Record producer and TV personality. After being part of two bands, Elaphe Guttata and leNoire, she became famous after participating in the tenth edition of the talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi in 2010–2011, where she finished in second place. Subsequently, Annalisa participated in the Festival of Sanremo 2013 with the song "Scintille" and finished ninth. She returned to San Remo on multiple occasions, in 2015, 2016, 2018 and and most recently she finished seventh with "Dieci" in Sanremo 2021. She received several awards, including a MTV Europe Music Award, a Wind Music Award and a Lutezia Award for her songwriting works, and nominations at the Kid's Choice Award and World Music Awards.It is now time to introduce our hosts for the evening, please put your hands together for Alessandro Cattelan and Annalisa:
Alessandro Cattelan (born 11 May 1980 in Tortona) is an Italian television and radio presenter best known for presenting the Italian edition of Total Request Live, broadcast by MTV Italia, and Le Iene, broadcast by Mediaset's Italia 1. Cattelan also hosted the Italian version of The X Factor from 2011 to 2020. He was also nominated as a possible candidate for the Sanremo Music Festival 2020, as well as being confirmed by RAI as one of the three hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.
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