The second evening of Sanremo is certainly more memorable than the previous one, which – in terms of unforgettable moments – had to rely solely on Mrs. Gianna, 105 years old, capable of unexpectedly shouting from the Ariston stage “Down with the fascists”, annihilating any presumed desire for a “Melonian” festival. The credit, this time, goes instead to an “unconscious young man”, namely Achille Lauro, and to a solid certainty, namely Lillo Petrolo: two co-hosts who are particularly fitting in their roles.

For the rest, the episode remains marked by the tight formality of Carlo Conti’s style, which continues to rely on the proud liturgy rather than the lively extra-programmes of those who preceded him. “Okay, Carlo, but don’t go so fast,” says the equally apt Vincenzo De Lucia, comedian and regular guest of this edition, trying to slow down the pace. “I understand that you don’t give a damn, that it’s your last festival, that you’ll then pass the package on to that other guy..”, he then continues, taking a dig at Stefano De Martino, the potential new host for 2027…

Achille Lauro’s homage to Crans Montana is worth the entire evening

Achille Lauro’s tribute to the victims of Crans Montana is memorable. Two months ago Erica Barosi, mother of Achille Barosi, had chosen “Perdutamente”, among the most beautiful songs by the Roman singer-songwriter, to greet the coffin of her son, a young victim of the New Year’s Eve fire. Had to, of course. But above all adequate: for the occasion, the song is re-adapted with a monumental arrangement, made up of a choir of twenty elements and the soprano Valentina Gargano. With them, obviously, also the voice of Lauro, who enters the scene in second place and then puts his all into the performance, managing to not indulge in pietisms. The rest is done by the mastery of the direction by Maurizio Pagnussat, the lights by Mario Catapano, and the scenography by Riccardo Bocchini. It is here that, for the first time in this edition, Sanremo recovers its dimension of the event, which has so far been neglected. And it is here that the sobriety of Conti’s style was more effective than ever.

Lauro, the revelation artist of the last ten years

No pity, it was said, on Lauro’s part. Who in the last eight years – those of the leap from icon for kids to star of general pop – has undoubtedly established himself as the most mature artist to emerge from the last decade of Italian music: his music has a figure; his performance art has achieved a credible transversality, capable of making him stand out both in a twist and in a moving homage like the one tonight. “I want to say something important,” he says at the end of the performance. “Music has the task of accompanying us in life. If this thing could have comforted even just one person, for us it was a duty.”

Perdumente” sung like this is not just a song, it’s a message that goes straight to the stomach ❤️‍🩹
Achille Lauro transformed the Sanremo stage into pure emotion tonight.
Chilling 🤍

Standing ovation well deserved ✨💫#Sanremo2026#AchilleLauro pic.twitter.com/5LqeX47emu

— 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑎 🌺🌹 (@Lucrezia_mont) February 25, 2026

Nothing new on the Pilar Fogliati front

Nothing new, however, on the Pilar Fogliati front: the young actress, rightfully invited due to her multi-faceted acting and directorial talent, is aiming for safe second-hand. That is, the imitations of Roman dialects that made her go viral on social media ten years ago, which she then re-proposed in her TV series “Romantics” on Netflix and which she now brings – too! – on the Ariston stage. In the role of the young Roman aristocrat Uvetta Budini Di Raso, for example, she addresses Conti and Pausini: “But do you do this as a job? That is, do you receive money to do this thing? The people who work are super lucky, because they know what to do.” Then he moves on to the “very excited” Roman girl. But, beyond the overused repertoire, the question is: did it make you laugh outside the ring road?

Luckily Lillo is there

Lillo is the most successful comedian guest of this edition so far. He arrives and brings an impeccably structured script to the stage. First he makes fun of the festival’s clichés a bit: “Welcome to this splendid setting of the Ariston Theatre” he says, adding other stock phrases (which is something futuristic in the festival of liturgies, the kind that can’t be more traditional). Then he mocks the tradition of “sorrowful monologues”, in memory of the old Amadeus festivals. Finally he moves on to his repertoire of irresistible comic ballets, and those never tire.

The (skimpy) tribute to Ornella Vanoni

Then it’s time for the tribute to Ornella Vanoni. Camilla Ardenzi, granddaughter of the iconic artist who passed away in November, as well as an ambitious singer herself, performs one of her grandmother’s most famous songs: “Eternità”. He then sings the last refrain with grandmother Ornella, who reappears on stage through archive footage. A simple but emotional tribute: sober, spot-on. If only it weren’t for this unpleasant fact that it was broadcast at twenty minutes to one in the morning: an icon like Vanoni would have deserved a strong time slot with a larger audience. As well as, perhaps, a few minutes – and a few songs – more.

“A golden mother”. Carlo Conti risks gaffe with Francesca Lollobrigida

If this had been the Sanremo 2023 festival, i.e. in the midst of the so-called “fourth feminist wave”, the sentence addressed by Carlo Conti to Francesca Lollobrigida would not have been allowed to pass. In welcoming the Olympic champion (two golds in speed skating), the host defines her as “a golden mother”. In short: the usual reflex of identifying the woman in her role as a mother before her professional role. But the skater, with a slalom, saves him. “The best feeling was seeing my son in the stands,” she confirms, far from annoyed. And again: “Having my son in the stands was the greatest emotion.” Amadeus would have been lynched for much less. But that wasn’t a melonian and conservative festival, some would say…