Sanremo at the start: Benigni celebrates the Constitution, Ferragni the women. Blanco devastates the stage, it's controversy

The 73rd edition of the Sanremo Festival is underway. Amadeus leads with Gianni Morandi, with them Chiara Ferragni – for the first and last evening – to the debut on television.

After the minute's silence for the victims of the tragic earthquake between Turkey and Syria, an ovation for the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella (first head of state at Ariston in history), then Gianni Morandi sang the Mameli anthem in his honor with all the public.

Then Roberto Benigni's monologue , which celebrates 75 years of the "most beautiful constitution in the world" by recalling the founding fathers (including Bernardo Mattarella himself) and citing article 11 - "Italy repudiating war" - and the article 21 which defends freedom of expression.It is the sixth time in Sanremo for the Tuscan actor.

The Constitution, he said, "is a dream fabricated by awake men, it is something that can happen once in the history of a people, if there is a song that resembles it, it is the incipit of Volare". And if "sometimes it takes years to make a law, they made the Constitution in a very short time, it was like a flash of lightning, a vision, yet there were 556 people who wrote it, divided on everything excluded on being united to write the The most beautiful constitution imaginable.

Among the guests last year's winners, Mahmood and Blanco, who sang their "Brividi", a streaming record song . But also   Salmo - which offers a wonderful medley of "Russell Crowe" and "Ninety minutes" from the Costa Smeralda ship moored off the coast of the City of Flowers - and the Poohs who inflame with their hits from "Pensiero" to "Little Katy".

However, Blanco is the protagonist of an episode that will certainly cause discussion: during the performance of his new piece, "L'Isola delle rose", due to a technical problem he smashed the vases on stage and kicked the flowers, to the boos of the audience .

Chiara Ferragni is excited and a little uncertain , who first shows off a black dress with a stole dedicated to women - with the words "Think free" - and then a dress that appears transparent but is actually designed on her body.

The influencer with 28.5 million followers reads, in tears and accompanied by the piano, a letter - written in her own hand - dedicated to herself as a child on female empowerment: «People know me and it's a good feeling to be appreciated by millions of people. Maybe not everyone likes me but I like myself and this is a great start - her words - I've always tried to make you proud. Everything I do I do for you, the little girl I was. Every day you will read hundreds of comments that will remind you of sexism: being a woman is not a limit, fight every day to change things . I'm trying, even now."

The first 14 singers performed : Anna Oxa – Sali (Song of the soul), Gianmaria – Mostro, Mr. Rain – Superheroes, Marco Mengoni – Due Vite, Ariete – Sea of trouble, Ultimo – Alba, Coma_Cose – L'addio , Elodie – Due, Leo Gassman – Third heart, Country Cousins – Letter 22, Gianluca Grignani – When you're out of breath, Olly – Dust, Uncle Colla – I don't like it, Mara Sattei – Two thousand minutes.

At the end of the first evening Mengoni is ahead of everyone in the standings with "Two Lives". Followed by Elodie with "Due" and Coma Cose with "L'addio". Last Anna Oxa with "Sali" .

(Unioneonline/D)