The women of Sanremo 2025

"Women" we say with teary eyes like Saoirse Ronan in Little Women by Greta Gerwig. In our opinion, they are the real trump cards of this Sanremo 2025 hosted by Carlo Conti. Not just the contestants in the competition, but also the co-hosts and the artists taking the stage during the cover night. Are you up to speed, or do you need a refresher? Let's take this opportunity—and add in a little history lesson. Let's go!

The Female Contestants of Sanremo 2025

Let's start with the heart of the festival: the competition. After past controversies—including the now meme-worthy misogynistic comment by Francesco Renga ("Women at the festival? Fewer, because men's voices are more beautiful")—this year, out of 30 contestants, 12 are women (including Francesca Mesiano from Coma Cose). It's still less than half, but that won't stop us from rooting for them. Some notable names include Sarah Toscano, the young and promising winner of Amici 23; Rose Villain, who recently launched her own makeup brand; and Noemi, a festival veteran who always brings something new and will be performing a surprise duet with Tony Effe. Our eyes are also on Clara, who will perform alongside Il Volo; Gaia, who promises fireworks after a blazing summer; and Serena Brancale, making her debut on the Ariston stage. And let's not forget Marcella Bella, Giorgia, Francesca Michielin, Elodie and Joan Thiele. We also have the parallel competition, the Nuove Proposte! Among the contenders are duo Vale LP and Lil Jolie, followed by movement director La B. Fujiko, and Maria Tomba.

Sanremo 2025 Co-Hosts and Guests

Outside of the competition, the women standing alongside Carlo Conti as co-hosts include Antonella Clerici, a beloved morning TV personality; Bianca Balti; Geppi Cucciari (who, spoiler alert, will be wearing Antonio Marras); Katia Follesa; Elettra Lamborghini; Miriam Leone; and Alessia Marcuzzi. Among the special guests are Vittoria Puccini, BigMama, who will perform on the outdoor stage in Piazza Colombo, along with Iva Zanicchi and Vanessa Scalera.

What About the Artistic Direction and Hosting?

All of this is great, but there’s a catch. The truth is that, over the years, very few women have been deeply involved in the artistic direction and hosting of Italy’s most famous music festival. Historically, the roles of artistic director and host—now merged into one—were once separate. Since the festival began in 1951, there has been only one female artistic director: Carla Vistarini, an Italian lyricist, screenwriter, and writer, who took on the role in 1997. As for female hosts, the record is just as sparse. In 1961, Giuliana Calandra took the stage, followed by Loretta Goggi in 1986, Edwige Fenech in 1991, Raffaella Carrà in 2001, and Simona Ventura in 2004. The last woman to host was Antonella Clerici in 2010. If we consider that just two men—Pippo Baudo and Mike Bongiorno—hosted a combined total of 24 festivals, the imbalance is crystal clear.