«Ci will be Two career prizesthe first goes to a woman who sixty years ago made her debut at the Sanremo Festival and won her three times: Iva Zanicchi». With these words last January Carlo Conti He had announced the presence of VAT on the third evening of Sanremo 2025, that of Thursday 13 February. A recognition that will also be assigned to Antonello Venditti, guest of the final.
Sanremo 2025, Iva Zanicchi at the Festival 60 years after its debut
With Sanremo, Zanicchi has a long story. It is not just one of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of singers who passed by that stage. He set up a record: he is the only woman who won three times. More than her only Domenico Modugno and Claudio Villa, who won four editions.
It won the victory in 1967, in 1969 and 1974. The first triumph paired with Claudio Villa, The song was Don’t think about me And that edition remained in history also for the suicide of Luigi Tenco the day before the final.
The second time he won in pairs with Bobby alone, the song – becoming a symbol of his career – was Gypsy. The third time, in 1974, was the first soloist with the song Hello dear, how are you?written among others by Italo Ianne and Cristiano Malgioglio, the latter co-conductor of the second evening of Sanremo 2025 together with Bianca Balti and Nino Frassica.
“Carlo Conti generous, I’m happy”
Zanicchi’s reaction had arrived shortly after the official announcement through a video published on Instagram. «Dear friends, I’m happy to announce that I will go to Sanremo. Carlo Conti, so cute, generous and affectionate with me, decided to reward me on Thursday evening with the Sanremo City Prize. I was born there, I won the festival three times and I’m happy».
His link with Sanremo does not concern only the three victories, although important and fundamental for his career. He participated in all 13 times. The first in 1965 with Your best yearspaired with Geney Geneyfollowed in 1966 by The night of farewell With Vic Dana. After the victory in 1969, in 1970 he presented Noah’s arkpaired with Sergio Endrigo.
According to Trionfo in 1974, and then returned ten years later with Who (will give me)signed by Cristiano Malgioglio and Umberto Balsamo. After 1984, a long break lasting almost twenty years. The stage of the Ariston theater saw it again in 2003 with I was a tango. In 2009 he presented I want you without loveup to 2022 with I want to love you.
The career of theLigonchio eagle Between music and television
If Gypsy represents his workhorse, theLigonchio eagle It is the appellation with which it has always been defined. It is due to the extraordinary vocality, equated to four other extraordinary singers: The Tiger of Cremona Mina; The Panther of Goro Milva; The Civetta of Venice Patty Pravo; And The Usignolo of Cavriago Orietta Berti.
The multiple participations in Sanremo are just a piece in the career of VAT Zanicchi. The Festival represented the flywheel to get out of national borders and conquer the world. From Argentina to Chile, from Japan to the former Soviet Union, from Canada to the United States and certainly Europe.
Compared to many colleagues, however, he has done something more. He did not stop at the record career, but explored other territories, such as cinema and television. For the big screen he starred in several films starting from the 60s, including A girl all golden. The television debut dates back to 1972when he joined Sandra Mondaini and Raimondo Vianello in Do you know I tell you?. In 1975 it arrived Totanbotthis time hostess flanked by rotation conductors, in which he highlighted his versatility.
Success with Ok, the price is right!
The path on the small screen continued, but In 1987 an indissoluble partnership was born. Iva Zanicchi has become the landlady of Ok, the price is right!a real cult. So it has become a television face in all respects, and there are several programs that have seen it the protagonist. In particular, Happy Sundayin which he participated for various editions as a guest.
Over the years he has shown that he knows how to adapt to changes and this is how he participated in the reality show in the first 2000 Music Farmwinning the eye more and more to the new way of entertaining. So he was a popular judge a Tú sí que valesfixed commentator from Chiambretti a CR4 – The Republic of Women, Big Brother, The Island of the Famous, All Together Now And The masked singer.
In 2022 He got involved as a dancer a Dancing with the stars and since 2023 it has been enrolled by Canale 5 for I sing generation First as a foreman, then as a judge. He is also a judge of the spin off I sing senior.
Iva Zanicchi in 1992. (Getty Images)
Iva Zanicchi: family, daughter, grandchildren and fausto
With his sympathy, Iva Zanicchi won the public. He is a professional with a direct, painful attitude, inclined to give jokes with irony. 85 years and not hearing them, he would be said. Over the years he has been able to establish a relationship of familiarity with viewers, even speaking of himself, of his family and its origins in the Emilian countryside.
He has a daughter – Michelaborn from the wedding with Antonio Ansoldi – and two grandchildren, Luca and Virginia. The latter, born in 2003, followed the footsteps of the grandmother and recorded the song Under the moon. In 1985 he embarked on a relationship with the producer Fausto Pinnaof which he often spoke on television and in the interviews, disappeared in 2024.
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