Back in June, representatives from Rai travelled to Geneva to meet with the EBU’s Eurovision Reference Group. Following the meeting, Italian Head of Delegation Simona Martorelli stated that the first task ahead was to select a host city. Last month, the bidding process was officially launched, with the publication of the criteria for eligible host cities. Following bids from Turin, Pesaro, Bologna and Jesolo, Rai later confirmed that a total of seventeen bids were received.
According to Eurofestival News, Rai’s Board of Directors will convene today at 3.30pm CET to discuss the host city candidates. This follows the passing of the deadline for candidates to submit their bid books to Rai, which was last night.
In addition to the host city race, the agenda will include finance and debt management. The meeting will be presided over by the new President of RAI Marinella Soldi and Managing Director Carlo Fuortes.
Last month it was revealed that only 3 of the 17 bidding cities and municipalities meet the criteria published by the EBU, specifically the venue and hotel capacity requirements. These three candidates are supposedly Milan, Bologna and Turin. As a result, Italian media seem to view the process as a three-horse-race between these candidates.
Host city will be decided by the end of August
A total seventeen Italian cities have submitted their candidacy to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. However, only 3 of these proposed cities meet all of the requirements. Notably, Verona, Naples and Bari did not submit bids after initially expressing interest.
The cities in the running are:
The provincial capitals that are in the running are:
- Alessandria
- Matera
- Pesaro
- Rimini
- Viterbro
Meanwhile, the following municipalities have submitted bids:
- Acireale (Catania)
- Bertinoro di Romagna (Forlì – Cesena)
- Jesolo (Venice)
- Palazzolo Acreide (Syracuse)
- Sanremo (Imperia)
Each of the above have submitted their initial bids, and will now received a more detailed document ahead of the next stage. Rai, in coordination with the EBU, will select the host city by the end of August.
Måneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with “Zitti E Buoni”, taking us to Italy for the first time since 1991. We will report as the selection process continues!
Which city would you like to see host Eurovision 2022? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!