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.
Yesterday afternoon, Rai’s Board of Directors convened to discuss the host city candidates following the passing of the deadline for candidates to submit their bid books. In addition to the host city race, the agenda included finance and debt management. The meeting was presided over by the new President of RAI Marinella Soldi and Managing Director Carlo Fuortes.
According to Eurofestival News, of the seventeen Italian cities that initially expressed their interest in hosting Eurovision 2022, the eleven that submitted their bid books to Rai and therefore are still in the process are:
- Acireale
- Alexandria
- Bologna
- Genoa
- Milan
- Palazzolo Acreide
- Pesaro
- Rimini
- Rome
- Sanremo
- Turin
Therefore, the following six have been eliminated from the process after not submitting their bid books, likely due to their inability to comply with the requirements:
- Bertinoro di Romagna
- Florence
- Jesolo
- Matera
- Trieste
- Viterbo
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)
After submitting their initial bids, each candidate received a more detailed document ahead of the next stage. Six of the above were then eliminated from the process following a meeting of the Board of Directors (struck through). 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!
