Italy 2011

**Stathis** Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:12 am

Afret many years, Italy returns to the contest

Today is the day every Eurovision Song Contest fan has been waiting for; After 13 years of absence, Italian broadcaster RAI applied for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest!

Last Friday was the deadline for public service broadcasters from all over Europe to apply for participation in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, which is scheduled to take part on 10, 12 and 14 May in Düsseldorf, Germany.

"Over the years, our team put a lot of effort into bringing our Italian colleagues back on board for the EBU's flagship entertainment event," said Jørgen Franck, TV Director ad interim. "We consider their renewed interest a great compliment, and are eager to show the Italian people how the contest evolved over the past 13 years. I am sure they will be positively surprised!"

Italy has a rich tradition at the Eurovision Song Contest. They won the contest twice, back in 1965 and 1991, and often finished top-10. Italy brought several Eurovision evergreens, such as Domenico Modugno's Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) and Umberto Tozzi and Raf's Gente Di Mare.

Broadcasters that applied before Friday's deadline can still withdraw without consequences until Christmas. The full list of represented countries will be announced shortly after the holidays.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=22443