Bertè top of standings after Sanremo opening night

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 7 - Veteran singer Loredana Bertè is top of the standings of the Sanremo Song Festival with an autobiographical rock piece, Pazza (Crazy Woman), after the opening night of the much-loved week-long event on Tuesday.
    The 73-year-old heads a top five that is also made up of Angelina Mango, Annalisa, Diodato and Mahmood on the basis of a vote by the press on the 30 artists that were on stage on Tuesday.
    The festival got off to a strong start with co-presenter and twice-festival-winner Marco Mengoni performing the song with which he won last year, Due Vite.
    Comedian Fiorello did a sketch with his AI double and there were guest appearances by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who read a moving letter to the mother of a 24-year-old musician murdered in Naples last year, and Alpine skiing star Federica Brignone, who promoted her sport ahead of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
    Sanremo is a national institution that inspired Eurovision and helped launch the careers of many of Italy's top music stars, such as Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini, Mengoni, Mahmood and Maneskin.
    Its storied past includes iconic performances by the likes of Domenico Modugno, Mina, Nilla Pizzi, Claudio Villa, Tony Renis, Bobby Solo, Iva Zanicchi, Little Tony, Gianni Morandi, Adriano Celentano, Nada, Peppino Di Capri, Toto Cutugno, Al Bano & Romina Power, Massimo Ranieri, Ana Oxa, Riccardo Cocciante, Giorgia, Roberto Vecchioni, Pino Daniele, Vasco Rossi and Gigliola Cinquetti, who returns this year 60 years after her win at the age of 16 in 1964 with I'm Not Old Enough. (ANSA).