The Sanremo Music Festival 2003 (), officially the 53rd Italian Song Festival (), was the 53rd annual

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

, held at the

Teatro Ariston The Ariston Theatre () is a theatre and a cinema in Sanremo, Italy. It has been the venue of the annual Sanremo Music Festival competitions since 1977. The name is derived from Ancient Greek meaning "the best". It was designed between 1943 and ...

Sanremo Sanremo, also spelled San Remo in English and formerly in Italian, is a (municipality) on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination ...

between 5 and 9 March 2003 and broadcast by (RAI). The show was presented by

Pippo Baudo Giuseppe Vittorio Raimondo "Pippo" Baudo (born 7 June 1936) is one of the most famous Italian television presenters, with a career spanning six decades. He is often nicknamed "Superpippo" (referencing the Italian name of Super Goof). Baudo ha ...

(who also served as the artistic director of the festival), assisted by Serena Autieri and

Claudia Gerini Claudia Gerini (; born 18 December 1971) is an Italian actress and singer. Life and career Gerini was born in the city of Rome in Italy in 1971. When she was 13 she won the 1985 Miss Teenager beauty contest. Her acting debut came a year later i ...

. The winner of the Big Artists section was Alexia with the song "

Per dire di no "Per dire di no" is the first single from Alexia's sixth studio album ''Il cuore a modo mio ''Il cuore a modo mio'' () is the sixth studio album by Alexia (Italian singer), Alexia released in Italy on 7 March 2003 (Sony Code 511054). This woul ...

", while

Sergio Cammariere Sergio Cammariere (born 15 November 1960 in Crotone, Italy) is an Italian jazz singer-songwriter. He has released 12 studio albums and 1 live album. Career After a long career as a niche musician distinguished by his collaboration with the poet ...

won the Critics Award with the song "Tutto quello che un uomo".

Dolcenera Emanuela Trane (born 16 May 1977), known by her stage name Dolcenera (, ), is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning the newcomers' section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2003, Sanremo Music Festival, bu ...

won the Newcomers" section with the song "Siamo tutti là fuori". In addition to musical guests, the guests of this edition also included

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an American Italian television presenter. After a few experiences in the U.S., he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host ...

(eleven-time host of the festival),

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi ( ; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed "the Doctor", Rossi is widely considered one of the greate ...

Mario Cipollini Mario Cipollini (; born 22 March 1967), often abbreviated to Cipo, is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1988, his last in 2005; 170 pro ...

Enrico Montesano Enrico Montesano (born 7 June 1945) is an Italian actor, comedian, television host, screenwriter and showman. Career Montesano comes from a family involved in theatre, and he made his debut in 1966 in a show named ''Humor nero'', alongside o ...

Nino Frassica Antonino "Nino" Frassica (born 11 December 1950) is an Italian actor, comedian and television personality. Biography and career Born in Messina, Sicily, Frassica is mostly known for his deadpan humour, characterized by absurd jokes he descri ...

Giorgio Panariello Giorgio Panariello (born 30 September 1960 in Florence) is an Italian comedian, film and stage actor, director and television presenter. Biography Born in Florence to a father of Campanian origin, he raised in Cinquale, a seaside town in the pro ...

Lino Banfi Lino Banfi (born Pasquale Zagaria; 9 July 1936) is an Italian actor and screenwriter. Since 1960 he has appeared in more than 100 films. Biography Banfi was born in the Apulian city of Andria, and at the age of three he moved to Canosa di P ...

Massimo Ghini Massimo Ghini (born 12 October 1954) is an Italian actor. Life He has worked with Franco Zeffirelli, Giorgio Strehler, Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, and Gabriele Lavia, among others. He has been married to actress Nancy Brilli, and is the father ...

Nilla Pizzi Adionilla Pizzi (; 16 April 1919 – 12 March 2011), known by her stage name Nilla Pizzi, was an Italian singer and actress. Born in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, she was particularly famous in Italy during the 1950s and 1960s. She is well know ...

received a career award and performed her hits "Grazie dei fiori" and "Vola colomba", with which she won the first two editions of the festival (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

and

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

Participants and results

Big Artists

Newcomers

Musical guests

Broadcasts

International broadcast

Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below.

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{Sanremo Music Festival

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2003 in Italian music 2003 music festivals 2003 in Italian television March 2003 in Italy