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 the 10th, 12th and 14th of 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 1964 and 1990, and often finished in the Top10. 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.
