Italy, the classic Eurovision country that returned to the contest after a long break, has been mostly successful ever since its comeback in 2011. It automatically joined the privileged group of countries that have a default place in the final without having to qualify from a semi-final. Italy has finished with a top 10 result in three of the contests since 2011. It was only last year that the boot-shaped country came lower than 20th for the very first time, when Emma Marrone got (logically) Italy’s worst result ever.

The annual festival of Sanremo, so to say the grandmother of Eurovision, has recently been Italy’s artist pool from which they select their Eurovision entrant for the respective year. This year, the rule became more specific, as it was determined beforehand that it would be the winner’s privilege (but not his or her duty) to represent Italy at Eurovision. And indeed, the three young guys from Il Volo, the Sanremo winners of 2015, agreed to go to Eurovision!

In their luggage, they bring their Sanremo song Grande Amore, a popera (operatic pop) piece that’s nowhere near Bonaparti.lv’s Latvian tearjerker from 2007 or the Titanic at Eurovision that Sognu was four years later. No, as much as you’re expecting schmaltz, and as much as you’re suspecting overratedness (in the case of Italy, a default praise for the “Sweden of the South”), you will be disappointed. As the song is actually quite good.

Let me explain further. In our western world – no matter if we’re talking about food, fashion or music – so often, an automatic affection, a blind falling for anything Italian, can’t be denied – whether justified or not. In an attempt not to fall into the same Italy-trap, let’s imagine the same composition sung by three Moldovan women in their 50s. Would it still be good? In this case, yes, it would. I’m often critical of fellow fans who judge a Eurovision entry mostly by the looks or charisma of the singers, and here we have three good-looking young men with charisma, separated from any Italy-trap. Of course, the latter won’t hurt them, nor their fans.

My verdict for a popera song, sung by young Italians, definitely borrowing the cliché, could be abysmal. But it’s not, because the composition is good – simple as that. Here, the narcissism, the schmaltz, the pathos, everything that I dislike about popera, got – at least – reduced to a minimum, and I’m pleased about that. At the same time, we have a decent song, and not just a merely calculated succession of notes, something that many other countries torture us with this year. For all it is popera, a style that I usually avoid, I like it surprisingly enough to concede them a smiley face (though only just). And of course, this will be in the top 10 at ESC itself, and still has a slight chance of winning the whole thing.

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