Sanremo 2026: duets and covers, first rumors emerge: Patty Pravo pays tribute to Vanoni, Paradiso with Stadio

With the 2026 Sanremo Festival drawing closer, a dense web of rumours is intensifying. After the lineup of the 30 Big contenders was announced and the titles of the competing songs were revealed, attention is now turning to the cover night, traditionally one of the most closely followed and debated moments of Sanremo week.

The Festival's fourth night, set for Friday 27 February at the Teatro Ariston, will see each artist reinterpret a song from the Italian or international repertoire released by 31 December 2025, joined by a guest performer. The voting system mirrors the one used in recent years, with Televoto, the Press Room Jury, TV and Web, and the Radio Jury tasked with determining a standalone winner for the night, with no impact on the overall standings. For this edition too, Carlo Conti hasn't entirely ruled out duets between the Big contenders, though the idea would reportedly be limited to just a handful of cases.

While awaiting the official announcement, the rumours circulating — reported by the Adn Kronos agency — paint a varied picture, featuring tributes, cross-generational pairings and a few unexpected surprises. Patty Pravo is said to be leaning towards a tribute to Ornella Vanoni, choosing "Ti lascio una canzone" and aiming for a particularly polished staging. Enrico Nigiotti could share the stage with Alfa, while Tommaso Paradiso is reported to have picked Stadio as the ideal partners for his performance.

On the front of more cross-cutting collaborations, names being mentioned include Maria Antonietta and Colombre alongside Brunori Sas, Lda and Aka 7even joined by Tullio De Piscopo — with "Andamento lento" among the most credited hypotheses — and a possible pairing between Luché and Gianluca Grignani. For Elettra Lamborghini, meanwhile, the persistent rumour is of an international guest, though there's no firm confirmation as yet.

The picture, however, remains in flux. Several collaborations are said to still be up in the air, and according to sources close to the production, Carlo Conti has reportedly stepped up contacts with artists and management to seal the deals quickly. There are also cases of "contested" artists: The Kolors, for instance, are said to have been requested by more than one Big contender, notably Sal Da Vinci — who already featured them last year on "Rossetto e caffè" — and Raf.

Adding to these rumours are those already emerging from the podcast "Pezzi di Musica". Dargen D'Amico is expected to duet with Ricchi e Poveri on "Sarà perché ti amo", one of the most iconic pop songs in the Festival's history. From the same source come rumours about Fedez and Marco Masini, said to be working on a joint performance with Chiello on Gianna Nannini's "Meravigliosa creatura": for now, this would be the only duet among the Big contenders on which an agreement has reportedly been reached. Eddie Brock, meanwhile, is expected to take the stage with Fabrizio Moro to perform "Portami via", the song the Roman singer-songwriter presented at Sanremo 2007.

Among the most surprising rumors circulating in recent hours is a possible meeting between Samurai Jay and Zucchero, with a cameo from Belen Rodriguez during the covers night. Finally, the rumor of a duet between Ditonellapiaga and TonyPitony is gaining increasing traction, publicly championed by Fiorello during "La Pennicanza", when the showman suggested that the Sicilian artist ideally join him on the Ariston stage.

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