Alternative Eurovision Song Contest 26

## Participation map

The **Alternative** **Eurovision Song Contest 26** was the 26th edition of the Alternative Eurovision Song Contest. The contest was held in **Italy**, following the country's victory in the 25th edition with the song "Ti Vedo Attraverso" by Marco Guazzone. It was the third time that Italy hosted the contest. Three live shows took place in Mediolanum Forum in Milan, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Michele Morrone and Francesca Michielin.

## Location - Milan, Italy

**Milan** is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.26 million inhabitants. Its continuously built-up urban area, that stretches well beyond the boundaries of the administrative metropolitan city and into Switzerland, is the fourth largest in the EU with 5.27 million inhabitants. According to national sources, the population within the wider Milan metropolitan area (also known as Greater Milan), is estimated between 8.2 million and 12.5 million making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU.

## Venue - Mediolanum Forum

The **Mediolanum Forum** (originally the **Forum di Assago**, formerly the **FilaForum** and **DatchForum**) is an indoor sports arena that is located in Assago, a small town 3 km outside Milan, Italy. The arena has a seating capacity of 12,700 and is primarily used for basketball, ice hockey, tennis and live concerts. The venue is the home ground of the EuroLeague and Italian Serie A professional basketball team AX Armani Exchange Milan. In January 2009, the arena changed its name to the current name of Mediolanum Forum, replacing the old name of DatchForum.

## Format

### Design

"Ti Vedo Attraverso", our latest winner, is a conversation between someone and their mirror reflection. The reflection is talking to its owner and asking them to connect back to themselves, to get back to be their best version possible. The theme art this edition is a combination of two Italian symbols, that together resemble this inner conversation.

The first is the golden ratio - a symbol for perfection and harmony, and also closely related to the Fibonacci number, a discovery by an Italian mathematician. Moreover, it's a known aspect of the works of Italian polymath Da Vinci's - some of them you can find in the galleries of Milan, our host city which is also an international center of fashion and art, thus being connected to the golden ratio as well.

The second is the roman wreath crown - a representation of the reach Italian heritage and culture, it was given to Romans who won wars as a symbol for their victory.

Together, they form a symbol of inner perfection and victory, which is exactly what the reflection in the mirror is trying to say, and what we want to encourage all the AESC-related people do during this edition.

### Presenters

On September 15 ABU announced the host and the presenters for the 26th edition. It's Alyssa Milano, Michele Morrone and Francesca Michielin.

**Alyssa Milano** is an American-Italian actress, producer, singer, author, and activist. She is best known for her roles as Samantha Micelli in *Who's the Boss?*, Jennifer Mancini in *Melrose Place*, Phoebe Halliwell in *Charmed*, Billie Cunningham in *My Name Is Earl*, Savannah "Savi" Davis in *Mistresses*, Renata Murphy in *Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later*, and Coralee Armstrong in *Insatiable*. As a political activist, she is best known for her role in the Me Too movement in October 2017.

**Michele Morrone** is an Italian actor, model, singer, and fashion designer appearing in both Italian and Polish films. He gained international recognition after portraying the role of Massimo Torricelli in the 2020 erotic romantic drama *365 Days*.

**Francesca Michielin** is an Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the fifth season of the Italian talent show *X Factor*. Her first single, "Distratto", debuted atop the Italian FIMI Top Digital Downloads chart and was certified double platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Michielin's debut studio album, *Riflessi di me*, was released in October 2012, preceded by the single "Sola".

## Other Countries

> *Other Stuff: List of all Countries in Alternative Eurovision Song Contest*
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### Active ABU Members

* Algeria - Due to the lack of finances and numerous debts, the Algerian broadcaster decided to temporarily withdraw from the contest

* Morocco - Due to the unsatisfactory results, and with the large budget allocated to the song, and the decrease in interest in the competition in the country, the moroccan broadcaster announced the temporary withdrawal of the Arab country from the competition