Patty Pravo in Sanremo, Simone Folco’s “dramatic minimalism” steals the show

At the 2026 Sanremo Festival, the air changed in the exact moment in which Patty Pravo stepped on the wood of the Ariston for the eleventh time. It wasn’t just a performance: it was a demonstration. With the song “Opera”, written for her by Giovanni Caccamo, the Venetian icon reminded everyone that you can be “trendy” even through the decades without ever belonging to anyone but yourself.

The ballad of identity: “Simply Madness”

The song is one suspended dedication, a classic construction that does not seek gymnastic virtuosity but it focuses everything on the grain of a voice that bears the (beautiful) signs of time. “Muse, sharp color and then Opera”: the refrain signed by Caccamo is a declaration of intent. Patty’s “number” was exquisitely theatrical precisely in its static nature. Like a statue coming to life, he dominated the stage with a slow and measured pace, transforming the song into a dreamlike tableau where every gesture was weighted to dialogue with the lights.

The look: when minimalism meets drama

If the song is a work, aesthetics is its golden frame. Behind the image of this divine Sanremo 2026 there is the hand of Simone Folco, couturier and right-hand man of the artist for years.

The visual project, with strong references tosculptural elegance by Fendiis a hymn to dramatic minimalism. Folco revealed that she dreamed of Patty “covered in glitter,” and that dream translated into clothes that felt like extensions of her body: clean lines but theatrical volumes. Shocking details that capture the spotlight without ever shouting. An allure of a diva from times gone by which however appears very modern in its subtraction.

The stylistic journey began on the eve of on the green carpet, with that black velvet dressing gown “devoured” by red satin flames. A premonition of what we would see at the Ariston, a phoenix that doesn’t need to really burn to warm the public, because its gaze is enough. With a 60-year career behind her, Pravo has acted as a bridge between competing generations. In a Festival that often runs too fast, his “Opera” forced us to slow down. It’s not a song created to be a beach hit, but a precious object to look at and look at againlike an antique in a contemporary art gallery.