Italy's Sanremo festival: Singing, scandals and Zlatan Issued on: 02/03/2021 - 05:34 AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stepped in to provide some star power as a presenter on opening night Marco RAVAGLI AFP 4 min Rome (AFP) It's been dismissed as immoral, outdated and reality TV kitsch. It's also hailed as Italy's national treasure, a song festival that captures the soul of the country each year. Whether for the soaring melodies or the feuds, botched ballads and bad outfits, Italians delight in the annual five-day Sanremo Music Festival that begins Tuesday, a national pastime inspiring both nostalgia and derision. Coronavirus this year has made its mark -- the orchestra, performers and presenters will play without a live audience, while supermodel Naomi Campbell was forced to pull out due to travel complications.