Nicoletta Mastella Wins at Cantalago with Record-Breaking Singing Performance
In the crowded Piazza Statuto, beneath the town hall and just a few steps from Garda Lake, Nicoletta Mastella from San Bonifacio gave singing lessons and sealed her victory in the ninth stage of the Cantalago.
The performance of Luce, a song by Elisa, was extraordinary, performed by the sixteen-year-old from the Eastern Verona area who achieved the highest score ever recorded in this edition of the singing tour.
Registered for the Festival by her friend and fellow townswoman Morena Garbin, who was already a protagonist in 1999 in the event directed by Andrea Vantini, Mastella delivered an overwhelming margin of victory over the talented Stefano Corona from Verona (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters), who received a full round of applause from a diverse audience in age, including many German tourists.
Performance and Comments
Foreign guests were glued to their seats during the performance of the Gamblers dance troupe but felt out of place during the comedic interludes led by Giorgio Zanetti, who was appreciated by the Italian-speaking audience.
As always, Gloria Zanin was an impeccable professional despite her initial slip when mistakenly placing Malcesine geographically in the province of Brescia.
However, a yellow card was more likely attributable to the program’s authors than to Miss Italy herself, who is ready to fix the small mistake with good humor.
On the other hand, the striking Sara Scandola from Stallavena was unable to hide her emotion, which threw her off course during the opening of the iconic song by Giorgia, Di sole e d’azzurro.
The powerful finale could do little to recover an already irreparably compromised score.
Other Performances and Awards
There was also little chance for Romina Faes from Lodrone, in the Trento province, whose sole fault was choosing a song too difficult for her current singing skills (Cavallo Bianco) by Matia Bazar.
In the original songs category, exciting and of high quality, the intense direct-elimination contest featured Alessandro Righetti from Rovereto, performing a song dedicated to last year’s television event on Mediaset networks (Il Grande Fratello), and Sonia Dalle Carbonare with Questo vivere un po’.
However, the popular jury presided over by maestro Carlo Favalli had no doubts in awarding the top prize to the blonde Sonia Dalle Carbonare, who was presented the award by mayor Giuseppe Lombardi and sports and events councilor Carlo Chincarini.
The show was capped, as is now customary, by the performances of Elisa Antonelli with Innamorata ancora, returning from Stintino where she gained recognition at the Festival della Sardegna, and Paolo Fin with Il grillo assassino, a Warner Music recording.
Miss Italy Selection
Within the Festival del Garda, the Piazza Statuto also hosted the Miss Italy pageant selection, which proclaimed Erika De Franchi as the queen of the upper lake.
The 18-year-old accounting student, who will turn shortly, hails from Noventa Vicentina.
Bridesmaids included Cristina Goss (Miss Rocchetta), a seventeen-year-old from Cavalese, and the twenty-one-year-old Giada Dapretto from Verona, who was named Miss Ragazza Ok.
