When Dino Zandegù hears about Sanremo, he comes back to life. Not so much Sanremo as the Milan-Sanremo spring classic, but the Sanremo Festival of Italian music.

It might be the sweetness of memories: the first edition was held in 1951, Dino was still ten years old, hosted by Nunzio Filogamo, with three contestants (Nilla Pizzi, the Duo Fasano, and Achille Togliani) performing twenty songs, and "Grazie dei fiori" winning. Two months later, the flowers on Via Roma were raised to the sky and then thrown to the crowd by Louison Bobet, first ahead of his domestique Pierre Barbotin and Loretto Petrucci who was measuring up to his two triumphs.

It might be the charm of the songs: Dino's most celebrated performance on the Tour of Flanders stage, called and interviewed by Adriano De Zan and invited to give something to those dozens, no, hundreds of workers, especially Italian miners, emigrated to foreign lands, but still so radically attached to our homeland. And under a rain mixed with snow, in the darkness of the north, Dino illuminated everyone by tenorially singing "'O sole mio".

It might be the call of legends: among many, the encounter with the voluminous singer Luciana Turina, who, strong from her victory at the Castrocaro Festival, had earned the right to participate in Sanremo, where she gained more fame than fortune, and the joy of a close encounter - of what type is unknown - precisely with Dino.

In short, these days Dino Zandegù seems to be reborn to a new life, rediscovering verve and voice. His never-declared dream (well, to tell the truth, sometimes yes) is to participate, after the Milan-Sanremo (six times, best result fourth place in 1969 behind Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck and, unfortunately, Marino Basso), also in the Sanremo Festival (he would be content even as an out-of-competition guest).

Meanwhile, partly for fun and partly for inspiration, Zandegù has easily composed these verses: "The Sanremo Festival dresses in pink / for all Italians it's a great thing. / Sanremo city always full of colors / because around you there are so many flowers. / But today it shines even more / with the Festival and the song you want. / Sanremo city of great events. / Thank you Sanremo and many compliments, / Thank you Sanremo let's go away happy".