Versione Italiana

In the beautiful Gulf of Mondello, from the 31st May to the 6th June, ‘Albaria’ held the 14th edition of the Windsurf World Festival. In this sunny, summertime setting, top sporting events went on for most of the day, but that was not all; there was loads of music and entertainment too which attracted massive crowds during Festival week (500,000 recorded).
So many things went to make this a great week: a huge stage set up on the beach and of course the hard work and enthusiasm of the whole ‘Albaria’ team - Vincenzo Baglione and Vinci Pottino, the artistic director ‘Mauriziotto’, Radio Dimensione Suono (the Festival’s official radio for 14 years), all the staff working on the event - and the crowds loved it!!! From the world of Italian and international music, rising stars and well-known faces put in an appearance hoping to come back to Mondello again soon.
“One of the best things we’ve ever done!” said Raffaella Di Stefano with tears in her eyes as she boarded the plane before leaving Palermo.

Raffaella Di Stefano, the voice of ‘Madreblu’, the pop-duo sensation of the year who were guests at this year’s Festival. “You’re really lucky to live here with this fabulous sea! I’d love to stay longer. And you guys are so brilliant...and I’m not just saying that - it’s because we had such a great time!” Just one example of the affection felt towards classic Sicilian warmth and hospitality.

Madreblu’s’ performance was in fact one of the highlights; they played their latest hit, “Reiko”, and other songs from their album, “Necessita’”. Back from their success at Sanremo, were Daniele Groff, Filippa Giordano, Elena Cataneo and a surly-looking Marina Rei who nonetheless gave a great show; a live ‘mini-concert’ which went down a storm. Every evening took off with a live performance followed by an interval with the super-blonde ‘Palmolive’ dancers. The only relief for the hot, summer nights came from the fresh north-westerly wind, which managed to cool off the young and not-so-young revellers! Anyone in search of peace and quiet by the sea was definitely disappointed! Mega-energy and fun every step of the way presented by Fanny, from ‘Music Television’ and Mauriziotto. The energy really exploded with the arrival of Paolo Belli, all voice and charisma, who crept on from the back of the stage and made sure he left his mark on the Festival! Even without his band, who were playing another important concert, the ex-”ladro di biciclette” wasn’t put off. In just one day he managed to recruit a local band that provided great accompaniment. So, the ‘Trovati per caso’ as Belli called them, brought all his greatest hits to life, like ‘A me mi piace’, ‘Dottor Jazz and Mister Funk’ and his latest single, ‘Angelo Angelino’. Paolo Belli, a.k.a. ‘stage animal’, made the evening a hit! “I’ve got a fabulous relationship with Sicily”, he said, “I love this place and the people who live here ‘cos you’re all so friendly”.

The reassuring appearance of Nello Daniele, the shy brother of the more famous Pino, provided a taste of Naples. A great success with the public, and especially with his young fans, was Davide ‘Troppo Bella’ De Marinis who performed on the ‘Albaria’ stage for 2 days. The same story for Stefano Zarfati with the hundreds of girls who came to hear him live, joining him in ‘C’e che ti piace’.
Loads of time for dance music too, with a wild performance from ‘Bubbles’ with ‘Watchwimbo’, talent and energy from the young Palermitan, Beatrice (‘Clutch’) and the world famous Sicilian group, ‘Ti.Pi.Cal’ introducing the official voice of Kimara Lawson. They all put on a fabulous show, encouraged by the energy of the wonderful Palermitan crowds, and all wanting to perform well in front of such a great audience. A big mention has to go to Radio Dimensione Suono which, as always, followed the whole event closely, giving great coverage of all the shows. And on the last night, with the stage lights beginning to fade and night falling, the whole sky lit up with fireworks adding a party touch and closing this year’s Festival with a bang. Who knows what Albaria’s got cooking for the next millennium...!!!

• Qui in alto:Fanny intervistata da Mauriziotto durante la trasmissione di TRM "Omaggio" e dalla giornalista Raffaella Daino di INN

• Le ballerine Palmilive e Paolo Belli
  

Il punto di vista di alcuni spettatori dalla spiaggia