"Aprite le finestre" was the first Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956

Eurovision Song Contest 1956

The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on 24 May 1956...

 (Contest rules allowing two entries per country at this Contest only), performed in Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 by Franca Raimondi

Franca Raimondi

Franca Raimondi was an Italian singer, born in Monopoli, Province of Bari, Apulia.In 1956, Raimondi won the Festival della canzone italiana with the song "Aprite Le Finestre" ...

.

The song is in the chanson style popular in the early years of the Contest, with Raimondi singing about the joy of Spring beginning and her desire to open the windows to let the new season in. Spring is described as "a festival of love" in the lyrics.

The song was performed seventh on the night, following Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

's Michèle Arnaud

Michèle Arnaud

Michèle Arnaud , was a French singer, producer, and director. She was entombed on September 18, 1998 in Montparnasse Cemetery...

 with "Ne crois pas

Ne crois pas

"Ne crois pas" was the first Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in French by French singer Michèle Arnaud....

" and preceding the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

' Corry Brokken

Corry Brokken

Corry Brokken is a former Dutch singer.Brokken won the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Netherlands singing "Net als toen"...

 with "Voorgoed voorbij

Voorgoed Voorbij

"Voorgoed voorbij" was the second Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - the only Contest where competing countries were permitted to enter two songs - performed in Dutch by Corry Brokken....

". Points and final placings at this Contest have never been revealed, meaning that the only statement which can be made about the song's final position was that it did not win.

The song was accompanied at the 1956 contest by Tonina Torrielli

Tonina Torrielli

Tonina Torrielli, is an Italian singer.In 1956, Torrielli represented Italy in the first Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Amami se vuoi" , it is unknown what position the song finished as only the winning song was announced.-External links:*...

 with "Amami se vuoi

Amami Se Vuoi

"Amami se vuoi" was the second Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 , performed in Italian by Tonina Torrielli....

" and was succeeded as Italian representative at the 1957 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1957

The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the 2nd Eurovision Song Contest. Like the first contest, this one was still mainly a radio programme, but there was a noticeable increase in the number of people with televisions....

 by Nunzio Gallo

Nunzio Gallo

Nunzio Gallo was an Italian singer. He was born in Naples and represented his country in the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, coming 6th. The song he performed, "Corde Della Mia Chitarra", is famous for being the longest song ever played for Eurovision at 5:09 before the new rules came into place....

 with "Corde della mia chitarra

Corde Della Mia Chitarra

"Corde della mia chitarra" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, performed in Italian by Nunzio Gallo....

".