It has surely been a surprise for many people around Europe seeing an Italian rock band hitting the top of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam with a tense rock track.
It is true that it is not the first time an Italian artist wins the continental festival, but before it had only happened with a couple of really mushy melodies. And this is what you usually expect abroad from Italian music, as you think that is all: opera in the past and guitar serenades today.
Instead, just to focus for a moment on rock music itself, actually Italy has been offering greatest bands since the 70’s at least, such as, just to mention a few ones, the fusion progressive Area, the new wave Diaframma and Litfiba, then in the 90’s Timoria, Karma, Negrita, Estra…
None of them would have looked poor in a comparison with international (generally English singing) bands. Yet, there has never been a challenge, as the international labels only speak English, and you expect from Italy only pizza and mandolin.