Achille Lauro's Sanremo 2020 Performance References Giotto's Saint Francis

At the 2020 Sanremo Music Festival, Italian singer Achille Lauro performed his entry 'Me ne frego' barefoot, wearing a hand-embroidered velvet cloak with gold and silver sequins, black makeup, and painted nails. Mid-song, he dropped the cloak to reveal a shimmering lamé bodysuit. The performance was a direct reference to Giotto's fresco 'Stories of Saint Francis' in the Basilica of Assisi, specifically the scene where Saint Francis renounces worldly possessions. Lauro credited Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci, for the visual concept. On Instagram, Lauro explained the allusion, stating the saint's act of stripping away material goods for religion and solidarity. The performance sparked widespread social media reaction, with comparisons to Britney Spears, Madonna, and Super Bowl halftime shows, as well as criticism from conservative figures like Senator Simone Pillon and the newspaper Libero. Lauro finished low in the provisional rankings but topped social media trends.