Sanremo is at risk of losing the Sanremo Music Festival, which has awarded Italy’s best song since 1951. Negotiations with RAI are proving difficult because the Ligurian municipality—which provides its Ariston Theater—is demanding a fee of "no less" than €6.5 million per year for the "Festival della Canzone Italiana" trademark (owned by the municipality) as well as a share of advertising revenue. The five-night festival is the most watched program on Italian television, making it a goldmine for RAI, which has already prepared a backup plan: move the festival elsewhere, even if it means giving up the name "Festival della Canzone Italiana". Where? The leading candidate is Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica, which has hosted the Rome Film Festival since 2006. The Auditorium, a complex encompassing 55,000 square meters, would provide additional flexibility in comparison to the Ariston's limited space. Negotiations between RAI and Sanremo must be completed by August 8th; if they fail, everything is possible.