Born in Giubiasco , Traversi was encouraged by her father , a musician , and started singing with an orchestra in the mid-1950s , including with the orchestra of the Italian language Swiss radio channel . In 1956 , she took part in the Swiss selection for the first Eurovision Song Contest , but " Bandanelle Ticinese " was not chosen . In 1959 , Traversi obtained a recording contract in Italy , and went on to record a number of songs with Adriano Celentano , including the top 10 hit " Piccola " . Anita Traversi represented Switzerland at several Song Festivals in the world with great success , as the Sopot International Song Festival ( Poland ) , Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil ) , " Golden Orpheus " ( Bulgaria ) . She appeared to the Song Festival in Sopot twice , first in 1962 with a song " Una certa sera " ( A.Scotti ) and with a Polish song " Jesienna rozłąka " ( " Dis-moi , dis-moi " ) ( Gert-Brok ) . She was awarded with the First Prize for best performance . In 1968 , she was in Sopot for the second time singing for Switzerland . In " Polish Day " she performed a Polish song " Odra rzeka " ( " Odra " ) ( Pałasz-Fiszer ) and this time she was placed second after Annarita Spinaci ( Italy ) . During the festival she performed a fantastic song " Balalaika " which was one of the favourites of that festival . In 1970 she was one of the big stars at " Golden Orpheus " in Bulgaria with a great performance of the Bulgarian song " Edna bylgarska roza " ( " One Bulgarian rose " ) . And in Rio de Janeiro she was among the rewarded singers too
Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1956
Anita Traversi