In 1958 , Domenico Modugno finished third with the song " Nel blu , dipinto di blu " . Renamed " Volare " , the song became a huge international hit , reaching the US number one spot . Emilio Pericoli also finished third in 1963 , before Italy won for the first time in 1964 with Gigliola Cinquetti and " Non ho l'età " . Cinquetti returned to the contest in 1974 and finished second with the song " Si " , losing to ABBA . Italy then finished third in 1975 with Wess and Dori Ghezzi and the song " Era " . The country 's best result of the 1980s was Umberto Tozzi and Raf finishing third in 1987 . Italy 's second victory in the contest came in 1990 with Toto Cutugno and the song " Insieme : 1992 " . Other good 1990s results were Mia Martini in 1992 and Jalisse in 1997 , who both finished fourth . After 1997 , Italy withdrew from the competition
Insieme : 1992
Insieme: 1992
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest