Stefano De Martino receives inaugural Capri dance award honoring late father

On 27 July 2026, Italian TV host Stefano De Martino was presented with the first “Grandi Eventi Enrico De Martino” special prize at the 14th Premio Capri Danza International, held in the Certosa di San Giacomo in Capri. The award, created to commemorate his recently deceased father Enrico De Martino—formerly a professional dancer—was handed by Capri mayor Paolo Falco and the event’s artistic director Luigi Ferrone.

De Martino, moved to tears, said the prize was “the most beautiful I could ever receive” and described his father as “a man of few words, of gestures and presence,” adding that Enrico taught him to love artists, music and dance as “the thing closest to God.” He also performed Francesco De Gregori’s song “La leva calcistica della classe ’68” during the ceremony.

In parallel, De Martino is preparing to take on the role of artistic director and presenter of the Sanremo 2027 festival, where he plans to reduce the competition lineup to 24 artists and introduce new format changes aimed at boosting the show’s pace and international profile.