Emma Dakoli, a 9-year-old with Albanian roots from Durrës, won the 68th edition of Zecchino d’Oro. She captured hearts with her song “Ci pensa il vento”. The festival ran from 28 to 30 November 2025 at Antoniano in Bologna and aired on Rai 1. Carlo Conti hosted the finale.

About Emma Dakoli
Emma lives in Monza and sings in the MiMiSol choir. Critics and audiences praised her confident and radiant voice. She dreams of becoming a singer, painter, and fashion designer. Her idols include Giorgia and Annalisa. At Antoniano, she performed with the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano, led for the first time by Margherita Gamberini.

The song, written by Francesco Marruncheddu and Lodovico Saccol, begins with a simple scene: a windy day that prevents a child from going to the sea. The child’s grandmother teaches her to see the beauty in small things. The wind dries clothes, flips book pages, carries flower scents, and lifts musical notes.

The lyrics then take a deeper turn. The wind becomes a symbol of strength that crosses borders, breaks walls, and spreads a message of peace. Colorful flags wave in the sky as the song closes.

This edition featured 14 new songs from 28 authors, including Enrico Nigiotti, Giuliano Sangiorgi, Andrea Agresti, and Stefano Accorsi. Carolina Benvenga and Lorenzo Baglioni hosted the first two evenings. Carlo Conti led the finale and served as artistic director for the ninth consecutive year.

In the final ranking, “Ci pensa il vento” won first place. It was followed by “Tu puoi essere” and “Boomer boom boom”, based on combined votes from both the children’s and adults’ juries.

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