Italy weighs tributes to late TV host Pippo Baudo, from Sanremo statue to Rome theater renaming
RAI employees and former staff petition to halt the theater's sale and restore it as a cultural hub for Italian public broadcasting.
January 15, 2026
The municipality of Sanremo has expressed full availability to support the creation of a statue honoring Pippo Baudo in the city, following the unveiling of a monument to Mike Bongiorno on via Escoffier at the corner of via Matteotti. The proposal emerged from a meeting between Sanremo's mayor Alessandro Mager and assessor Alessandro Sindoni with Dina Minna, Baudo's longtime secretary and assistant who remained at his side until his death.
Minna traveled from Rome at the invitation of the two administrators for the discussion. Walter Vacchino, owner of the Ariston theater and an advocate for a tangible memorial to Baudo, was also present. The group conducted a brief site visit on via Escoffier to view the existing statue dedicated to "Mister Allegria," as Baudo was known.
However, before the Sanremo statue project can proceed, agreement must be reached among Baudo's heirs regarding the memorial.
Separately, a public appeal has been launched by the committee "Salviamo il TDV" (Save the TDV), composed of current and former RAI employees, calling for a halt to the sale of Rome's Teatro delle Vittorie and its revival as a productive, cultural, and creative center for public broadcasting. The campaign also proposes renaming the theater in honor of Pippo Baudo, the late television conductor who was instrumental in shaping Italian television and remained closely associated with the medium throughout his career.
The petition, posted on Change.org, seeks to restore the historic venue to the center of Italian television and cultural life. The theater, located in Rome's Vittorie district, served for decades as one of the primary production hubs of Italian television, earning the nickname "Temple of TV" as the home of major shows and iconic television personalities.
According to the committee, the theater has undergone progressive downsizing of its original purpose in recent years, accompanied by technological disinvestment that has jeopardized its full functionality and future prospects. The appeal emphasizes that the Teatro delle Vittorie is not merely a building, but a significant cultural asset with deep roots in Italian broadcasting history.