(AGI) Sanremo, Feb 11 - The Sanremo Song Festival hit a recordaudience of nearly 12 million viewers on its first night onTuesday. The national song contest, presented by Carlo Contiand produced by Italian public broadcaster Rai1, was watched by11.767 million people, a million more than than last year, withan average share of 49.34 percent, compared to 45.93 percentlast year. The success was shared by Rai1 manager, GiancarloLeone, in a tweet saying "record viewership". The night waslivened up by a couple of innocent kisses between Al Bano andformer wife Romina Power, Arisa's fear of tumbling down thestaircase and Siani's controversial jokes. All of Italy'snational-popular spirit in a nutshell was embodied in theAnania family: 16 children standing in a row, competing withthe evening's Big-10 artists for space on the stage. Stolenkisses Little locked-lip kisses on the cheeks were exchanged byAl Bano and Romina Power on the stage of Sanremo's AristonTheatre. MC Carlo Conti spurred the two to exchange the littlekiss to prove their regained harmony. Al Bano was reluctant andsaid: "I am exceptionally prudish. And then it's dangerousbecause every time I kiss a woman I father a child..." She wasdoubtful too: "A kiss? Right here? Live?". Siani announces the"Nazareno Rip-off" between Forza Italia's Denis Verdini and thePD's Elena Boschi Comedian Alessandro Siani announced a"Nazareno Rip-off" [Note: instead of "Nazareno Pact", anagreement to perform reforms between Prime Minister MatteoRenzi and Silvio Berlusconi, who lead the two largest coalitionparties] written by Verdini-Boschi-Verdini. He told MC CarloConti: "If you step into another indoor tanning booth andSalvini [Note: Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrantNorthern League Party] sees you, he will ask you for yourresidence permit ...This is the first show Salvini is not on.If he had been chosen to present this show, we certainly wouldnot have been here: I, because of my Neapolitan origins, andyou because you're sun-tanned enough to look like animmigrant". After being criticised for a joke on an overweightchild sitting in the front row, the comedian decided to donatehis fees to Naples' Santobono Hospital and Genoa's GasliniHospital. Italy's largest family on stage: 'We are the work ofGod' Aurelio and Rita, came on stage with their youngestchildren, one in the father's arms. The remaining 14 childrentrickled in as if they were going to school, in a descendingorder of height, to complete the Anania family from Catanzaro,in Calabria, and Italy's largest family. "We are the work ofGod, thanks to the Lord and to the Holy Spirit," the fathersaid. The Anania family was followed by Fabrizio Pulvirenti,the Catania-born doctor working for the Emergency volunteermedical service who contracted the Ebola virus in Sierra Leoneand was saved by an experimental treatment at Rome'sSpallanzani infectious diseases hospital. "I have become asymbol only because I am European, Italian, and I fit well intothe role because I can be a testimonial for an association likeEmergency". Arisa's fear of tumbling down the staircase Arisacame very close to what she had said she feared most during apress conference last month: to trip while she was descendingthe staircase leading to the Ariston Theatre's stage. At theend Arisa, one of the presenter's assistants, in stilt-likeheels and a long evening gown, had to give up descending ontothe stage by herself and leaned on the gentlemanly handextended by MC Carlo Conti. "It was supposed to be a triumphantexit and instead...it turned out to be the exit of Miss Clutz,"said the winner of the 2014 Festival. (AGI) . .