Turin announced as host city for Italy's first Eurovision in 30 years.

Turin is to host the 2022 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest on 14 May after being selected from the shortlist of five Italian cities vying to stage the annual competition.

The news was first reported on Friday morning by Italy's newspaper of record, Corriere della Sera before being confirmed by the Italian state broadcaster RAI and Eurovision organisers.

RAI chief Carlo Fuortes said the choice, made with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), "was not easy given the very high level of the proposals made the competing cities."

The event, to be held in the PalaOlimpico, will reportedly be presented by Mika, the Lebanese-born British pop star, however this has yet to be confirmed officially by the Eurovision.

Italy will host the event for the third time in the Eurovision's 66-year history, after Rome band Måneskin won the title in May with Zitti e Buoni.

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Turin beat Milan, Bologna, Pesaro and Rimini, however Rome failed to make the shortlist last monthdespite the city's mayor Virginia Raggi vaunting the capital as the "perfect stage."

Turin was already identified as a potential Eurovision venue in 2017 by RAI ahead of Italy's entry that year, bookies' favourite Francesco Gabbani, who failed to win in the end.

The 1991 edition of the Eurovision was held in Rome's Cinecittà Film Studios while the only other time that Italy hosted the contest, after Gigliola Cinquetti won in 1964, was at the Centro RAI in Naples.

Photo EIN Eurovision IN