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{{Short description|National beauty pageant competition in Italy}}
{{about||the Patty Pravo album|Miss Italia (album)}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2023}}

[[File:Logo Miss Italia.jpg|thumb]]
'''Miss Italia''' is a [[beauty pageant]] awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from [[Italy]]. Since the first edition of the contest, in 1939, many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film.

==History==
===Early history and beginnings (1927-1935)===
From 1927 to 1935, there were contests held in vein of the modern day Miss Italia contest, with the winners often referred to as '''Miss Italy'''. This is mainly to choose Italy's representatives for both the [[International Pageant of Pulchritude]] (also known as "Miss Universe") and later on, [[Miss Europe]].

{| class="wikitable" style=
|-
!Year
!Miss Italy
!International Pageant
|-
!1927
|Maria Gallo
|[[1927 International Pageant of Pulchritude]]
|-
!1928
|Livia Marracci
|[[1928 International Pageant of Pulchritude]]
|-
!1929
|Derna Giovannini
|[[Miss Europe 1929]]
|-
!1930
|Mafalda Morittino
|[[Miss Europe 1930]]
|-
!1931
|Claudia Bracetti
|[[Miss Europe 1931]]
|-
!1932
|Rosetta Montali
|[[Miss Europe 1932]]
|-
!1933
|Ivana Fusco
|[[Miss Europe 1933]]
|-
!1934
|Tosca Giusti
|[[Miss Europe 1934]] and<br>1935 International Pageant of Pulchritude
|-
!1935
|Vanna Panzarasa
|[[Miss Europe 1935]]
|}

===Miss Sorriso (1939-1941)===
The main forerunner of Miss Italia was ''[[Miss Sorriso]]'' (Miss Smile), started in 1939 by [[Dino Villani]] and sponsored by a brand of toothpaste. Contestants were judged by their photographs rather than competing on a runway.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

===Founding of the modern day contest (1946-present)===
After a break during [[World War II]], the contest resumed in 1946 and adopted the present-day name of Miss Italia. It was held in [[Stresa]], which had managed to maintain its hotel infrastructure despite the war. The venue then changed several times before it was established that [[Salsomaggiore Terme]] would be the permanent, annual host of the pageant.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

Like contemporary Italian society itself, Miss Italia has gone through many changes over the years. In 1950 it was first broadcast on the radio. But since 1987 it has been broadcast live on television. As of 1990 the chest, waist, and hip measurements of the contestants are no longer judged, and in 1994 the contest was opened to married women and mothers (the 1987 winner had been disqualified when it was later discovered she was married). In 1996, [[Denny Méndez]] became the first Miss Italia woman of colour.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Sophia Loren (third from left) in publicity images from the Miss Italia contest, 1950.jpg
File:Naples, Miss Italia 1950 - Sophia Loren.jpg
File:A young Sophia Loren, aged 15, at a beauty contest in Naples, Italy.jpg
File:Missitalia1971.4.jpg
<!-- File:Missitalia1971.22.jpg -->
</gallery>
Among the participants finding later success in cinema and the entertainment industry at large (although many of them have not won the crown of Miss Italia itself) include: [[Silvana Pampanini]], [[Sophia Loren]],{{cn|date=January 2024}} [[Marcella Mariani]],<ref name=poppi2003>{{cite book | last1=Lancia | first1=E. | last2=Poppi | first2=R. | title=Le attrici: dal 1930 ai giorni nostri | publisher=Gremese | series=Dizionari Gremese | year=2003 | isbn=978-88-8440-214-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_WFEVsGvhYC&pg=PA225 | language=it | access-date=18 January 2024 | page=225}}</ref>  [[Lucia Bosè]], [[Stefania Sandrelli]], [[Mirca Viola]], [[Simona Ventura]], [[Patrizia Deitos]], [[Anna Falchi]] and [[Martina Colombari]].{{cn|date=January 2024}}

From 1959 to 1988 the sole organizer of Miss Italia had been [[Enzo Mirigliani]], to whose work the contest owes much of its current success. The jury groups that elect Miss Italia have included celebrities such as [[Totò]], [[Giorgio de Chirico]], [[Giovannino Guareschi]], [[Luchino Visconti]], [[Vittorio De Sica]], [[Gina Lollobrigida]], [[Alberto Lattuada]], [[Marcello Mastroianni]], [[Ugo Tognazzi]], [[Lina Wertmüller]], [[Dino Risi]], [[Alberto Sordi]], and [[Claudia Cardinale]].{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 1989, Mirigliani and his daughter [[Patrizia Mirigliani]] started to organize the contest together until Enzo Mirigliani stepped down in May 2010 and died in 2011. After that Patrizia Mirigliani became the sole organizer of the contest.

Besides the title of "Miss Italia", during the pageant other consolation prizes are also awarded, including "Miss Elegance" and "Miss Cinema".  In 1991 a separate pageant was instituted, called "[[Miss Italia nel Mondo]]", a competition for Italian women living abroad.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

Miss Italia will no longer be held in Salsomaggiore Terme, for economic reasons.  This was announced in April 2011 and a long list of cities have expressed interest in hosting the pageant. Cities include Sanremo, Rome, Fiuggi, Taormina and many more. It was officially announced that Miss Italia 2011 will be held in Montecatini Terme. Milly Carlucci will not return as host of the pageant. Fabrizio Frizzi has replaced her for Miss Italia 2011. The pageant will only take place over two nights, rather than three.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Keane |date=8 May 2011 |title=The Miss Italia beauty pageant comes to Barga |url=https://www.barganews.com/2011/08/05/the-miss-italia-beauty-pageant-comes-to-barga/ |website=Barganews.com}}</ref> This year the beauty pageant contest, back in a national broadcast television. The contest will be produced by [[Infront Sports & Media|Infront]] and [[RAI]], The host will be Alessandro Greco. A program by Casimiro Lieto, Luca Parenti and Alessandro Migliaccio. Directed by Francesco Ebner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.raiplay.it/programmi/missitalia/|title=Miss Italia|website=raiplay.it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvblog.it/post/1666308/alessandro-greco-conduttore-miss-italia-2019-intervista|title=Alessandro Greco a Blogo: 'Non si può dire di no a Miss Italia. Ecco cosa cambierò rispetto al passato'|date=12 August 2019|website=tvblog.it}}</ref>

In 2021, for the first time in the history of the pageant, the final was held in [[Venice]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rainews.it/tgr/veneto/articoli/2021/12/ven-Venezia-Miss-Italia-2021-Patrizia-Mirigliani-1f5ce859-b6aa-4d8e-a9dc-9aaee62286fa.html|title=Miss Italia in Venice, in the name of beauty|publisher=[[Rai News]]|date=6 December 2021}}</ref>
The new format, created by [[Giorgio John Squarcia]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lastampa.it/spettacoli/showbiz/2021/12/06/news/addio_a_costumi_da_bagno_fasce_e_numerini_cosi_cambia_miss_italia-1134642/ |title=Addio a costumi da bagno, fasce e "numerini": Così cambia Miss Italia |date=6 December 2021 }}</ref> removed sashes and numbers from the final, introduced three different types of "talent show"-style challenges, included contestants as unaware protagonists of social experiments filmed with hidden cameras, and, for the first time in history, allowed eliminated finalists to serve on the jury.

The final was originally scheduled for 19 December 2021, but due to two contestants testing positive for [[COVID-19]], the decision to postpone the event to the following February was announced on 15 December.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/2021/12/15/-miss-italia-finale-rinviata-per-covid-_5447e5fa-4903-4596-9bd4-7870300ab4c4.html|title=Miss Italia, final postponed due to Covid|publisher=[[Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata|ANSA]]|date=15 December 2021}}</ref>
The winner of this edition was Neapolitan contestant [[Zeudi Di Palma]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/22_febbraio_14/zeudi-palma-eletta-miss-italia-sono-scampia-gomorra-da-un-idea-distorta-qui-tanti-ragazzi-vogliono-emanciparsi-580fa934-8d3a-11ec-ab58-6edac401c3bd.shtml|title=Zeudi Di Palma crowned Miss Italia: "I'm from Scampia: Gomorrah gives a distorted idea, many young people here want to break free"|publisher=[[Corriere della Sera]]|date=14 February 2022}}</ref>

In July 2023, in response to [[Miss Nederland]] being won by an openly transgender woman ([[Rikkie Kollé]]), Miss Italia instituted a blanket ban on trans women from competing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://katv.com/news/nation-world/miss-italy-pageant-will-bar-trans-entrants-wont-join-glittery-bandwagon-of-trans-activism|title=Miss Italy pageant bars transgender contestants, rejects 'glittery bandwagon of trans activism'|date=21 July 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/miss-italy-wont-allow-transgender-competitors-must-woman-birth-1814593?amp=1|title=Miss Italy Won't Allow Transgender Competitors: Must Be Woman 'From Birth'|website=[[Newsweek]] |date=21 July 2023 }}</ref> As a response, several [[trans men]] applied to enter the contest.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fanucci |first1=Beatrice |title=Over 100 trans men enter Miss Italy pageant after organiser says only "women from birth" allowed |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/over-100-trans-men-enter-132230515.html |website=[[Gay Community News (Dublin)|GCN.ie]] |via=[[Yahoo News]] |date=25 July 2023}}</ref>

=== Miss Italia Crown Revolution ===
The 2021 final night was preceded by ''Miss Italia - Crown Revolution'', a five-episode miniseries filmed in [[docu-reality]] style, created by [[Giorgio John Squarcia]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ilmattino.it/spettacoli/televisione/miss_italia_2021_cambia_tutto_ultime_notizie-6373560.html |title=Miss Italia 2021, cambia tutto: Addio tv, il concorso diventa un reality sui social |date=9 December 2021 }}</ref> and hosted by [[Alessandro Di Sarno]]. Set in Venice, the series focused on introducing the finalists and showcasing some of the challenges they had to face, guided by judge-coaches.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2021/12/06/miss-italia-finale-2021-diventa-miniserie-tv-in-streaming_e3be2e49-3341-4ea1-b05f-4053f4781934.html|title=Miss Italia, 2021 final becomes a streaming TV miniseries|publisher=[[Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata|ANSA]]|date=6 December 2021}}</ref>

===Directorship and Organizer History===
*[[Dino Villani]] (1939-1959)
*[[Enzo Mirigliani]] (1959-1988)
*Enzo Mirigliani and [[Patrizia Mirigliani]] (1989-2009)
*Patrizia Mirigliani (2010-present)

=== Regional rankings ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Titles !! [[Regions of Italy|Region]] !! Winning Years
|-
| 12 || {{flag|Lazio}} || 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1993, 2000, 2015, 2020, 2022
|-
| 11 || {{flag|Sicily}} || 1954, 1966, 1976, 1977, 1988, 1995, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
|-
| 11 || {{flag|Lombardy}} || 1940, 1941, 1947, 1956–1960, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1990, 2019, 2023
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Veneto}} || 1957, 1964, 1989, 1992, 2002, 2007
|-
| 6 || {{flag|Tuscany}} || 1946, 1973, 1980, 1996, 2016, 2024
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Friuli-Venezia Giulia}} || 1948, 1970, 1974, 1984, 1987
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Calabria}} || 1955, 1968, 1997, 2009, 2011
|-
| 5 || {{flag|Piedmont}} || 1939, 1983, 2004, 2005, 2023
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Campania}} || 1959, 1986, 2001, 2021
|-
| 4 || {{flag|Marche}} || 1949, 1969, 1981, 2018
|-
| 3 || {{flag|Emilia-Romagna}} || 1958, 1991, 1998
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Trentino-Alto Adige}} || 2006, 2017
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Umbria}} || 1962, 2010
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Sardinia}} || 1963, 1994
|-
| 2 || {{flag|Liguria}} || 1961, 1975
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Apulia}} || 1999
|-
| 1 || {{flag|Abruzzo}} || 1979
|-
| 0 || {{flag|Aosta Valley}} || 
|-
| 0 || {{flag|Basilicata}} || 
|-
| 0 || {{flag|Molise}} || 
|}

==The winners of Miss Italia==
{| class="wikitable"
|-align="center"
|colspan=6 | '''Miss Sorriso'''
|-
|1939||[[Isabella Verney]]||1940||[[Gianna Maranesi]]|||1941||[[Adriana Serra]]
|-
|1942||''No pageant''||1943||''No pageant''||1944||''No pageant''
|-
|1945||''No pageant''
|colspan=4 | &nbsp;
|- align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|colspan=6 | '''Miss Italia'''
|-
|1946||[[Rossana Martini]]||1947||[[Lucia Bosè]]||1948||[[Fulvia Franco]]
|-
|1949||[[Mariella Gianpieri]]||1950||[[Anna Maria Bugliari]]||1951||[[Isabella Valdettaro]]
|-
|1952||[[Eloisa Cianni]]||1953||[[Marcella Mariani]]||1954||[[Eugenia Bonino]]
|-
|1955||[[Brunella Tocci]]||1956||[[Nives Zegna]]||1957||[[Beatrice Faccioli]]
|-
|1958||[[Paola Falchi]]||1959||[[Marisa Jossa]]||1960||[[Layla Rigazzi]]
|-
|1961||[[Franca Cattaneo]]||1962||[[Raffaella De Carolis]]||1963||[[Franca Dallolio]]
|-
|1964||[[Giorgio Bonino]]||1965||[[Alba Rigazzi]]||1966||[[Daniela Giordano]]
|-
|1967||[[Cristina Businari]]||1968||[[Graziella Chiappalone]]||1969||[[Anna Zamboni]]
|-
|1970||[[Alba Balestra]]||1971||[[Maria Pinnone]]||1972||[[Adonella Modestini]]
|-
|1973||[[Margareta Veroni]]||1974||[[Loredana Piazza]]||1975||[[Livia Jannoni]]<!--  ?: 1973 Naples Italy, Berardi -->
|-
|1976||[[Paola Bresciano]]||1977||[[Anna Kanakis]]||1978||[[Loren Cristina May]]
|-
|1979||[[Cinzia De Ponti]]||1980||[[Cinzia Lenzi]]||1981||[[Patrizia Nanetti]]
|-
|1982||[[Federica Moro]]||1983||[[Raffaella Baracchi]]||1984||[[Susanna Huckstep]]
|-
|1985||[[Eleonora Resta]]||1986||[[Roberta Capua]]||1987||[[Michela Rocco di Torrepadula]]<ref>Rocco was chosen as winner following the disqualification of the previously declared winner,  [[Mirca Viola]] of [[Forlì]]. Viola was discovered to be married, and a mother, and the initial results of the pageant were overruled.</ref>
|-
|1988||[[Nadia Bengala]]||1989||[[Eleonora Benfatto]]||1990||[[Rosangela Bessi]]
|-
|1991||[[Martina Colombari]]||1992||[[Gloria Zanin]]||1993||[[Arianna David]]
|-
|1994||[[Alessandra Meloni]]||1995||[[Anna Valle]]||1996||[[Denny Mendez]]
|-
|1997||[[Claudia Trieste]]||1998||[[Gloria Bellicchi]]||1999||[[Manila Nazzaro]]
|-
|2000||[[Tania Zamparo]]||2001||[[Daniela Ferolla]]||2002||[[Eleonora Pedron]]
|-
|2003||[[Francesca Chillemi]]||2004||[[Cristina Chiabotto]]||2005||[[Edelfa Chiara Masciotta]]
|-
|2006||[[Claudia Andreatti]]||2007||[[Silvia Battisti]]||2008||[[Miriam Leone]]
|-
|2009||[[Maria Perrusi]]||2010||[[Francesca Testasecca]]||2011||[[Stefania Bivone]]
|-
|2012||[[Giusy Buscemi]]||2013||[[Giulia Arena]]||2014||[[Clarissa Marchese]]
|-
|2015||[[Alice Sabatini]]||2016||[[Rachele Risaliti]]||2017||[[Alice Rachele Arlanch]]
|-
|2018||[[Carlotta Maggiorana]]||2019||[[Carolina Stramare]]||2020||[[Martina Sambucini]]
|-
|2021||[[Zeudi Di Palma]]||2022||[[Lavinia Abate]]||2023||[[Francesca Bergesio]]
|-
|2024||[[Ofelia Passaponti]]||2025|| ||2026||
|}

==Hosts==
*[[Corrado Mantoni]]: 1946–56
*[[Nunzio Filogamo]]: 1952
*[[Enzo Mirigliani]]: 1959, 1961–78
*[[Renato Tagliani]]: 1960
*[[Mike Bongiorno]]: 1970, 1975, 2007
*[[Daniele Piombi]]: 1974
*[[Gabriella Farinon]]: 1974
*[[Pippo Baudo]]: 1976
*[[Alberto Lupo]]: 1977
*[[Vanna Brosio]]: 1979
*[[Andrea Giordana]]: 1980–1981, 1984, 1987
*[[Memo Remigi]]: 1982
*[[Ettore Andenna]]: 1983
*[[Michele Gammino]]: 1983
*[[Milly Carlucci]]: 1983, 2009, 2010
*[[Marco Columbro]]: 1986
*[[Fabrizio Frizzi]]: 1988–2002, 2011, 2012
*[[Carlo Conti]]: 2003–06, 2008
*[[Loretta Goggi]]: 2007
*[[Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice]]: 2010
*[[Massimo Ghini]]: 2013
*[[Cesare Bocci]]: 2013
*[[Francesca Chillemi]]: 2013
*[[Simona Ventura]]: 2014–2015
*[[Francesco Facchinetti]]: 2016–18
*[[Diletta Leotta]]: 2018
*[[Alessandro Greco]]: 2019-2020
*[[Alessandro Di Sarno]]: 2021
*[[Elettra Lamborghini]]: 2021
*[[Carolina Stramare]]: 2021
*[[Salvo Sottile]]: 2022
*[[Jo Squillo]]: 2023
*[[Andrea Dianetti]]: 2024

==See also==
*[[Miss Universo Italia]]
*[[Miss Italia nel Mondo]]
*[[Miss World Italy]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

{{Beauty contests in Europe}}
{{Miss Universe countries and territories}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Miss Universe by country|Italy]]
[[Category:Beauty pageants in Italy]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1939]]
[[Category:Italian awards]]
[[Category:Salsomaggiore Terme]]