Miss Italia Regional Final in Desenzano Sparks Local Contest Highlights
The national Miss Italia contest, led by Wilma Bombardelli, made a stop in Desenzano for the final evening of the regional final. This awarded the last two nominations for the penultimate runway show, scheduled from tomorrow to Sunday in San Benedetto del Tronto.
Regional Selection and Finals
The jury, chaired by Desenzano Mayor Cino Anelli and composed of several local entrepreneurs, chose Vanila Di Vanna, 21, from Alessandria, who is already Miss Wella Lombardia (a title that the young Piedmontese girl passed on to Elisabetta Del Medico from Brescia), and Maeva Centazzo, 25, from Varese, recently crowned Miss Milano. One of them will be named Miss Lombardia in San Benedetto and will participate in the final in Salsomaggiore, scheduled for Monday, September 10th, which will be broadcast live on Rai 1 starting at 8:30 pm.
The event will be hosted by Fabrizio Frizzi. The Desenzano competition also awarded three local beauties: Deborah Massari, 25, from Brescia (elected Miss Modella Domani Lombardia); Stefania Belotti, 20, from Cologne (Miss Moda Mare); and the previously mentioned Elisabetta Del Medico, 20, from Brescia.
The Evening at Desenzano Castle
The Desenzano evening took place in the enchanting setting of the ancient castle, attended by an esteemed audience who watched the runway of the 40 contestants. Notable guests included Tania Zamparo, winner of the 2000 edition, who will surrender her crown to the new Miss Italy on September 10 in Salsomaggiore, and the outgoing Miss Lombardia, Pamela Zichichi.
The forty aspiring queens paraded first in black one-piece swimsuits, then in designer dresses. For those eliminated, the dream ended on the shores of Lake Garda.
During the breaks, the audience admired the singing talent of Ilaria, 16, from Milan: a truly superb voice.
Origins and History of Miss Italy
The national Miss Italia contest, founded 62 years ago by the late Dino Villani, a resident of Suzzara in Mantova, painter, sculptor, writer, and man of culture, has a storied past. When Lucia Bosè, Gina Lollobrigida, Sofia Loren, and Silvana Mangano were crowned Miss Italia, the event was called «Cinquemilalire per un sorriso».
The Miss Italia national contest, one of the most beautiful and resilient popular events, began with a simple yet brilliant idea, as Villani liked to describe it. The baton was passed 42 years ago into the hands of Enzo Mirigliani, the soul and heartbeat of the event, who in recent years has crowned celebrities such as Mariagrazia Cuccinotta and Anna Falchi as Italy’s most beautiful.
It was the 1950s when the young Mirigliani, timidly and step by step, realized this winning formula, calling it the «Concorso nazionale di Miss Italia». Mirigliani had ambitious plans, and since then, much ground has been covered.
The Figure of Enzo Mirigliani
Today, Mirigliani is 84 years old, in excellent shape, and remains actively involved as the driving force behind the contest, which often brightens our province’s summer evenings. The success of the Desenzano stage is a testament that even Brescia loves the most popular contest in our country: how could it be otherwise?
