From our editorial team
Rome - Passionate and wild, instead of demure and demure: Gina Lollobrigida made the undercooled blonde Hollywood beauties sweat. She was the figurehead of a new era in cinema. A life like in a film.
An end of life in conflict
"At my age, I should have a bit of peace. But I don't have it. I am tired. I should be left to die in peace," the Italian film diva said back in autumn 2021, when she was a guest of Italian star presenter Mara Venier.
In the last years of her life, Gina Lollobrigida suffered from family disputes. The diva had an extremely close relationship with her assistant Andrea Piazolla. In a television programme, she said that her assistant was her "greatest happiness" and "like a son". Her own son, however, suspected that the assistant was manipulating his elderly mother.
In 2021, Italy's Supreme Court confirmed a judgement according to which a guardian was to watch over the assets with immediate effect. The actress then cut off contact with her son and grandson.
An icon of film
Gina Lollobrigida was an icon of international cinema. A world star. Already at the beginning of her life she was considered the "most beautiful child in Italy". She took part in beauty contests at the age of three. As a beautiful teenager she was discovered for the film industry. At the beginning of the golden age of "Cinecittà", the little Hollywood in Rome.
Lollo, or Gina Nazionale as she was called, is an Italian national treasure in the broadest sense. Her great period was the 50s and 60s: she was considered the sex symbol of generations. She made films like an assembly line. At the height of her acting career, she was in front of the camera in Hollywood, shooting with stars like Anthony Quinn and Frank Sinatra.
A diva with principles
Italy loved its diva, not least because besides glamour she also had principles. She gave up acting at the beginning of the 70s. Later she explained the reason: she didn't want to take her clothes off anymore, that's why she didn't get any more roles. After that, she worked successfully as a photographer and documentary filmmaker.
Gina Lollobrigida photographed personalities such as the Brazilian football idol Pelé, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood star Paul Newman, artist Salvador Dalí and also the German national football team. She made a documentary film about the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro that received worldwide attention. Later she also worked as a sculptor.
Photo: CHROMORANGE / franz perc / Alamy Stock Photo
Commitment to the end
Gina Nazionale always had a big heart. For years, she was an ambassador for Unicef and Unesco, as well as for Doctors Without Borders. In 2013, she auctioned off part of her jewellery collection in aid of stem cell research, an amount worth millions.
She wanted to make her contribution to society until the end. Last year, she had stood for a left-wing splinter group in the early parliamentary elections in Italy. However, the group failed to clear the three-percent hurdle.
Gina Lollobrigida died in January 2023 at the age of 95
Ad
Next stop, Italy...
Mamma mia, mangiare
Everyone knows Dolce Vita - but what about Sprezzatura?
A small style manifesto from the country where nonchalance became an art form.
The "beach of lovers" on Elba: the most romantic coast in Tuscany
A story of love, pain - and perhaps the most romantic stretch of coastline in Tuscany.
7 reasons why Naples is Italy's new trend city
What used to be chaos is now character.
How Italy celebrates Halloween - and where it's very different to ours
Between witch villages and ancient rituals.
7 Italian words that instantly put sunshine in your head
One word is enough - and suddenly you're there again.
Ad
