Ferro Jewels crowns Miss Italy 2010

On Sunday, April 25th, at Villa Beata Beatrice in Cinto Euganeo, one of the preliminary rounds of the 71st National Miss Italy Contest took place, and I had the duty, but above all the honor, of being part of the jury and crowning the first-place winner with the tiara and the Miluna jewel. Of the 20 girls who walked with passion and determination to advance to the next round, only one, Laura Cagnin, was able to win the title of “Miss Italy Fior d’Arancio” (in honor of the sweet wine from our wonderful hills), which gave her the chance to move forward in the regional selections. I can say it was moving, and seeing the emotion and joy of the Miss combined with the natural enthusiasm of the audience prompted me to look into the history of this event. The forerunner of Miss Italy is the contest “5000 lire for a smile,” born in 1939 from an idea by Dino Villani. It was a photographic contest; the contestants for the title of “Miss Smile” did not walk the runway but simply sent in a photo of themselves. After the interruption caused by the Second World War, the contest resumed in 1946 and adopted the current name of Miss Italy. The first editions, which now included the parade of the misses, took place in Stresa. Over the years, the contest saw some changes of venue but found a permanent home in Salsomaggiore Terme. In 1950 it was broadcast for the first time on the radio; in 1979 it went on television, first on a network of local stations and then in 1981 on Canale 5, and from 1988 it has been aired live on Raiuno. The organizer of Miss Italy since 1959 has been Enzo Mirigliani.