Simona Ventura is an Italian television presenter and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Italia 1988 and represented her country at Miss Universe 1988. She is the third woman to have presented the Sanremo Music Festival, after Loretta Goggi and Raffaella CarrĂ . She's also the leading TV host of Rai 2
Ventura on the red carpet of the 66th Venice Film Festival
Simona Ventura in 2009
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.
Image: Sophia Loren (third from left) in publicity images from the Miss Italia contest, 1950
Image: Naples, Miss Italia 1950 Sophia Loren
Image: A young Sophia Loren, aged 15, at a beauty contest in Naples, Italy
Image: Missitalia 1971.4