Franca Valeri Turns 100: Italy Celebrates a Theatrical Icon

Franca Valeri, born in Milan on July 31, 1920, celebrated her 100th birthday. The actress and playwright, known for characters like Sora Cecioni and Signorina Snob, received the David di Donatello career award this year. Her adopted daughter Stefania Bonfadelli directed a production of Valeri's play "La vedova Socrate" at the Teatro Greco di Siracusa for the Inda season, starring Lella Costa. The play debuted on her birthday at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and will tour. Valeri, a muse of artist Francesco Vezzoli, starred in "Il Sogno di Venere" directed with Lina Wertmüller. She recalls her youth during fascism, when she could not attend school or theater due to her Jewish father. She prepared exams privately and later witnessed Mussolini's death. Her film career includes "Il vedovo" and "Il segno di Venere" with Alberto Sordi, "Totò a colori", "Arrangiatevi", and "Rocco e i suoi fratelli". Her true passion was theater, where she portrayed postwar Italian women. A postface by Patrizia Zappa Mulas in "Franca Valeri, tutte le commedie" highlights her role in capturing the tragicomic transformation of Italian women during reconstruction.