Miss Italy is an elixir of youth for the country. The viewers of the public channels are convinced that time never goes by. Miss Italy now has colours and holograms, it has become a reality show as it usually happens nowadays, but it still remains in black and white, and it has not changed the words, the habits, the catwalk spirit of beautiful girls more confused than persuaded of what is happening around them.

This year the girls walked the runway in Salsomaggiore Terme as usual, they were entrusted to Milly Carlucci, good and elegant. There could be nothing better, looking at her you could not make bad thoughts. She balanced the over exposure of some backsides. Even this year the Mirigliani family was flattered, addressed in highlights and cuddled. There were the heiress of the “catwalk”, Mrs. Mirigliani, the daughter of the owner of Miss Italy, and the young nephew of the competition’s inventor, who is now 92 years old.

The girls? They were very nice. They were sweet. They looked as if they were confused. They even tried to talk, and apart from some rare exceptions, they could have avoided it. They were all around eighteen-twenty years old and they were in front a public for the first time. If amongst them there were the clones of scientist Rita Levi Montalcini or Coco Chanel, we would have not noticed it. We already know the context. The competition was won by a very tall girl form Calabria, Maria Perrusi. Last year a Sicilian girl from Acireale, Miriam Leone, won Miss Italy. This year, next to a beautiful winner, there was another wonderful girl, Mirella Sessa.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute