Italy mourns award-winner Virna Lisi

(ANSA) - Rome, December 18 - Representatives of Italy's political and cultural establishment paid homage to the award-winning Italian film star Virna Lisi, who died on Thursday aged 78. Premier Matteo Renzi described the actress from Ancona, in the central Marche region, as "an extraordinary woman" and a "symbol of beauty and elegance" whose sultry blonde Marilyn Monroe-like looks made her popular with producers on both sides of the Atlantic. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini drew attention to Lisi's versatility as an actress, which won her numerous awards including six Nastri d'Argento (Silver Ribbons), a prize for the best female interpretation at Cannes and four David di Donatello awards, including two for her career.
    He also paid homage to an "even rarer quality: that of maintaining all her talents within an aura of sobriety and style".
    "The world of show-business loses a major protagonist," said Franceschini, recalling how Lisi worked not only with the most important Italian and international actors and film directors but also extensively on stage and the small screen. Lisi was also famed for her independence and single-mindedness, which led her to turn down or rescind major Hollywood contracts in favour of spending more time with her husband and son in Italy. "This is an extremely difficult profession," she said in an interview a few years ago in reference to the miscarriage of two children as a result of the physical demands of being on set and far from home.
    "With (Lisi) has gone a free and courageous woman, of great ability and rare beauty, and yet an anti-diva," Speaker of the Lower House, Laura Boldrini, wrote on her Facebook page. "She was never afraid of growing old, she left the signs of age on her always splendid face. An authentic woman who we shall miss," she concluded. Lisi starred in her last film, The Best Day of My Life, directed by Cristina Comencini, in 2002.