Nilla Pizzi was born in Sant'Agata Bolognese on April 16, 1919. Her legal name: Adionilla Negrini. She died in Milan on March 12, 2011 and she is buried in the cemetery of her birthplace.
She began work at the Ducati, but still very young, at 18 years old; in 1937 she won the competition "5000 lire per un sorriso" (5000 pounds for a smile), a kind of Miss Italy of the time. At age 21, she married a fellow countryman, Guido Pizzi. She was one of the first women in Italy to apply for a marriage annulment; however she kept her husband's name for her art name.
From the '40s onwards, she appeared on many stages in a major career that led her to perform all over Europe as well as in America, Australia and Japan.
Winner of the first edition of the Sanremo Festival in 1951 with the song "Grazie dei fior" (Thanks for the flowers), winner of the Naples Festival and of the first edition of Velletri Festival, she also won awards abroad with concerts in support of Italian migrants in Germany, Canada, United States, Australia.
She was bestowed the "Order of merit of the Italian Republic" in 2002 by the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
In Sant'Agata there are still members of her family in the house where she grew and where there are stored photos, newspaper articles of the time, clothing and awards that belonged to her and that testify to the uniqueness of her voice.
On March 12, 2012 the Municipality of Sant'Agata has named after her the room reserved for cultural events that is located in the building opposite the Town Hall, via 2 Agosto 1980 at number 41.
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