Mariangela Melato and her lifelong love affair with Renzo Arbore

On 11 January 2013, the world of Italian cinema and theater said goodbye to the great Mariangela Melato. «A woman full of grace», said the poetess Alda Merini of her, Milanese like the actress, born and raised in via Montebello (at number 7). A life, hers, lived in complete freedom until the end, lending her face – on stage and on the big screen – to many strong and independent women, from the rich snob of “Overwhelmed by an unusual destiny…” to Lidia in “The class worker goes to heaven», from Filumena Marturano in Eduardo De Filippo’s masterpiece to Nora in «A doll’s house». «I really believe that women should learn to live without men too. I believe that part of life must be lived with ourselves. Living is also becoming masters of your own life, it means loving yourself, loving the people you meet, loving the work you do and above all loving your own solitude, learning to know it, not being afraid of it, liking yourself». She was the daughter of a traffic policeman and a seamstress, she studied painting at a very young age at the Brera Academy, drawing posters and working as a window dresser at the Rinascente to pay for Esperia Sperani’s acting courses.