September 20
Sofia Villani Scicolone's Birthday's Birthday

 

Sofia's mother Romilda wanted to be a film star and won a Greta Garbo look-alike contest when she was seventeen years old. However, Romilda's mother stopped her taking the prize of a first class ticket to California and a Hollywood screen test. Romilda was devastated  and ran off to Rome where she met and fell in love Riccardo Scicolone who was married. When Romilda became pregnant with his child and delivered her daughter in a hospital charity ward, Riccardo refused to adopt his illegitimate daughter, but allowed her to use his surname, His refusal to adopt her left Sofia with serious "father issues" which profoundly shaped her life and influenced her marriage. Ironically when Sofia was growing up, she was so thin she was nicknamed 'Stuzzicadenti' -'Toothpick'. But when she reached her teens, her appearance dramatically changed and she blossomed into a dazzling  beautiful young woman She entered a beauty pageant when she was 14 where one of the judges was her future husband, producer Carlo Ponto  Carlo hired an acting coach to tutor her, and at 16 she was in her first film, Le Sei Mogli di Barbablù (1952) where she appeared as Sofia Lazzaro because someone once remarked that her beauty could raise the dead (a reference to the Biblical story of Lazarus). At 17,  Ponti cast his protégé in her breakthrough role in the filmed opera La Favorita (1952) when she changed her name to Sophia Loren. Her first English-language film was Boy on a Dolphin (1957), where she was memorable mostly for emerging from the water in a wet,  clinging,  almost transparent dress. While filming Boy on a Dolphin  Sophia was required to walk in a trench in order to give audiences the impression that her 5' 6" co-star, Alan Ladd, was taller than her. She married Carlo Ponti on September 1957. However, Carlo was still officially married to his first wife Giuliana and  because Italy did not recognize divorce at that time, the couple had their marriage annulled in 1962 to escape bigamy charges. In 1965, Ponti obtained his divorce from Giuliana in France, allowing him to marry Loren. They remained married until Carlo's until his death in January 2007 Sophia returned to Italy to star in Vittorio De Sica's 1960 La ciociara (Two Women),  the story of a mother who is raped while trying to protect her daughter in war-torn Italy. Originally cast as the daughter, Sophia fought against type and was re-cast as the mother. Sophia won 22 international awards for her performance including the Cannes Film Festival's best performance prize, and an Academy Award for Best Actress, the first major Academy Award for a non-English-language performance and to an Italian actress. Ironically her Best Actress Oscar) was subsequently stolen by thieves from her Italian villa. " Sophia had made more than 90 films including the musical Nine (2009). She has also written two cookbooks celebrating the joys of Italian food - "Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories". "In the Kitchen with Love". She once explained that " Cooking is an act of love, a gift, a way of sharing with others the little secrets -- "piccoli segreti" -- that are simmering on the burners. "So let's celebrate this legendary eternally beautiful actress's birthday who once claimed "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti" with one of her spaghetti recipies while watching her in Nine and enjoying her singing Guarda La Luna .

1. Cook the pasta until just al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place in a large serving bowl the tomatoes, mozzarella, onions, olives, capers, parsley, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the oil over and toss gently.
3. When pasta is ready, pour it into a colander and quickly rinse it under cold water; drain well and add the warm spaghetti to the bowl. Toss to combine, remove the garlic if desired, and serve. Pass the cheese at the table.