Miss Universo Italia or (Miss Universe Italy Organization) is a national pageant that currently selects the Italian representative for the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

pageant. The pageant was first organized in 1951 and it is not related to

Miss Italia Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest, in 1939, many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History Early ...

, although some delegates have crossed over from one format to the other throughout the years.

History

Since 1951, the official winner of

Miss Italy Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest, in 1939, many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History Early ...

represented at the

until 1999 with the exception of a few select years in which a delegate was selected by casting or an independent pageant. In 2005, Miss Universo Italia was created. From 2000 to 2004, the Italian representative was selected by the now defunct The Miss for Miss Universe pageant. Maria Teresa Francville had already won the right to represent Italy that year by virtue of winning The Miss for Miss Universe. When that pageant lost the franchise and was discontinued, she entered the newly created Miss Universo Italia competition and won again. The most notable winners of the Miss Universo Italia pageant are Claudia Ferraris, who finished 9th at

Miss Universe 2008 Miss Universe 2008 was the 57th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Crown Convention Center in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008. This was the first time that the Miss Universe pageant was broadcast in 1080i High-definition. At the end of t ...

, and Valentina Bonariva, who advanced to the Top 15 at the

Miss Universe 2014 Miss Universe 2014 was the 63rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the FIU Arena in Miami, Florida, United States on 25 January 2015. This was the first time in the history of the competition that the pageant was not held during the year the title ...

pageant.

Region formats

At Miss Universo Italia, candidates traditionally wear sashes representing their regions. There are 20 regions in Italy and each region has internal selection before coming to Miss Universo Italia. The final results include a Second Runner-up, a First Runner-up, and ultimately, the Miss Universo Italia winner. * Miss Abruzzo * Miss Aosta Valley * Miss Apulia * Miss Basilicata * Miss Calabria * Miss Campania * Miss Emilia-Romagna * Miss Friuli-Venezia Giulia * Miss Lazio * Miss Liguria * Miss Lombardy * Miss Marche * Miss Molise * Miss Piedmont * Miss Sardinia * Miss Sicily * Miss Trentino-South Tyrol * Miss Tuscany * Miss Umbria * Miss Veneto

Titleholders

Miss Universo Italia 2000—Present

::''After 1999 Miss Universe Italy separated to be an independent contest to crown a winning title at Miss Universe. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent.''

Miss Italia 1952—1999

::''Miss Italy has started to send a Winner to

from 1952. In 1999 Miss Italia Organization dropped the Miss Universe franchise for Italy.''

Gallery

File:1969 anna-zamboni.jpg, Anna Zamboni (applied in 1970) hotographed in 1969File:Grazia Maria Pinto - Trento 2013.JPG, Grazia Maria Pinto (applied in 2012) hotographed in 2013

References

Official website

Official website
{{Miss Universe countries and territories Beauty pageants in Italy Recurring events established in 1952 2005 establishments in Italy Italian awards

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...