Ornella Vanoni

Artistic career

Vanoni started her artistic career in 1960 as a theatre actress. She mostly performed in Bertolt Brecht works, under the direction of Giorgio Strehler at his in her native city of Milan. At the same time, she started a music career. The folklore and popular songs she explored in her early records, especially the ones about the criminal underworld in Milan (), resulted in her receiving the nickname cantante della mala ("Underworld Singer") for singing Milanese dialect songs on that genre.

Vanoni scored two major hits in 1963 with "" and "", both written for her by Gino Paoli. In 1964, she won the Festival of Neapolitan song with "". In the following years, she took part in a series of Festivals of Italian song in Sanremo with the songs "" (1965), "" (1966), "" (1967), "" (1968), and "" (1970). "", which finished second in 1968, was the subject of a copyright dispute between the composer of the song, Don Backy, and the Clan Celentano label.

In the late 1960s, Vanoni recorded "", "", "" (a cover of the Brazilian song "" by Erasmo Carlos and Roberto Carlos) and "", a cover of Burt Bacharach's "Don't Make Me Over". In 1972, she sang "", the theme from Lucio Fulci's critically acclaimed mystery thriller film Don't Torture a Duckling.

In 1976, Vanoni collaborated with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho on the album La voglia, la pazzia, l'incoscienza, l'allegria, best remembered for its title track "". During the 1980s, she released "", "", and "Ti lascio una canzone" (with Gino Paoli). In 1989, she returned to the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "". In 1999, she recorded "", a duet with Enzo Gragnaniello. In 2004, she released an album of duets with Paoli to celebrate her 70th birthday.

In addition to her music career, Vanoni was active in other creative fields, starring in stage and in television shows and movies. In January 1977, she posed nude for the Italian edition of Playboy magazine and requested a statuette by her long-time friend the artist Arnaldo Pomodoro as payment. The inclusion of her song "" (1970) on the soundtrack of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Twelve in 2004 sparked a worldwide renewal of interest in her music. The soundtrack of the Danish film Toscana (2022, Netflix) also featured the song.

Personal life and death

Vanoni had several relationships with other artists, the most important of which were with Giorgio Strehler and Gino Paoli. Between 1960 and 1965, she was married to , from whom she had one son, Cristiano, in 1962. Due to Vanoni's busy professional life, the child was mainly raised by her parents.

Vanoni was a Christian, and for a period she spent time with Protestants. She was a supporter of the AC Milan association football club. In June 2025, she received an honorary degree in "Music, Culture, Media and Performance" from the University of Milan.

Vanoni died of a heart attack at her home in Milan on 21 November 2025, at the age of 91. Her casket lay in repose at the Piccolo Teatro, where she began her career. Her funeral was held at the Church of San Marco in the Brera district of Milan on 24 November 2025. Before her death, she requested that her remains be cremated and the ashes dispersed in the Venice Lagoon.

Discography

Main article: Ornella Vanoni discography

;Studio albums

• Ornella Vanoni (1961)
• Le canzoni di Ornella Vanoni (1963)
• Caldo (1965)
• Ornella (1966)
• Ornella Vanoni (1967)
• Ai miei amici cantautori (1968)
• Io sì – Ai miei amici cantautori n.2 (1970)
• Appuntamento con Ornella Vanoni (1970)
• Un gioco senza età (1972)
• Dettagli (1973)
• Ornella Vanoni e altre storie (1973)
• Quei giorni insieme a te (1974)
• A un certo punto... (1974)
• La voglia di sognare (1974)
• Uomo mio, bambino mio (1975)
• La voglia, la pazzia, l'incoscienza, l'allegria (1976)
• Più (1976)
• Io dentro (1977)
• Io fuori (1977)
• Vanoni (1978)
• Ricetta di donna (1980)
• Duemilatrecentouno parole (1981)
• Uomini (1983)
• Ornella &... (1986)
• O (1987)
• Il giro del mio mondo (1989)
• Quante storie (1990)
• Stella nascente (1992)
• Sheherazade (1995)
• Argilla (1997)
• Un panino una birra e poi... (2001)
• ...E poi la tua bocca da baciare (2001)
• Sogni proibiti: Ornella e le canzoni di Bacharach (2002)
• Noi, le donne noi (2003)
• Ti ricordi? No non mi ricordo (2004)
• Più di me (2008)
• Più di te (2009)
• Meticci (Io mi fermo qui) (2013)
• Unica (2021)
• Diverse (2024)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. (2018-02-13). "Ornella Vanoni: l'eleganza senza età di una voce inconfondibile". [[Rockol]].
2. (2021-11-16). "Chi è Ornella Vanoni: Età, altezza, canzoni, figli, dove abita e quei ritocchi che l'hanno cambiata". Il Giornale d'Italia.
3. M., Max. (22 November 2025). "Ornella Vanoni e le 'canzoni della mala': il legame con la sua Milano".
4. "Comparison page".
5. Moretti, Carlo. (2004-08-24). "Vanoni-Paoli, la festa a Roma". [[la Repubblica]].
6. (March 11, 2013). "Senza fine Vanoni". [[la Repubblica]].
7. (18 May 2022). "Soundtracks of Cinema: 'Toscana'". vaguevisages.com.
8. Costabile, Ilaria. (22 November 2025). "Ornella Vanoni e il figlio Cristiano dal matrimonio con Lucio Ardenzi: prima Strehler e la storia con Gino Paoli". [[Fanpage.it]].
9. (22 November 2025). "Ornella Vanoni, chi è e cosa fa il figlio Cristiano Ardenzi: lavoro e vita privata". Today.
10. Cazzullo, Aldo. (2025-11-21). "L'intervista al Corriere di Ornella Vanoni: «Quando Paoli si sparò, andai da lui di notte. Ho avuto tanti uomini ma ne ho amati 4. E voglio decidere io quando andarmene»".
11. Sarsini, Davide. (2025-11-22). "Il tifo per il Milan e la conversione all'Inter dopo l'incontro con Bonny, anche il calcio piange la regina della musica".
12. (15 April 2025). "Ornella Vanoni, laurea honoris causa dalla Statale: 'Voce inconfondibile, simbolo di Milano'". [[la Repubblica]].
13. (21 November 2025). "E' morta Ornella Vanoni, mito della musica italiana. Aveva 91 anni. Malore nella sua casa di Milano". [[Il Fatto Quotidiano.
14. Casarini, Enrico. (2 December 2025). "Quell'incanto che rimarrà senza fine". [[TV Sorrisi e Canzoni]].
15. (2025-11-24). "L'addio a Vanoni: l'omaggio di Fresu con 'L'appuntamento'. La nipote Camilla intona 'Senza fine'".