It bears the mythological name of a Greek princess. And her appearance too. Edelfa Chiara Masciotta, Miss Italy 2005, has had many lives. She was a dancer, a law graduate, a miss, an actress, an interior designer. The last one is the profession she has chosen for her life. Two things do not change and do not lose value: being a mother and also Turin.
Has having a double and somewhat high-sounding name ever embarrassed you?
«It was my grandmother’s name. No embarrassment. On the contrary. Whether my name is Edelfa or Chiara, I turn around anyway.”
If you type her name into Google it comes up: actress profession.
“It was a beautiful part of my life.”
But not a passion?
«In some ways yes, coming after the victory at Miss Italia, however. I have always had an attraction for art but my dimension was dance. I wore shoes with spikes very very early. I started at the Teatro Nuovo. I also taught her dance. The school was called Emozioni in Movimento, now a former student of mine runs it.”
And then?
«When I was 15 I had a bad accident with my Achilles tendon. It still gives me problems today.”
Is this why you threw yourself into the world of Miss Italia?
«I didn’t even think about the competition. It was my mother who signed me up, without telling me. One day I got this call… I was studying law, among other things I had six exams left before I graduated from my three-year degree. I danced and studied, a simple life. Then I did the audition and it went the way it went.”
Usually mothers, those of the past, did not push their daughters. How is hers?
«It’s a bit of an alternative. She is an artist. She teaches music, she dances Argentine tango. I grew up with her waking me up playing the piano. She has always been very unconventional. For her, everything that had to do with a woman’s self-affirmation and her beauty was fundamental. All mothers want the best for their children, right?
«She seems very calm compared to that period, not at all “overwhelmed”. What memories do you have of her winning Miss?
«It was certainly a wonderful experience. Mainly because it allowed me to travel around the world, to learn about a lot of realities. And then I studied. That’s something I came to personally, I attended acting courses first at the Teatro Stabile, I went to take lessons between one trip and another to Miss. Then I started doing acting internships in Rome and also in Milan. The competition gave me great visibility but I would have liked to have more time to deepen my knowledge, instead I had to attend many institutional events. I would have liked to work hard to become a good actress.”
She is sorry? Do you feel like you missed trains?
«I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. But I didn’t have time to make who knows what memorable performances.”
Why did you leave the world of acting?
«At three years old, my first child (Andrea, had by the television director Roberto Cenci, ed) fell ill with type 1 diabetes. Today, thanks to research, technology provides great help in managing the disease. So, the right thing for me to do was to leave everything and stay behind him 100%. I’ve never had a second thought and I’m happy about it. Type 1 diabetes is not genetic, it is an immune-depressed pathology that occurs mainly in childhood. I support the Agd Piemonte-Association for Diabetic Youth Help and every year I organize a golf competition to raise funds to help children and their families.”
Was this illness also your turning point?
«I found myself choosing and I chose. I turned my life around and also my artistic side. And I signed up for the IED.”
Today you founded Edera, a transversal design studio together with the architect and photographer Daniele Ratti. Is happy?
«Immensely. When I find myself in front of my blank sheet of paper, all my creativity awakens. Professionally we complement each other. In this period we have been focused on Guido Gobino’s 60 years of business. With the support of his son Pietro we organized artist residencies in the company and the artists were selected by Damir Ivic, Marinella Senatore and Nicola Lagioia. The first musical event will be tomorrow.”
She is linked to the former Torino footballer Alessandro Rosina, with whom she had her children Alessio and Aurora. How did you meet?
«We had, without knowing it, friends in common. It was very natural. We met here in Turin. It has begun and is continuing. Well”.
Toro or Juve?
«In theory I would be a Juventus player… but now he plays golf. And the children too.”
In 2019, she had a violent accident. How did it go?
«It was November, a rainy evening. I had recently left the IED and was crossing on the pedestrian crossing in Corso Matteotti. A car hit me head on. It was very traumatic and I still carry the signs of it today.”
What happened to her?
«I owe a lot to two doctors, I define them as my guardian angels, the otolaryngologist Libero Tubino and the plastic surgeon Andrea Margara. I had to go through five operations, I found myself without a nose. Full of scars on my face that kept producing cysts. But I don’t want to complain, I’m here and I’m talking about it. I’m also going deaf in one ear, again as a result of the impact. But I don’t feel like having another operation at the moment.”
Honestly, for a woman as beautiful as you, what sensations does the possibility of losing this beauty arouse?
«Beauty cannot just be the body. Beauty is meeting beautiful people, reading interesting books, becoming attached…obviously aesthetic beauty has its value and I cannot deny that I have had moments of failure. I wasn’t ready to have to live with those marks on my face all my life. The doctors were good. Even though many are still there. Then we resort to some tricks, a longer fringe, a tuft…”.
In the end Turin never thought of leaving it. Why?
«I have Turin sickness. Even when I travel and go to beautiful places, there is always a moment that I want to return. Often I can’t stand this rigid Savoy style either, but I wouldn’t change my Royal Gardens for anything in the world.”
