Da Sophia Loren to Melissa — Una Lettera Scritta con il Cuore
From Sophia Loren to Melissa — Letter Written from the Heart
Un incontro straordinario: faccia a faccia con Sophia Loren
An Extraordinary Meeting: Face-to-Face with Sophia Loren
Qualche anno fa, mentre stavo scrivendo il mio primo romanzo, Dreaming Sophia, ho avuto l’estremo piacere di incontrare di persona la leggendaria Sophia Loren. Mentre completavo il libro, ho scoperto che avrebbe tenuto uno spettacolo a Las Vegas sulla sua vita e carriera.
A few years ago, while writing my first novel, Dreaming Sophia, I had the immense pleasure of meeting the legendary Sophia Loren in person. As I was finishing the book, I learned she would be performing a one-woman show in Las Vegas about her life and career.
Audacia e destino: il viaggio per incontrare La Loren
Boldness and Destiny: The Journey to Meet La Loren
Sophia, essendo un personaggio centrale della mia storia, sapevo di dover trovare un modo per incontrarla. Dopo un po’ di audacia (e tanta fortuna), ho ottenuto un biglietto VIP per un ricevimento privato dopo lo spettacolo. Così, mi sono trovata faccia a faccia con Sophia Loren, parlandole in italiano, scattando una foto con lei, e persino baciandola sulle guance!
As a central character in my story, I knew I had to meet Sophia. With a bit of boldness (and a lot of luck), I secured a VIP ticket for a private reception after her show. That’s how I found myself face-to-face with Sophia Loren, speaking to her in Italian, taking a photo together, and even kissing her cheeks!
Le parole che mi hanno cambiato la vita
Words That Changed My Life
Durante il nostro incontro, Sophia Loren mi ha detto: “Credi nei tuoi sogni; i sogni diventano realtà.” E poi: “Sii coraggiosa. Fallo e basta.” Queste parole hanno dato ancora più senso al mio primo romanzo e continuano a ispirarmi ogni giorno.
During our meeting, Sophia Loren told me: “Believe in your dreams; dreams become reality.” And then: “Be brave. Just do it.” These words gave even more meaning to my first novel and continue to inspire me every day.
Credi nei tuoi sogni,i sogni diventano realtà.
Believe in your dreams, dreams become reality.
Una lettera scritta con il cuore (e in italiano!)
A Letter Written from the Heart (and in Italian!)
Con un po’ di esitazione, nel 2018 ho finalmente scritto a Sophia Loren una lettera in italiano, usando persino la forma di cortesia “Lei”! Le ho inviato anche le mie due opere pubblicate, ringraziandola per essere stata una fonte d’ispirazione.
With some hesitation, in 2018, I finally wrote to Sophia Loren a letter in Italian, even using the formal “Lei”! I also sent her my two published works, thanking her for being an inspiration.
La risposta che non mi aspettavo
The Reply I Never Expected
Alla fine di febbraio, ho trovato nella cassetta della posta una busta in cartoncino spesso con un timbro dalla Svizzera. Con grande emozione ho scoperto che Sophia Loren mi aveva scritto:
In late February, I found a thick envelope in the mailbox, postmarked from Switzerland. With great excitement, I discovered Sophia Loren had written to me:
Carissima, grazie di cuore per la tua bellissima lettera.
Infiniti auguri per il tuo lavoro! Felicità – Sophia
Dearest, thank you from the heart for your beautiful letter.
Infinite wishes for your work! Happiness – Sophia
Grazie di Cuore, Sophia Loren!
Thank You, Sophia Loren, for Your Kindness!
Incontrare Sophia Loren, scriverle una lettera di ringraziamento e ricevere una sua risposta personale è stato un sogno che si è avverato. Le sue parole di incoraggiamento – “Credi nei tuoi sogni” – resteranno per sempre nel mio cuore. Grazie, Sophia, per la tua grazia e ispirazione!
Meeting Sophia Loren, writing her a thank-you letter, and receiving her personal reply was a dream come true. Her encouraging words – “Believe in your dreams” – will stay with me forever. Thank you, Sophia, for your grace and inspiration!
Read the novel that was inspired by Sophia Loren!
Dreaming Sophia
Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia. Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.
What a great post (I don’t tell you that enough). Congrats! So good to know she is so gracious in “real life” as she appears on the screen. Very happy and excited for you!
Sono contenta per te, Melissa! I’m glad that you got the chance to meet Sophia and that she replied to your letter! 🙂 I guess that she was happy to know that she inspired you to write a novel!
Ti ringraziamo per condividere la tua storia e le parole ispiratrici di Ms Loren. Complimenti!
Grazzie Mille per i tuoi post cosí interessanti. Li leggo spesso.Tra loro e Un posto al Sole (telenovela), il mio italiano progredisce bene. Sophia Loren – che bella!
Saluti,
Phil Jones
Dear Ms Loren,
In an interview on the Carson show long ago, after several of his inquiries, you commented…. “In my life, I have nothing to hide.” A remarkable and beautiful declaration of love….divine really, reflecting both forgiveness and freedom as well. I was so touched, in part because I am a retired physician who listened to and took care of many people in my career of 40 years. With much appreciation and admiration. And may the Peace of God always be with you.
Douglas Trenkle