The Rome Film Festival has given Sophia Loren a well-deserved lifetime achievement award; oddly, it’s the first time that the legendary actress has been so honored by her native country! This is the second edition for this festival, who had also the great idea to invite another national beauty, Monica Bellucci. Sophia was also recently named the world’s most naturally beautiful person and it’s very difficult to disagree. Her secret?: love of life and spaghetti. Oh, and sometimes bathing in olive oil.

Last weekend, Loren actually was in tears when receiving a standing ovation and got more emotional when recalling her humble beginnings in Naples. Now 73, she will next appear in the musical Nine, to be shot in New York City and based on Fellini’s 8½. Let’s note that Sophia won an Oscar in 1962 for La ciociara (or Two Women), a rare feat for a foreign actress. She was one of the most beloved international star in the sixties and seventies, an elegant and talented movie icon.