Sun-kissed (but not too much, just a little smooch), without dark circles under the eyes, full of glow and health – I love my face after vacation. No makeup needed. This morning looking in the mirror as my altar I took a solemn oath: no more late night working, less coffee and more sleep. I've also lost four pounds but I'm not even going to promise myself that I'll keep it this way.

With four pounds more or less, I'm happy with my body. It took a long time to finally acknowledge it, believe it, live with it and enjoy it. It's always been two extremes with my diet. Either if it tastes good, spit it out or a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. Now I'm somewhere in the middle, though often it is like walking on a tightrope trying not to fall back into either of the extremes.

One of the people who inspired me and still motivates me to be myself is Christina Hendricks (as Joan Holloway/Harris in one of my favourite television series Mad Men). I'm talking about the way she looks mainly. I wouldn't want her character to work in my office as a colleague . You don't want to pick on Joan, she'll snap back at you in the twink of an eye. But I love her character's witty dialogues, especially between her and Peggy.

It's the 1960s era and I love it. I would wear any of Joan's outfits to the office now. They are elegant and feminine. I like the way she uses jewellery to make accents. She often wears pencil skirts with brooches and a pen necklace to outline her hourglass shapes. Even Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister, said, "Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous," praising her no-skinny model type image.

That would be another way of falling into extremes though. Skinny or curvy, you are to appreciate what you have. Another pinch of wisdom from Pamela Redmond Satran: every woman should know that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents... But I swear every time I look at Christina (Joan) I think if I were a man... What? I think I'll stop here .

"Forget Venus and Mona Lisa. Perhaps the most precious Italy's work of art is the beautiful Sophia Loren. First of all, she has a gorgeous, sensuous body – looking at her you can study the anatomy of feminine perfection. Then, her face – expressive like espresso with an extraordinary blend of contradictions: Neapolitan eyes that sparkle with wit or flare up with indignation; a large mouth, a smile that conveys passion and humour."¹

"Though the Vatican is against cloning, in Sophia Loren's case perhaps we could make an exception."²

Would you buy a book with such reviews? I did. A couple weeks ago I was dragging along the street during my lunch break and to hide from this terrible heat I stopped by a bookstore. And there she was, looking at me from a black-and-white cover of the book written by Warren G. Harris. I wasn't planning to buy anything but as it usually happens - ka-ching-ka-ching - and here I am with a book.

Finally at home I was about to read one more story about a girl growing up as a princess, about her wonderful, happy life full of miracles. There were miracles. But of a different kind. Raised by her mother and her big family, abandoned by her father, Sophia lived in a house with two bedrooms and seven people sharing them. At school children pointed fingers at her laughing and whispering behind her back because she was a child of unwed parents. She was an awkward, tall and skinny child.

War, overwhelming fear, poverty, hunger ... doesn't look like a fairy-tale. But in September 1947 something might have happened in the heaven's office and one of the first miracles in Sophie's life began to unveil. As she mentions it took exactly 18 months for it to happen. She was 14 and a half, and now if someone pointed a finger at her, they would do that to say: "Bella!"

The ugly duckling was gone.

If you google Sophia Loren, the results will be a bit ... boring because they are all the same: sex symbol, unforgettable, style icon, glamorous. What's more boring - I'm not going to object. She is a style icon. Feminine and curvaceous, she knows about this and uses appealing clothes and jewellery to attract and allure.

Sophia Loren is an inspiration. She inspires directors to create cinematographic masterpieces and jewellery designers to devise collections devoted to her. A few years ago Damiani created a dazzling Sophia Loren collection: earrings, bracelets, and pendants of rose gold and diamonds. Sophia is like a rose that inspires by just being there. By the way, they do cultivate a variety of roses called Sophia Loren.

Here's a picture I took last year:

Now when I'm finishing the book, I realize this time I got lucky and the cover was worth the story inside. It made me re-discover Sophia Loren: a strong woman who had ups and downs in her life, an intelligent and talented actress, a loving wife and mother.

1. My interpretation (a rather free one) of the review extract by the New York Times.
2. These words belong to Archbishop of Genoa (again translated by me).