Monica is a true force of nature, of Italian nature that is. She has now expatriated across the Alps, residing in Paris with her French beau Vincent Cassel, her French accent is perfect, and its even detectable when she speaks in Italian, yet Monica for us will remain 100% Italian forever.

She is an undisputed beauty, and at almost 50 she is still a sex symbol, and gives any starlet in her twenties a run for their money. What Monica seems to embody so well is the role of woman, the female, the feminine. From lover to mother through to virago and witch, Monica’s looks, expressions and demeanour make her so incredibly feminine.

In a shoot, with accompanying video, in Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine, Monica and Dolce&Gabbana Spring Summer 2013 looks from the Sicilian Folk Collection just ooze femininity and sensuality. An ode to everything Italian, the Ornella Vanoni soundtrack, L’appuntamento, lends that buttery softness to the backstage video of the shoot, embodied by Monica herself in the still images.