The Alberto Sordi Family Award International Prize arrives in the Republic of San Marino

On Saturday, 14 March 2026, at 16:30, at the Titano Theatre, the Republic of San Marino will host the ninth edition of the Alberto Sordi Family Award, an international award created in 2017 to celebrate talent and civic engagement in the name of Alberto Sordi's cultural, artistic and human legacy. 

The event, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Board of the Republic of San Marino, arrives for the first time in San Marino, confirming the international vocation of the initiative and the itinerant nature that has distinguished it since its inception.

Civil and animal rights activist Francesca Pascale, presenter and correspondent for ten years on the programme ‘Striscia la Notizia’ Chiara Squaglia and TV presenter Simona Ventura are three of the eleven personalities who will receive the ‘Premio internazionale Alberto Sordi Family Award 2026-Repubblica di San Marino’, the prestigious award created in 2017 by journalist and Rai radio and television presenter Igor Righetti, cousin and biographer of the great actor.

The San Marino edition was created because of Alberto Sordi's strong connection with the Republic. In 1995, he presented his film ‘Nestore, l'ultima corsa’ (Nestore, the Last Race) here and was awarded the honour of Knight of the Order of Saint Agatha for the occasion. Precisely because of Alberto Sordi's special bond with the Republic of San Marino, some scenes from the first international docufilm, also in English and Spanish, on the private life of the great actor, ‘Alberto Sordi Secret’, written and directed by Igor Righetti and based on his book ‘Alberto Sordi Segreto’ (Rubbettino publisher, now in its 12th reprint), were shot in San Marino.

The award – organised by the communications, social media marketing and major events company Loro Comunicazione – is presented each year to Italian and international personalities from the worlds of entertainment, culture, information, social media and entrepreneurship who have distinguished themselves for their talent, professionalism and commitment, contributing through their work to the cultural growth and development of critical thinking in society as a whole.

Over the years, the award has been given to important figures in the international artistic and cultural scene, including Oscar winners Colin Firth, Helen Mirren and Robert Moresco, Gina Lollobrigida, Mark Strong, Matt Dillon, film director and producer Pupi Avati, Fioretta Mari, Maurizio Mattioli, Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi, painter and actor-impersonator Dario Ballantini from the programme “Striscia la Notizia”, Bollywood star Shefali Shah, director of the TgCom24 news agency Andrea Pucci, director of the AdnKronos press agency Davide Desario and many others.

During the ceremony, which will begin at 16:30, following a photocall at 15:30, awards will be presented to prominent national and international figures, together with outstanding individuals from the Republic of San Marino, including San Marino historian Giuseppe Giardi, creator and curator of the podcast ‘Storie in flanella’ (Stories in Flannel), in a celebration that aims to bring together talent, creativity and civic responsibility. 

During the awards ceremony, a tribute will be paid to Countess Patrizia de Blanck, ‘the last lioness of television,’ who recently passed away. She was a great friend of Igor Righetti since the 1980s, with whom she shared not only personal moments but also many television and radio projects.

With the arrival of the Alberto Sordi Family Award, the Republic of San Marino confirms its vocation as a stage for international tourism and cultural initiatives, capable of enhancing the dialogue between creativity and civic engagement.