Donna Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People * Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), I ...

Bianca Brandolini d'Adda dei conti di Valmareno (born 25 June 1987) is an Italian model, actress and socialite.

Early life and family

Bianca Brandolini d'Adda was born in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, to an ancient

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

family. Her father is Rodrigo Tiberto Brandolini d'Adda, Count of Valmareno and her mother is Princess Georgina Maria Natividad de Faucigny-Lucinge et Coligny, a French-Brazilian model who worked for Valentino as an artistic muse. Through her father, she is a descendant of Empress Maria Theresia. She has an older sister,

Coco Brandolini d’Adda Donna Cornelia Brandolini d'Adda dei conti di Valmareno, better known as Coco Brandolini d'Adda, (born June 27, 1979) is a French-born Italian fashion executive, editor and socialite. Early life and family Brandolini d'Adda was born on June 2 ...

. Two of her family's ancestral palaces, the

Palazzo Brandolin Rota Palazzo Brandolin Rota is a palace in Venice, Italy, located in the Dorsoduro district and overlooking the Grand Canal, between the Gallerie dell'Accademia and Palazzo Contarini Polignac. History The palazzo was built in the 17th century, initia ...

and the Palazzo Morosini Brandolin, are located on the Grand Canal. Her paternal grandmother was Countess Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda (née

Agnelli Agnelli () is an Italian surname literally meaning "lambs". Notable people with the surname include: *Members of the Agnelli family, the industrial and business family of northern Italy, including: ** Edoardo Agnelli (1831–1871), Italian entrepren ...

), sister of

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

chairman

Gianni Agnelli Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce an ...

and daughter of

Edoardo Agnelli Edoardo Agnelli (9 June 1954 – 15 November 2000) was the eldest child and only son of Gianni Agnelli, the industrialist patriarch of Fiat and of Marella Agnelli (born Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto). He converted to Islam when he was ...

and

Virginia Bourbon del Monte ''Donna'' Virginia Bourbon del Monte dei principi di San Faustino (Rome, 24 May 1899 – Pisa, 30 November 1945) was the wife of Edoardo Agnelli and the mother of Gianni Agnelli. Biography She was the daughter of Carlo Bourbon del Monte, Prince d ...

(daughter of Carlo Bourbon del Monte, Prince di San Faustino). Her maternal grandfather was the French aristocrat Prince Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge and her maternal grandmother was Sylvia Régis de Oliveira, the only daughter of Raul Régis de Oliveira, a Brazilian diplomat who served as Brazil’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1925 to 1939. She grew up between Paris, Venice, and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

and received her education at the Institut du Marais–Charlemagne Pollès. She went on to study theatre at Studio Pygmalion in Paris. In 2005, she was presented to society at le Bal des Débutantes at the

Hôtel de Crillon Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel () is a historic luxury hotel in Paris which opened in 1909 in a building dating to 1758. Located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées, the Crillon, along with the Hôtel de la Marine, is one of two identical s ...

in Paris. She was escorted by Antoine de Tavernost and wore a black and white Valentino gown. She was chosen to open the first waltz at the Crillon Ball with

Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Career

In 2009, Brandolini d'Adda made her acting debut in the television film ''Aïcha'', directed by

Yamina Benguigui Yamina Benguigui (born Yamina Zora Belaïdi; in Lille on 9 April 1955) is a French film director and politician of Algerian descent. She is known for her films on gender issues in the North African (both Berbers and Arabs) immigrant community i ...

. She was a spokes-model for

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cos ...

, becoming the face of their fashion brand in 2012. She co-designed a line of women's swimwear with Alexia Niedzielski for Oskar Metsavaht's fashion brand Osklen. In 2014, she collaborated with Angelo Ruggeri, director of

Sergio Rossi Sergio Rossi is an Italian fashion brand which focuses on footwear. Founded in Italy in 1951, the brand was acquired by the Gucci Group in 1999. It then became part of the Kering Group under François Pinault, from 2005 until 2016, when I ...

, on a collection of women's shoes.

Personal life

Brandolini d'Adda had been involved romantically with Agnelli heir

Lapo Elkann Lapo Edovard Elkann (born 7 October 1977) is an Italian businessman, philanthropist and grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former controlling CEO and controlling shareholder of Fiat Automobiles. Background A member of the Agnelli family, Elkann was ...

, her cousin. The couple had at one point been engaged, but later called off the relationship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandolini d'Adda, Bianca Living people 1987 births Agnelli family Brandolini d'Adda family Bourbon del Monte family Debutantes of le Bal des débutantes House of Faucigny Nobility from Paris Italian fashion designers Italian women fashion designers Italian countesses Italian socialites Italian female models Actresses from Paris Italian women bloggers