This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2007)

Franca
Skyline of Franca
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Capital do calçado, Cidade das três colinas and "Capital do Basquete" ("Footwear capital", "Three hills city and" "Basketball capital")
Motto: "Gentile Meae Paulistae Fidelis"  (Latin) "Faithful to my herd of São Paulo"
Location in São Paulo state.
Coordinates: 20°32′19″S 47°24′3″W / 20.53861°S 47.40083°W / -20.53861; -47.40083Coordinates: 20°32′19″S 47°24′3″W / 20.53861°S 47.40083°W / -20.53861; -47.40083
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	São Paulo
Government
• Mayor	Sidnei Franco da Rocha (PSDB)
Area
• City	607.333 km2 (234.493 sq mi)
• Metro	3,439.78 km2 (1,328.11 sq mi)
Elevation	1,040 m (3,410 ft)
Population (2008)
• City	327,176
• Density	538.70/km2 (1,395.2/sq mi)
• Metro	471,383
• Metro density	137.03/km2 (354.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2006)	0.820 – high
Website	[2]

Franca is a large city in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, located at 20º32'19"S; 47º24'03'W at 1040 m altitude, founded in 1805 ^[1]. Estimated population in 2008 was 327,176 inhabitants. Franca is the municipal seat of Franca municipality.

History[link]

The history of the region of Franca begins at the time of the Bandeirantes explorers. The bandeira or entrada of Anhangüera (the son) in 1722 established the “way of Goiás,” a trail from São Paulo to the gold mines in Goiás. Along this and other trails settlements were made, becoming the so-called "landings" or way-stations for the gold seekers. Franca was known at the time of the Bandeirantes as the “catfish landing.”

At the end of the 18th century, settlers had dispersed into the region in several of these landings. In 1779, around 1000 people lived in the area around Franca . To better organize the settlement, a Decree Company was created and the Portuguese Captain Manoel de Almeida was put in charge. At the beginning of the 19th century, the sons of Manoel de Almeida (Antonio Antunes de Almeida and Vicente Ferreira de Almeida) donated lands for the construction of a chapel, which in turn was blessed by the priest Joaquin Martins Rodrigues. With the decline of mining activity in Minas Gerais and Goiás, more settlers migrated to the "Belo Sertão do Rio Pardo" (beautiful valley of the Pardo River), under the sponsorship of the governador of São Paulo, Antônio José de Franca e Horta, after whom the city and municipality are named.

In 1816 the "village of Franca" was officially founded by King João VI. In 1821, Minas Gerais attempted to annex the region, but due to local resistance, the attempt failed. The city motto stems from this time. The city's name was changed to "Vila Franca do Imperador", but it was shortened afterwards to "Franca".

With the expansion of coffee plantations throughout northeastern São Paulo state, many immigrants, mainly Italian, arrived in Franca. From the knowledge and hard work of these immigrants, the city's first industry, shoe manufacturing, was developed in the 1920s.

Franca took part in the Constitutional Revolution of 1932, in which six of her citizens died for São Paulo.

The city is now distinguished as an important center for the Brazilian footwear industry, although coffee continues today as one of the main sources of the city's revenues.

Geography[link]

Franca is located in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo. It is the center of the state's 14th administrative region. The municipality of Franca borders Batatais, Cristais Paulista, and Patrocínio Paulista in São Paulo state, and Ibiraci and Claraval in Minas Gerais state. The climate of the city is subtropical highland (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with dry winters and wet summers, with rains from October to March. The temperatures are mild throughout the year. In hydrography, Franca is in the Canoas River basin, and this river provides the water supply of the city.

Franca has a considerably high terrain, with an altitude of about 1,040 m above sea level. Local soils are sandy, and the vegetation is dominated by grasslands. Forests are restricted to hilly slopes.

Temperatures[link]

Demography[link]

• Total: 328.473 inhabitants on July 1, 2006.
  • Urban: 324.138
  • Rural: 6.999
• Demographic density (hab./km²): 473,80
• Child mortality until 1 year (in 1000): 12,66 = 1,26%
• Life expectancy (years): 73,03
• Fertility (children per women): 2,26
• Literacy: 96,37%
• HDI : 0,820
  • HDI-M Income: 0,755
  • HDI-M Longevity: 0,800
  • HDI-M Education: 0,906

(Source: IPEA DATA)

Hidrography[link]

• Rio das Canoas
• Rio Pouso Alegre
• Rio São João
• Ribeirão Salgado

Roads[link]

• SP-334 - Candido Portinari, (Franca to Ribeirão Preto)
• SP-345 - Engenheiro Ronan Rocha, (Franca to Minas Gerais)
• SP-345 - Prefeito Fábio Talarico, (Franca to Barretos)

Minor highways[link]

• - Felipe Calixto (north quarter to Ribeirão Corrente)
• - João Traficante (east quarter to Ibiraci/MG)
• - Engenho Queimado (west quarter to Ribeirão Corrente)
• - Nestor Ferreira (west quarter to Restinga)
• - Rio Negro e Solimões (south quarter to Batatais)
• - Tancredo Neves (east quarter to Claraval/MG)

Government[link]

Mayor Sidnei Rocha (of the PSDB party) was elected in October 2004 and took office on January 1, 2005. His term is four years, and he is in office for the second time. The City Council is composed of 15 aldermen.

Notable Francanos[link]

• Regina Duarte, Brazilian television actress
• Abdias do Nascimento - scholar, artist, and politician.
• João do Amaral Gurgel - Brazilian businessman

References[link]

External links[link]

• Reviewed Franca
• Francasite - town portal - official website - virtual guide
• Franca View - Guide digital of Franca
• Municipal Government website

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (November 2010)

Franca Sozzani
Born	(1950-01-20) 20 January 1950 (age 62) Mantua, Italy
Ethnicity	Italian
Occupation	Magazine editor
Title	Editor-in-chief, Vogue Italia
Children	Francesco Carrozzini
Family	Carla Sozzani (sister)

Franca Sozzani (born January 20, 1950) is an Italian journalist and the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia since 1988. She is considered to be one of five most influential people in the fashion industry woldwide.

Career[link]

Sozzani grew up in Mantua, a small city in northern Italy. After completing a degree in philosophy and Germanic language and literature, she married at the age of 20, only to leave her husband after three months.^[1] She started her career at Vogue Bambini in 1976^[2] and directed legendary publications LEI since 1980 and PER LUI since 1982 before heading up the Italian edition of VOGUE in 1988. She was appointed editor-in-chief of Condé Nast Italia in 1994.

In the 90s, Sozzani helped create the phenomenon of the supermodel with one of her closest long-term collaborators, Steven Meisel, and she has championed a group of photographers such as Bruce Weber, Peter Lindbergh, and Paolo Roversi.^[3]

Memorble issues of her magazine include "The Black Issue" (an entire issue devoted to celebrate black women's beuaty), "Makeover" (dedicated to the exploding phenomenon of plastic surgery) and most recently L'Uomo Vogue "Rebranding Africa", for which she was awarded many different international pizes.

In February 2011 she launched Vogue Curvy — an arm of vogue.it staffed by plus-size bloggers who offer fashion tips for the full-figured.^[4]

Sozzani collaborated with artist Maurizio Cattelan and repetitively with Vanessa Beecroft. She also curated several exhibits and retrospectives, including: 30 Years of Italian Vogue, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber (Vietnam Story and My Own Story in Vogue), Peter Lindbergh (Women), Francesco Scavullo and Portraits of Elegance (Milan Triennale).

She is founding member of CHILD PRIORITY – a non profit organization created by Condé Nast to offer concrete study and work opportunities for those who have none, despite being talented and artistically gifted.

Books[link]

Sozzani is the author of several books about photography, fashion, art and design, including: 30 Years of Italian Vogue (1994), Visitors (20 Museums for the Florence Biennale of Fashion and Art; 1996), A Noir (an exploration of the colour Black between fashion and art, published by Assouline, 1998), Style in Progress (30 years of L’Uomo Vogue, 1998), Valentino’s Red Book (2000) and Artists At Work (an itinerary among the most important British artists of the time, published by Assouline, 2003).

• 30 Years of Italian Vogue (1994)
• Visitors: 20 Museums for the Florence Biennale of Fashion and Art (1996)
• A Noir: An exploration of the colour Black between fashion and art, published by Assouline (1998)
• Style in Progress: 30 years of L’Uomo Vogue (1998)
• Valentino’s Red Book (2000)
• British Artists At Work: An itinerary among the most important British artists of the time, published by Assouline (2003)

Recognition[link]

In 2012 Sozzani was knighted by French president Nicolas Sarkozy with the Legion d'honneur and became goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

She was also awarded several prizes for her contribution to art and culture including: La Lupa (from the City of Rome, for rending Italian fashion known throughout the world), the Premiolino, the Ambrogino d'oro (for making the city of Milan more cosmopolitan and famous around the world) and the Montblanc de La Culture (Art Patronage Award 2007).

Family[link]

Franca Sozzani has one son, Francesco Carrozzini (born 1982), a photographer and director. Her sister, Carla Sozzani, is the owner of 10 Corso Como, a Milan photographic gallery and store carrying hard to find imports and luxury goods.^[5]

References[link]

1. ^ William Lee Adams (September 16, 2011), Franca Sozzani: Fashion's Rebel with a Cause Time.
2. ^ William Lee Adams (September 16, 2011), Franca Sozzani: Fashion's Rebel with a Cause Time.
3. ^ Livia Firth (March 2011), Franca Sozzani Interview Magazine.
4. ^ William Lee Adams (September 16, 2011), Franca Sozzani: Fashion's Rebel with a Cause Time.
5. ^ "10 Corso Como - Shopping in Milan". http://www.milanostyle.com/07/corsocomo10.htm. 

External links[link]

• Vogue Italia website.
• Franca Sozzani on IQONS
• Franca Sozzani in TIME

Franca Valeri
Born	Alma Franca Maria Norsa (1920-07-31) 31 July 1920 (age 91) Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Franca Valeri (born 31 July 1920) is an Italian actress.

Valeri was born in Milan as Alma Franca Maria Norsa. She adopted her surname in the 1950s as an homage to the French critic and poet, Paul Valéry.

Despite the old age and suffering Parkinson's disease, she's still very active on the Italian theatrical stage. Across the season 2005-2006 she performed her own monologue La Vedova Socrate ("Socrate's Widow") and Les Bonnes, by Jean Genet.

Valeri started her career on the radio, where she created the character of "Signorina Cesira" and "Signora Cecioni", exhilarating sketches centering on the idiosyncrasies of the Italy of 1950s. She co-starred important films hits, such as The Sign of Venus or Il vedovo, although most of her characters are supporting role.

In the 1960s Valeri also frequently worked for Italian TV. Directed by Antonello Falqui, she starred in Studio Uno, Le divine and Sabato Sera.

In the 1980s and early 1990s she starred in a series of successful commercials for Pandoro Melegatti, which were well received and stretched over a number of years (Pandoro being a seasonal product tied to the Christmas holidays).

In January 2008, she played the role of "Solange" in Jean Genet's "Le bonnes" at Milan's Piccolo Teatro.

Filmography[link]

• Luci del varietà (1950)
• Totò a colori (1952)
• Villa Borghese (1953)
• Questi fantasmi (1954)
• Piccola posta (1955)
• Il segno di Venere (1955)
• Le signorine dello 04 (1955)
• Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955)
• Il bigamo (1955)
• La ragazza del palio (1957)
• Mariti in città (1957)
• Il vedovo (1959)
• Arrangiatevi! (1959)
• Non perdiamo la testa (1959)
• Il moralista (1959)
• Mariti in pericolo (1960)
• Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960)
• Crimen (1960)
• Leoni al sole (1961)
• Parigi o cara (1962)
• I motorizzati (1962)
• I cuori infranti (1963)
• Il giorno più corto (1963)
• Gli onorevoli (1963)
• Le motorizzate (1963)
• I maniaci (1963)
• Io, io, io... e gli altri (1965)
• La ragazza del bersagliere (1967)
• Scusi, facciamo l'amore? (1968)
• Nel giorno del Signore (1970)
• Basta guardarla (1970)
• Ettore lo fusto (1971)
• Ultimo tango a Zagarolo (1973)
• La signora gioca bene a scopa? (1974)
• L'Italia s'è rotta (1976)
• Come ti rapisco il pupo (1976)
• Tanto va la gatta al lardo... (1978)
• Non ti riconosco più amore (1979)
• Un amore in prima classe (1980)
• Paulo Roberto Cotechiño centravanti di sfondamento (1983)
• Tosca e le altre due (2003)

External links[link]

• Franca Valeri at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Cinema of Italy Actors · Directors · Animation · Cinematographers · Composers  · Editors · Producers · Screenwriters Films A-Z · Films by year: 1910 · 1911 · 1912 · 1913 · 1914 · 1915 · 1916 · 1917 · 1918 · 1919 · 1920 · 1921 · 1922 · 1923 · 1924 · 1925 · 1926 · 1927 · 1928 · 1929 · 1930 · 1931 · 1932 · 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011

This article about an Italian actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e