Virginia Minnetti, later known as Viola Valentino, was born on July 1, 1952, and began her music career in 1968 as a singer under the name Virginia. She then formed a duet with her then-husband, Renzo & Virginia, before being discovered by producer Giancarlo Lucariello, who created an image of a sexy yet delicate woman for her, as well as her distinctive subdued singing style.
In 1979, Virginia started singing under the name Viola Valentino, and her first song, "Comprami" ("Buy Me"),became a huge success, selling a large number of copies in Italy and Spain. The following year, she released two more hit songs, "Sei una bomba" ("You Are a Bomb") and "Anche noi facciamo pace" ("We Will Make Peace Too"),and her debut album "Cinema" was released.
In 1982, Viola Valentino participated in the Festival di Sanremo for the first time with the song "Romantici" ("Romantic"),which also became a hit. This year, she released her second album "In primo piano" ("In the Foreground") and another hit single "Sola" ("Alone"),during which time she was at the peak of her fame and was invited to appear in the film "Delitto sull'autostrada" ("A Crime on a Highway").
The following year, she participated in the Festival di Sanremo again with the song "Arriva arriva" ("Come, Come"),after which her popularity began to decline. In the 1980s, Viola Valentino acted in the films "Due strani papà" ("Two Strange Daddies", 1983) and "Le volpi della notte" ("Night Foxes", 1986).
In 1986, she released the song "Il posto della luna" ("The Place of the Moon"),which had moderate success. In 1991, an album "Un angelo dal cielo" ("An Angel from Heaven") was released, featuring the best songs by Viola Valentino.
Viola Valentino was married to Italian singer Riccardo Fogli, which contributed to her popularity, but they later divorced. Additionally, her photos appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine twice.
