The End of Miss Muretto Beauty Pageant

In the early 1950's, Alassio had become a haven for international jet setters and the Berrino family’s Caffè Roma had turned into a meeting point for the rich and famous while holidaying on the Ligurian Riviera. The guestbook quickly filled up with autographs and it was a shame to keep them hidden away, Berrino thought. When Hemingway signed the book that night, Berrino told him about his new idea. He wanted to put the signatures onto ceramic tiles and decorate the wall partition with them: “I don’t know, Mario,” Hemingway replied, “that might look like a collection of epitaphs!” Then he said:  “Unless...each one is different from the other.” That is how Ernest Hemingway and Berrino came up with the idea of the Wall, the famous Muretto d’Alassio. 

 

At dawn, and with no official permit to actually do it, Mario with the help of some friends secretly put up the first few tiles signed by Hemingway,  singing quartet Quartetto Cetra and the guitarist-composer, Cosimo di Ceglie. The next day there were no complaints and more tiles were added. The mayor, Mr Torre, and everybody else in the city, understood how great that idea was and just turned a blind eye. Today around 800 tiles can be found on Alassio 'Muretto' (literally: small wall).  

But they thought that something was still missing. An event was needed to provide some energy to shake up Alassio's summer season, so they came up with the idea of a special beauty pageant. The name Muretto was soon linked to one of the most famous beauty pageants in Italy with the winning girl receiving the title of Miss Muretto. The first edition was organized by Lucio Flauto in 1953, during the time of the economic boom. This went on to become a fixture of the Ligurian Riviera in August and one of the most prestigious Italian beauty contests for aspiring models. Over the years, it launched the career of countless Italian presenters and showgirls such as Simona Ventura, Maria Teresa Ruta and Melissa Satta.