Italy's tourism campaign moves from virtual to real life.Italy's tourism ministry has revamped a contentious marketing campaign which until now has featured Botticelli's Venus as a "virtual influencer" who promotes the country's wonders.Francesca Faccini, a 23-year-old psychology student and aspiring actress from Rome, has become the human version of a new campaign that reportedly cost €138,000. This price tag includes filming on location, editing, post-production and content publishing by the creative agency IG Italia which shortlisted the successful candidate from 300 applicants. Faccini, who bears a resemblance to the Venus in Botticelli's Renaissance masterpiece, was introduced to the press on Thursday by tourism minister Daniela Santanchè. With her long blonde hair and natural look, Faccini will be the face of the new Welcome to Meraviglia campaign on Instagram. (For non-Italian speakers, "meraviglia" means wonder). Faccini is set to travel around Italy in her new role, with a taste of what to expect from the promotional video, in which she wanders around Rome enchanted by the city's beauty. The video features the new Venus smelling a rose in Campo de' Fiori, stroking the face of a statue of Emperor Hadrian in Palazzo Altemps, and playing an accordian in the Villa Borghese park. When the original Open to Meraviglia campaign was launched by Santanchè in 2023, critics panned it as being tacky, embarrassing and relying on tired stereotypes. It attracted further controversy when it was revealed that part of the promotional video was filmed in Slovenia, while an Italian marketing company purchased the Open to Meraviglia domain name after spotting that it had not been registered. Photo Il Messaggero

Italy's tourism ministry has revamped a contentious marketing campaign which until now has featured Botticelli's Venus as a "virtual influencer" who promotes the country's wonders. Francesca Faccini, a 23-year-old psychology student and aspiring actress from Rome, has become the human version of a new campaign that reportedly cost €138,000. This price tag includes filming on location, editing, post-production and content publishing by the creative agency IG Italia which shortlisted the successful candidate from 300 applicants. Faccini, who bears a resemblance to the Venus in Botticelli's Renaissance masterpiece, was introduced to the press on Thursday by tourism minister Daniela Santanchè. With her long blonde hair and natural look, Faccini will be the face of the new Welcome to Meraviglia campaign on Instagram. (For non-Italian speakers, "meraviglia" means wonder). Faccini is set to travel around Italy in her new role, with a taste of what to expect from the promotional video, in which she wanders around Rome enchanted by the city's beauty. The video features the new Venus smelling a rose in Campo de' Fiori, stroking the face of a statue of Emperor Hadrian in Palazzo Altemps, and playing an accordian in the Villa Borghese park. When the original Open to Meraviglia campaign was launched by Santanchè in 2023, critics panned it as being tacky, embarrassing and relying on tired stereotypes. It attracted further controversy when it was revealed that part of the promotional video was filmed in Slovenia, while an Italian marketing company purchased the Open to Meraviglia domain name after spotting that it had not been registered. Photo Il Messaggero