In 1984, Sophia Loren visited Melbourne as a special guest at the La Dolce Italia gala charity dinner, which raised funds for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation's efforts to safeguard children against violence.
While her visit was brief and didn't include extensive interviews, Loren attended a press conference where she readily sat for this photo.
The Oscar-winning actress has returned to Melbourne several times since in support of the foundation.
**This photograph is part of an IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**
Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.
He has several published collections, including 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley'. To see more from Bill, click here.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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