Italian star has been out of the spotlight for 20 years.

Italy celebrates Monica Vitti, the much-loved Italian actress, who was born Maria Luisa Ceciarelli in Rome on 3 November 1931.

Vitti, whose career began in theatre in the 1950s before she burst onto the big screen, has long been out of the spotlight due to a serious degenerative illness.

The legendary actress is best known for her roles in films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni in the 1960s, including La Notte (1961) in which she starred with Marcello Mastroianni, and L'Eclisse (1962) with Alain Delon.

Vitti went on to become a star of Italian comedy, appearing alongside some of Italy's most famous performers, from Alberto Sordi to Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio Gassman to Nino Manfredi.

Over the course of her glittering career Vitti won seven Italian Golden Globes for Best Actress, five David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, the Career Golden Globe and the Venice Film Festival Career Golden Lion Award.

In 2000 Vitti married Roberto Russo, with whom she had been in a relationship since 1973, and she made her last public appearance in 2002.