“An honour to be in the Lungomare delle Stelle!”
She is the queen of cartoon songs and from this year she has a stretch of waterfront dedicated entirely to her. Cristina D’Avena, singer, actress and presenter, is freshly titled.
What did you think when they told you that they would name a stretch of beach after you?
It is one of those things that catch you a little unprepared and, at the same time, fill you with joy. The first thing I said: it’s beautiful! Thanks to Jesolo, because it was an exciting surprise. You don’t get such a thing every day.
Before you great artists, singers and presenters …
I’m in good company! This makes me even more excited. When I learned that, before me, there were extraordinary artists of the calibre, for example, of Alberto Sordi, Andrea Bocelli, Katia Ricciarelli and Sophia Loren, I said to myself: oh my, I’m super honoured!
Forty years of career, 40 years of success, but also of love: wherever you go, people of all ages love you: what does it feel like?
They love me very much, they are wonderful. After two years of being away from the stage due to the pandemic, being able to go back and sing in the piazzas around Italy is very exciting. I see people with tears in their eyes. It is a great moment to be together.
Which cartoon character best reflects Cristina D’Avena?
First of all Licia, definitely. Then I enjoy being Creamy and also Sailor Moon.
A chapter you care about: charity. You have always been linked to the initiatives of the Istituto Antoniano and you have also done so with the Lungomare delle Stelle. Why them?
I lived with Operazione Pane since I was a child, since I started singing in the Piccolo Coro. We went to eat at the Antoniano canteen, and it was beautiful. Seeing so many people sharing a piece of bread with their neighbour was significant. Bread is something that gives you confidence, but at the same time makes you understand that there is someone helping you. I have lived this reality since their first founding friars, to which I was very attached.
What relationship do you have with them now?
I have maintained a close bond and when I see that they are carrying out the soup kitchen with such enthusiasm, I find it beautiful. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of poverty around: we only realize this when it is told to us.
