Isabella Ardigo Bio Pet of The Year 1980
August 11, 1955 / Leo / Age 70
Isabella Ardigo is an Italian-born Penthouse model, adult and glamour model, born Isabel Lanza on August 11, 1955 in Rome, Italy. Throughout her modeling career, she has also appeared under the names Concetta Ardigo, each marking a distinct chapter in her evolving on-camera persona.
Isabella Ardigo was crowned Penthouse Pet of the Month in April 1979 before rising to the coveted title of Pet of the Year 1980, stepping into the spotlight at 23 years old. With her statuesque 36-24-35 figure, charming brown eyes, rich brown hair, and natural breasts, Isabella brings refined yet playful allure — a perfect balance of confidence, charm, and irresistible energy.
Isabella Ardigo emerged as one of the most talked-about and enigmatic figures of Penthouse’s late-1970s era. Roman-born and unmistakably European in spirit, Isabella brought Old World sensuality to the magazine at a moment when Penthouse was embracing international glamour with growing confidence.
Her pictorial presented a woman of contrasts — playful yet self-possessed, romantic yet independent. She spoke openly of passion as a shared rhythm, sometimes leading, sometimes following, and carried herself with a confidence that felt instinctive rather than performed. Isabella often described herself as a strong woman with a taste for pleasure: good wine, good conversation, and the intimacy that follows when attraction feels mutual and unforced. While she found American men charming and amusing, she remained deeply drawn to the intensity and emotional heat of her Italian roots, especially the men of Southern Italy.
Despite her success and visibility, Isabella’s relationship with Penthouse would later become contentious. She publicly claimed that the magazine continued to use posed nude images of her without consent, filing a high-profile invasion of privacy lawsuit that escalated into a multi-million-dollar legal battle. The dispute intensified after publisher Bob Guccione responded publicly with serious counter-accusations, turning Isabella into a symbol of the growing tension between models and publishers during a period when ownership, consent, and control were increasingly debated within the industry.
Whatever side of history one chooses to emphasize, Isabella Ardigo remains inseparable from Penthouse’s evolution. As Pet of the Year 1980, she represented a turning point — where European eroticism, personal agency, and controversy intersected. Her legacy is not only visual, but cultural: a reminder that Penthouse’s golden era was shaped as much by strong personalities as by iconic imagery.
