**Paola Pitagora** (Rome, 1941), stage name of Paola Gargaloni, is an Italian actress who distinguished herself by her elegance and intense screen presence.

She achieved international recognition with the role of Giulia in Marco Bellocchio's masterpiece **"Fists in the Pocket"** (1965), a performance that established her as an icon of Italian auteur cinema of the 1960s. Often chosen for roles of complex and tormented women, with delicate beauty but strong inner depth, she skillfully conveyed both fragility and resolute determination.

Among her other notable film works are **"Without Knowing Anything About Her"** (1969), also by Bellocchio, and her brief appearance in **"Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion"** (1970) by Elio Petri. She subsequently pursued a versatile career across cinema, television (renowned for her role as Lucia in the 1967 television adaptation of "The Betrothed") and theater.