 Let's kick things off by going all the way back to Sofia Loren's modest beginning. She actually wasn't born into wealth at all. The star we know as Sofia Loren was born Sofia Villani Skigalone, war-torn Naples, Italy. She grew up in the coastal town of Pozzoli, raised solely by her mother in a cramped apartment she shared with multiple family members. The family struggled financially and lived through extremely difficult times during World War II. Young Sofia experienced poverty, hunger and homelessness during the war, when her family went days without food or basic resources. Even once the war ended, the family continued to live humbly in a small apartment in Naples. But despite the tiny quarters and limited means, Fia's mother encouraged her daughter's dream of becoming an actress from a very young age.