Roberta Petrelluzzi marks five decades at Rai as 'Un giorno in pretura' returns

Roberta Petrelluzzi (born 1 January 1944 in Adrara San Martino, Bergamo) is a veteran Italian journalist, television presenter, author and director. She is best known for anchoring the true‑crime programme Un giorno in pretura on Rai 3, a role she has held since 1988. Petrelluzzi began her broadcasting career in 1979 after winning a Rai competition, entering the public broadcaster as a programmer‑director for regional slots on the newly created Rai 3. Although she earned a degree in biological sciences and worked as a university researcher at Sapienza University of Rome, a chance television audition launched her long‑standing media career.

Renowned for her sober, non‑sensationalist coverage of Italy's justice system, Petrelluzzi has become a staple face of Rai 3. The show is slated to return in the summer of 2026, reigniting public debate on the prevalence of true‑crime content on television. In interviews she attributes her nearly 50‑year tenure at Rai to personal loyalty and “pigrizia,” noting the supportive leadership of former Rai 3 director Angelo Guglielmi and expressing admiration for colleagues such as Sigfrido Ranucci. She also hinted at offering advice to political figure Elly Schlein, underscoring her continued relevance in Italian media.