She made her operatic debut in Spoleto, Italy, in 1955, as Norina in Donizetti's "Don Pasquale". Shortly after, she appeared in a television production of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly", which made her an overnight sensation throughout Italy. She quickly appeared in other television productions ("Falstaff", "La sonnambula", "Lucia di Lammermoor", "La figlia del reggimento", "La serva padrona") and was invited to sing at most of the major opera houses of Italy (Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, Parma, etc.). As her reputation grew, she was invited to sing outside Italy, notably at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera. 