It’s not every day that a girl from a village in Southern Italy becomes a Playboy cover star. But thanks to the Great Playmate Search, Ines Trocchia is proudly, excitedly claiming what she’s always known belongs to her. After nearly a decade following her cover of Playboy Portugal’s October 2017 issue, she makes her triumphant return to Playboy—this time, to the magazine that started the global movement—with a vision of sexuality that’s self-made, unapologetic, and rooted in art, elegance, and personal freedom. 

Trocchia sat with our judges in front of a mountain of luggage, just moments before departing for her home country—her dog Bruno sitting idly by her feet. Her jet-setting life has millions of fans watching on Instagram as she bounces between the US and Milan, showcasing the modern version of la dolce vita—but her lifestyle today was entirely self-made, and something she once dreamt of. “My town was 3,000 people. I grew up in a reality where we are not allowed to dream. If you said, ‘Oh, when I grow up, I want to be in Playboy,’ people will laugh at your dream. It was considered to be ‘too big.’ I want to show that it’s possible to break this social construct that we have in our mind.” 

Her small town dreams don’t stop at Playboy—she embodies a world where sexual liberation is an essential ingredient behind great art and culture. “For me, it’s more about the freedom to be who you want to be and do what you want to do with your body… I believe that a woman’s body has always been a source of inspiration from poetry to literature to art. Sexuality is a form of self-empowerment and beauty, and I hope to continue being a part of its history.” 

The same conviction shows up in the quieter parts of her life. Whether it’s fostering shelter dogs or donating to rescue services, she knows who matters. (When asked who she would bring to a dinner party, she says with a smile that it would have to be her dog.) It turns out Bruno has a lot to offer his owner, but also, Trocchia thinks, the men who admire her. “[In a] relationship, I want somebody that brings out the best in me,” she says. “ I hope that men choose a partner that inspires them to be better.” 

Ines returns to Playboy in 2026. To be one of the first to see her inside cover before it even hits newsstands, pre-order our Spring 2026 issue today.