Stefanelli refused a career in Hollywood, in order to avoid being typecast. She explained during an interview in 1997 about the offers of Hollywood filmmakers: "They wanted nothing more than to expose my body...I refused so much work." She continued her career in Italy. In 1973, she filmed one picture in Spanish, El mejor alcalde, el rey (The Best Mayor, the King), directed by Rafael Gil. The following year, Stefanelli appeared in the miniseries Moses the Lawgiver, starring Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quayle and Ingrid Thulin. She would later have roles in numerous Italian films, including Peccati in famiglia (Scandal in the Family), an erotic drama she starred opposite her husband Michele Placido, and Francesco Rosi's Tre fratelli (Three Brothers). Eriprando Visconti, Walerian Borowczyk, Franco Castellano, Giuseppe Moccia and Mario Caiano are some of the Directors she worked with. After appearing in Michele Placido's film Le amiche del cuore (Close Friends), Stefanelli ended her acting career in 1992, just one year before her daughter Violante Placido began her acting career.