Ava Vitali is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by and introduced by then-executive producersKen Corday and Edward J. Scott, the role is portrayed by Tamara Braun, who won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role in 2009. Introduced as a "mysterious woman from Steve's past," Ava was later revealed as a woman from a Mafia family. Ava appeared for six months in 2008, and returned in December 2015 for a three-month guest appearance. Following a brief voice appearance in 2017, Ava returned to the show on a regular basis in November 2020. She departed again on December 20, 2022 and returned on August 8, 2023