Vittoria Colonna, marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circles of Ischia and Naples. Her early poetry began to attract attention in the late 1510s and she ultimately became one of the most popular poets of 16th-century Italy. Upon the early death of her husband, she took refuge at a convent in Rome. She remained a laywoman but experienced a strong spiritual renewal and remained devoutly religious for the rest of her life. Colonna is also known to have been a muse to Michelangelo Buonarroti, himself a poet.
Vittoria Colonna, by Sebastiano del Piombo, c. 1520
Vittoria Colonna, drawing by Michelangelo. Colonna was approximately 50 and Michelangelo 65 at the time of the drawing.
The title page of a 1559 edition of Colonna's poetry.
Le Rime Spiritvali Della Illvstrissima
Pescara is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 residents. Located on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the River Aterno-Pescara, the present-day municipality was formed in 1927 joining the municipalities of the old Pescara fortress, the part of the city to the south of the river, and Castellamare Adriatico, the part of the city to the north of the river. The surrounding area was formed into the province of Pescara.
Old town
The poet Gabriele d'Annunzio
Government building, seat of the Province of Pescara
Gabriele D'Annunzio's birthplace house