Who was Maria Montessori? Learn about this influential educator in a brief history of Italy’s first female physician Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was a pioneering physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name. Today, her model for schools is a global standard, found in nearly every country. While her approach […]
The Order of St. Clare, often known as the Poor Clares, today numbers some 20,000 nuns around the world. But how did this 13th-century nun become the patron saint of television? Italia! Women #3: St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Chiara Offreduccio (she didn’t become “St. Clare” until two years after her death) was born to […]
The ‘Grandmother of Gynaecology’ Trota of Salerno studied and practised at the Medical School of Salerno during the 1100s… Italia! Women #2: Trota of Salerno (12th Century) We know very little of the life of Trota except that she worked at the Medical School of Salerno during the 12th century. There are no biographical records; […]
Matilda of Canossa, Countess of Tuscany, left a legacy of church-building that has lasted a thousand years… Italia! Women #1: Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115) Revered as La Gran Contessa, Matilda of Canossa was one of the most powerful nobles in Italy and her legacy is built in stone – quite literally. But under normal circumstances […]