Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna

A biography of Vittoria Colonna, a confidante of Michelangelo, the scion of one of the most powerful families of her era, and a pivotal figure in the Italian Renaissance.

“One of the most glamorous women of the Renaissance, Vittoria Colonna, well-born and gifted, friend of Michelangelo, rich in every sense, has finally received the attention she deserves. No wonder it has taken so long: Vittoria’s life and career require a biographer with research skills, scholarly dedication, linguistic brilliance, wide-ranging knowledge, and writing talent, combined with a passionate interest in women’s lives, that Ramie Targoff may be alone in possessing. But many will be grateful to her for giving us so extraordinary and inspiring a heroine.” —Phyllis Rose