Italiana
ITALIAN WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
Salvatore Catalano’s interest in his heritage led to years of reading Italian literature and history. The portrayal of men through the centuries was well documented - though the portrayal of women was not. He felt a responsibility to give attention to extraordinary and often overlooked Italian and Italian-American women. These women have excelled in their contributions to the arts, literature, sciences, journalism and government. Through this show, Catalano aims to shine a light on these brilliant women.
Sophia Loren Born September 20, 1934, Rome, Italy Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone, known professionally as Sophia Loren, is an Italian actress who has worked extensively in both her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has appeared in more than 100 films. She won an Academy Award for her performance in Two Women, becoming the first actor to receive an Oscar for a role in a foreign-language film. In 1991, she was honored with an Academy Honorary Award for her outstanding contribution to cinema.
Elisa Oricchio Born 1979, Vallo Della Lucania, SA, Italy Elisa Oricchio is an Italian researcher specializing in cancer genetics. She studies the genetics of cancer and aims to translate scientific research into potential cancer treatments. She is the Director of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) and a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. For her discoveries, she was awarded the Lorini Foundation Award and the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists.
Grazia Deledda Born September 27, 1871 Nuoro, Italy Died August 15, 1936, Rome, Italy Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda, or Grazia Deledda, was the first Italian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature (1926). She was best known for her fiction set in her native Sardinia, including The Mother and Reeds in the Wind.
Lina Wertmüller Born August 14, 1928, Rome, Italy Died December 9, 2021, Rome, Italy Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller, known as Lina Wertmüller, was an Italian film director and screenwriter noted for her contemporary political and social issues. Seven Beauties, Swept Away and Love and Anarchy are among her best-known films. In 1977 she became the first woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director. She won many awards and was nominated for many others, including a Golden Globe Award, two Academy Awards, and two Palme d’Or Awards.
Maria Montessori Born August 31, 1870, Chiaravalle, AN, Italy Died May 6,1952, Noordwijk, Netherlands Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori, known as Maria Montessori, was an Italian physician, educator and one of the first women in Italy to earn a degree in medicine. As an educator, her critical observations of traditional teaching methods gained international recognition. Her philosophy gave rise to a groundbreaking approach to education: the Montessori Method.
Mariangela Zappia Born August 12, 1959, Viadana, MN, Italy Mariangela Zappia was the Italian Ambassador to the United States of America until June 2025. A career diplomat with forty years of experience, she is the first woman in her country to hold this position. She was the first woman Ambassador of Italy to the United Nations in New York, to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister and G7/G20 Sherpa.
Miuccia Prada Born May 10, 1949, Milan, Italy Miuccia Bianchi Prada is a successful fashion designer and businesswoman. known for creating luxury goods for both women and men. In 1993, together with her husband, she founded the Fondazione Prada in Milan, an art institution dedicated to promoting contemporary and modern art. The foundation fosters interdisciplinary dialogue across art, architecture, and culture through exhibitions, publications, and events.
Patricia de Stacy Harrison Born 1939, Brooklyn, New York, NY, USA Patricia de Stacy Harrison is an American public relations executive and government official of Italian descent. She was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee in 1997, serving until 2001, when she was appointed to the post of Assistant Secretary of the State for Educational and Cultural Affairs by then Secretary of State, Colin Powell. In 2005 she was appointed president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting which serves as the steward of federal funding for more than 1500 public radio and television stations in the U.S.
Rita Levi-Montalcini Born April 22, 1909, Turin, Italy Died December 30, 2012, Rome, Italy Rita Levi-Montalcini was an Italian neurobiologist who worked extensively in the United States. Together with biochemist Stanley Cohen, she was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a substance that stimulates and regulates the growth of nerve cells. After World War II, she worked in the United States and became a strong advocate for science funding and education. In 2001 she was appointed Senator for life by the then President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Sofonisba Anguissola Born c.1532, Cremona Died November 1625, Palermo Sofonisba Anguissola was a late Italian Renaissance painter best known for her expressive and intimate portraiture. Her innovative approach captured her subjects in more natural and personal poses, offering rare glimpses into aristocratic daily life. She was one of the first known female artists in Western art history, and among the first women to gain international recognition as a professional painter.
Anna Gregorio Born April 21, 1967, Trieste, Italy Anna Gregorio is an astrophysics researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. As a professor at the University of Trieste, she coordinates instrument teams for large scientific space missions. In 2020, Forbes Italia listed her among its 100 most successful Italian managers.
Artemisia Gentileschi Born July 8, 1593, Rome, Italy Died around 1653, Naples, Italy Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter. She is considered among the most accomplished 17th century artists. Her work was influenced by Caravaggio. She was producing professional work by the age of fifteen. In a time when women faced limitations in accessing artistic training, she became the first woman to join the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts.
Catherine de’ Medici Born April 13, 1519, Florence, Italy Died January 5, 1589, Blois, France Catherine de’ Medici was an Italian noblewoman born into the Medici family. She became Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry ll. She was a cousin of Pope Clement Vll. She had a powerful influence on the political and cultural life of France.
Catia Bastioli Born October 3, 1957, Foligno, PG, Italy Catia Bastioli is an Italian researcher, chemist and successful businesswoman. She has worked on climate change, environment issues and renewable energy. She was awarded European Inventor of the year 2007 for her modern inventions related to starch-based bioplastics. She is the CEO of Novamont, an international leader in the bioplastics sector and in the development of biochemicals derived from renewable, plant-based sources.
Giorgia Meloni Born January 15, 1977, Rome, Italy Giorgia Meloni is the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy since 22 October 2022. She is the first woman to hold this position in Italy.
Lidia Bastianich Born February 21, 1947, Istria Lidia Bastianich is a renowned Emmy Award-winning public television host and a successful Italian American restaurateur. She has authored over 15 Italian cookbooks and published at least 18 since 1990. She owns several restaurants across the United States and is a partner in Eataly, a renowned chain of Italian marketplaces with locations in U.S. cities and abroad.
Margherita Hack Born June 12, 1922, Florence, Italy Died June 29, 2013, Trieste, Italy Margherita Hack was an Italian astrophysicist, science communicator and activist. She has been the first Italian woman to become Director of the Trieste Astronomical Observatory from 1964 to 1987, bringing it to international attention. Her tenure was a landmark moment for women in science. The Asteroid 8558 Hack was named after her.
Nancy Pelosi Born March 26,1940, Baltimore, Md., USA Nancy Pelosi (née D’Alesandro) is an American politician of Italian American descent. She made history as the first woman elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Until January 2021, she was the highest ranking woman in the presidential line of succession. Pelosi was also the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress, serving as House Democratic Leader from 2003 to 2023.
Natalia Ginzburg Born July 14, 1916, Palermo, Italy Died October 7,1991, Rome, Italy Natalia Ginzburg (née Levi) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, essayist, political activist, and publisher. Her work offered vivid portrayals of family life, the female experience, and the struggles of wartime and postwar Italy. She won the Strega Prize for her novel Family Lexicon. In 1983, she was elected to the Italian Parliament as an independent politician.
Frances Xavier Cabrini Born July 15, 1850, Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, LO, Italy Died December 22, 1917 Chicago, Illinois, USA Frances Xavier Cabrini was also known as Mother Cabrini. She was a prominent Italian-American religious sister in the Roman Catholic Church. During her lifetime, she established 67 schools, orphanages and other social service institutions in Italy, the United States and other nations. She was the first American to be recognized by the Vatican as a saint.
Oriana Fallaci Born June 29, 1929, Florence, Italy Died September 15, 2006, Florence, Italy Oriana Fallaci was an Italian journalist and author. She was a member of the Italian Resistance Movement during World War ll. She became famous worldwide for her controversial coverage of wars and revolutions and her long, aggressive and revealing interviews with world leaders during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Among other books, she wrote Interview with History.
Samantha Cristoforetti Born April 26, 1977, Milan, Italy Samantha Cristoforetti is an Italian astronaut with the European Space Agency. She completed her first six-month Futura mission aboard the International Space Station between November 2014 and June 2015. In 2022, she returned to space for her Minerva mission, becoming the fifth European—and the first European woman—to command the International Space Station during Expedition 68.