Sophia Loren Born September 20, 1934, Rome, Italy. Sophia Loren is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. Her career spans over 70 years. She starred in over 100 films. She was awarded an Oscar for her performance in “Two Women”. It was the first time an actor won an Academy Award for a foreign language role. In 1991, she received an Academy Award for her contribution to cinema.
Elisa Oricchio Born 1979, Vallo Della Luciano, Italy. Dr. Elisa Oricchio is an Italian research scientist specializing in cancer genetics. She studies the genetics of cancer and aims to translate science research into potential cancer treatments. She is the Director of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) She is a professor at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. She was awarded the Lorini Foundation Award and the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists for her discoveries.
Grazia Deledda Born September 27, 1871 Nuoro, Sardinia, Died August 15, 1936, Rome, Italy. Grazia Deledda was the first Italian woman writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1926) She was well known for her fiction that was centered in her native Sardinia, “The Mother” and “Reeds in the Wind”.
Lina Wertmüller Born August 14, 1928, Rome, Italy, Died December 9, 2021, Rome, Italy. 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 was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and two Palme d’Or Awards.
Maria Montessori Born August 31, 1870, Chiaravalle, Italy, Died May 6,1952, Noordwijk, NL. Maria Montessori was a physician, and a pioneer of women’s rights. Her role as an educator and her observations about traditional learning was brought to the attention of educators around the world. Her philosophy on education brought about an innovative method of learning. It is called the Montessori Method.
Mariangela Zappia Born August 12, 1959, Viadina, It. Mariangela Zappia is the Italian Ambassador to the United States of America. 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 Prada is a successful fashion designer and businesswoman. She creates luxury goods for women and men. In 1993, she opened an art museum in Milan. The Fondazione Prada is a contemporary art and cultural center. It is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the arts, architecture and and culture through exhibitions, publications and events
Patricia de Stacy Harrison Born 1939, Brooklyn, New York. Patricia de Stacy Harrison is an American public relations executive and government official. She was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee in 1997. 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 2012, Rome, Italy. Rita Levi-Montalcini was Italian-American neurologist who, with biochemist Stanley Cohen, shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or medicine in 1986 for her discovery of a bodily substance that stimulates and influences the growth of nerve cells. Having faced many obstacles in her country, she ensured that other scientists have access to funds and necessary support. Late in her life, she became a prominent figure in Italian politics.
Sofonisba Anguissola Born c.1532, Cremona , Died November 1625, Palermo. Sofonisba Anguissola was a late Renaissance painter best known for her portraiture. Her unusual approach to portraiture was to paint subjects informally. This gave viewers a glimpse of aristocratic daily life. She was one of the first known female artists. She was one of the first women to establish an international reputation as an artist.
Anna Gregorio Born April 21, 1967, Trieste, Italy. Anna Gregorio is an astrophysics researcher, at the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. As an astrophysics professor at the University of Trieste, she coordinates instrument teams for large scientific space missions. In 2022, Forbes Italia listed her among its 100 most successful Italian managers.
Artemisia Gentileschi Born July 8, 1593, Rome, Italy, Died around 1653, Naples, Italy. Artemesia 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 women 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 the niece of Pope Clement Vll. She had powerful influence on the political life of France. She presided over the late French Renaissance culture of the the arts.
Catia Bastioli Born October 3, 1957, Foligno, Italy. Catia Bastioli is an inventor, 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 inventions related to starch based bio-degradable plastics. She is the CEO of Novamont, an international leader in the bioplastics sector and in the development of biochemicals.
Giorgia Meloni Born January 15, 1977, Rome, Italy. Giorgia Meloni is an Italian politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Italy since October 2022 She is the first woman to hold this position. Forbes 2025 ranked her as the third most powerful woman in the world. Politico ranked her as the 2025 most powerful person in Europe.
Lidia Bastianich Born February 21, 1947, Istria, Italy. Lidia Bastianich is a renowned, Emmy Award winning public television cooking show host and an Italian American chef. She has authored fifteen Italian cookbooks. She owns several restaurants in America. She is also a partner in Eataly, a successful chain of forty one large format Italian marketplaces.
Margherita Hack Born June 12, 1922, Florence, Italy, Died June 29, 2013, Trieste, Italy. Margherita Hack was an Astrophysicist, communicator and activist. She became the first Italian woman to become a director of the Trieste Astronomical Observatory, from 1964 to 1987 and brought it to international attention. This was a milestone for women in Science. An asteroid was named after her, 8558 Hack.
Nancy Pelosi Born March 26, 1940, Baltimore, Md. Nancy Pelosi is an Italian American politician. She was the first woman elected as United States House Speaker. She was the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, leading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023.
Natalia Ginsburg Born July, 1916, Palermo Italy, Died October 7,1991, Rome, Italy. She was an Italian novelist, short story writer, essayist, political activist and publisher. She shared vivid descriptions of family life, the female experience, and the hardships of postwar Italy. She won the Strega Prize for her novel, Family Lexicon. She was a politician, in 1983 she was elected as an independent to Italian Parliament.
Frances Xavier Cabrini Born July 15, 1850, Lodigiano, Italy, Died December 22, 1917 Chicago,Ill. Frances Xavier Cabrini was also known as Mother Cabrini. She was a prominent Italian-American Roman Catholic nun. 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.
Orianna Fallaci Born June 29, 1929, Florence, Italy, Died September 15, 2006, Florence, Italy. Orianna Fallaci was an Italian journalist and author, “Interview With History” She was a member of the Italian Resistance Movement during World War ll. She became famous worldwide for her controversial coverage of war and revolution and her long, aggressive and revealing interviews with world leaders.
Samantha Cristoforetti Born April 26, 1977, Milan, Italy. Samantha Cristoforetti is an astronaut. She completed her first six month Futura mission to the International Space Station between November 2014 and June 2015. She returned to space for her Minerva mission in 2022, serving as the fifth European and first European female commander of the International Space Station during Expedition 68.