Italian Women Who Changed History (And Where to Follow Their Stories)

The women who changed the history of Italy invite us to explore new horizons in the country.

From women who have won the Nobel Prize to women who have directly conquered the space, here are 10 iconic female figures of the Italian past and present and the places to explore their legacy.

These Italian women in history reshaped their country with talent, courage and vision, challenging prejudice and gender barriers along the way.

We have chosen 10 figures who trace Italy’s evolution across the centuries. 

They have left a lasting mark on culture, science and politics. For each, we suggest places, museums and landmarks as part of a female-focused itinerary.

The Italian women featured in this journey:

- Grazia Deledda, Nobel Prize–winning novelist.

- Oriana Fallaci, journalist.

- Maria Montessori, educator and physician.

- Artemisia Gentileschi, Baroque painter.

- Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize–winning neurologist.

- Nilde Iotti, politician and the first female President of the Chamber of Deputies.

- Miuccia Prada, fashion designer and entrepreneur.

- Margherita Hack, astrophysicist and science communicator.

- Lucrezia Borgia, Renaissance duchess and patron of the arts.

- Samantha Cristoforetti, astronaut.

The bond with her homeland, Sardinia, shines through in most of her works. 

She describes with dedication the agricultural culture in which she sets her books and takes us back to the wild Sardinian lands of Barbagia.

Among her most significant works: Ashes (1904), Reeds in the Wind (1913) and The Mother (1920).

- Grazia Deledda’s birthplace in Nuoro has been a museum since 1983 and is open daily except Mondays.

Oriana Fallaci is the best known writer in Italy and her life is an adventure. A journalist, war reporter, and activist, from her books shines her energy in addressing important issues.

Her life was born and ended in Florence but she traveled all over the world, from East to West, to document and report in her writings the main events of her time. 

Her books are published all over the world thrilling readers of all ages.

- In 2016, the city of Florence dedicated a square to the writer in a special place, the Fortezza da Basso, a garden in the heart of the city that conveys joy, peace and serenity. These are also the values to which the writer always aspired in her writings. 

Maria Montessori is an Italian educator, pedagogue, philosopher, physician, child neuropsychiatrist and scientist. 

She is known throughout the world for having invented the educational method that takes her name and that is still adopted in thousands of preschools, elementary, middle and high schools in various countries. 

Anticipating the times, moreover, she is one of the first female medical graduates in Italy.  

She is originally from Chiaravalle in the Marche region but lives most of her life in Rome and dedicates her life to children and their education. 

- Today, the life and ideas of the famous Italian pedagogue are celebrated at the house museum in Chiaravalle, set within the home where Maria Montessori spent her childhood.

Artemisia Gentileschi is an Italian painter of the school of Caravaggio. Her fame has exceeded the Italian borders, still her works are exhibited in several European countries and beyond.

In most of her works, Artemisia depicts strong and brave women, but her fame is not limited only to the artistic field: in 1611 she is a victim of rape and, ahead of her time, she decides not to remain silent, but to denounce the abuse and go to trial. 

Her life winds between Naples, Rome, Florence and Venice. 

- Her most famous work "Judith Beheading Holofernes" is currently exhibited in the National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples

Rita Levi-Montalcini is widely regarded as one of the most influential Italian women in recent history, thanks to her extraordinary contributions to scientific research and innovation.

Her discovery of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), essential to understanding the development and regeneration of nerve cells, transformed neurology and modern medicine. 

As a pioneering Italian neurologist, she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986 and was among the first women in Italy to become a full professor in a scientific field.

In 2001, she was named Senator for Life, a position she held until her death in 2012 at 103 years old.

- In Turin, a mural honoring Levi-Montalcini by street artist TvBoy was unveiled in 2023 on Via del Carmine. In Rome, a bridge along the Lungotevere Papareschi–Gassman is named after her.

Leonilde “Nilde” Iotti was a key figure in shaping republican Italy and advancing civil rights.

She fought in the Resistance and was one of the Republic’s founding voices. From 1979 to 1992, she became the first woman to lead the Chamber of Deputies.

Iotti helped draft the Constitution and fought for universal suffrage. 

She was a strong defender of women’s rights and backed important reforms like divorce and abortion. Iotti also served as a Member of the European Parliament and as Vice-President of the Council of Europe.

Her legacy continues through the Nilde Iotti Foundation, dedicated to promoting social justice.

- The Chamber of Deputies' library is named after her in recognition of Iotti's pivotal role in Italian politics. It is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM–7:30 PM.

Miuccia Prada is one of Italy’s most influential women today and a leading figure in contemporary fashion worldwide.

Born in Milan in 1948, she turned her grandfather’s family business into a luxury empire.

Her innovative approach created an intellectual, unconventional style that changed how we think about luxury.

Beyond fashion, Miuccia Prada founded Fondazione Prada, a cultural institution focused on contemporary art and interdisciplinary research. Its main location is in Largo Isarco, Milan, with another branch at Ca’ Corner della Regina in Venice.

- Fondazione Prada is open daily except Tuesdays, roughly 10:00 AM–7:00 PM.

Margherita Hack was an Italian astrophysicist, academic, popularizer of science and activist. 

An autonomous and independent soul, she dedicated all her life to nuclear research and the fight for civil rights.

Her free-thinking is still an inspiration to Italian women of all ages.

Hack had a special bond with Trieste: she arrived there in 1964 to teach astronomy at the university and never left. It was here that she became the first Italian woman to head an astronomical observatory. 

- A multimedia room at the MUSE – Science Museum of Trento is dedicated to Margherita Hack. The museum is open daily from Tuesday to Sunday. 

Among the Italian women in history, Lucrezia Borgia stands out as an almost legendary figure.

Daughter of Pope Alexander VI, sister of the famous Duke Valentino, she went down in history for her beauty and her many loves, but her ability in the political sphere is not to be forgotten. 

She administered and led the duchy of Ferrara with determination surrounding herself with poets and humanists such as Ludovico Ariosto, Pietro Bembo, Gian Giorgio Trissino and Ercole Strozzi.

Key sites in Ferrara to explore her legacy include:

- Castello Estense (Castle of San Michele) – The ducal residence where Lucrezia lived with her husband, Alfonso I d’Este.

- Casa Romei – A historic palace where she would retreat for meditation and prayer.

- Monastero del Corpus Domini – The convent in Ferrara where Lucrezia Borgia is buried.

- Palazzo Schifanoia – Featuring frescoes and collections linked to the Este court.

The Milanese astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is one of the Italian women who has captured the world’s attention in recent years.

She was the first Italian woman in space, flying to the International Space Station on the Futura mission in 2014–2015, and the first European to command the ISS in 2022. 

An aerospace engineer, military pilot, and polyglot, she is inspiring new generations of girls to dream big and look beyond Earth’s boundaries.

- For those interested in the history of space exploration, a recommended stop is the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, open daily except Mondays.