Corso Vittoria Colonna, Ischia Potro

From Piazzetta San Girolamo, I continued on to Corso Vittoria Colonna. The street bears the name of a famous Renaissance poetess, whose fate is closely connected with the island of Ischia. Vittoria was born in 1490 (92) in the family of the Grand Constable (the highest military position) At the age of four, she was betrothed to Ferrante D'Avalos, the son of an Aragonese military commander and governor of the island of Ischia. Since then, Vittoria was raised in the Avalos family and lived in an Aragonese castle, where she studied Latin, the history of Italian literature, and began writing poetry.

On December 27, 1509, Vittoria and Ferrante, who had come of age, were married in the church of San Giloramo, which I described in the previous article. In 1511, Ferrante entered the military service, where he made a brilliant career. d'Avalos became famous as a brave warrior and talented military leader in the Italian wars, eventually dying of his wounds after defeating the French at the battles of Bicocca and Pavia in 1525.

Vittoria remained faithful to her husband until her death, having moved to Rome, engaged in social and literary activities, and was the central figure of the Spirituali circle, consisting of literary and enlightened religious figures, also known as the"Italian reformers". In 1936, Vittoria met the great Michelangelo, who experienced a passionate love for her, which was, however, platonic. Vittoria died in 1546 in the presence of the artist.

Most of the street is an endless chain of boutiques and restaurants - this is the shopping and gastronomic center of Ischia Porto.

The development of the street is mostly modern, but here you can see several beautiful mansions with arches and openwork wrought-iron gates.

At the end of the street is the small church of Santa Maria Addolorato with an elegant neoclassical facade.