The Beauty of Women - The Beauty of Women

Elegant, cultured, restless. Vittoria Aganoor Pompilj was one of the most refined poetic voices in Italian literature between the 19th and 20th centuries, yet today her name echoes only across the calm waters of Lake Trasimeno, where she spent the happiest years of her life.

Raised in a cultured and privileged environment, she had a timeless and unconventional sensibility. But it was love that changed her destiny forever. In 1901, she married Guido Pompilj, Umbrian deputy and tireless advocate for Lake Trasimeno, and moved to the villa in Monte del Lago, Magione.

But life, like poetry, can be cruel. Struck by an incurable illness, Vittoria died on 7 May 1910. A few hours later, her husband took his own life with a pistol shot, sealing with a tragic gesture a love that still lingers on the shores of the lake.

Forgotten by history, but not by her land, Vittoria Aganoor Pompilj continues to live on through her poetry and the suspended atmosphere of Lake Trasimeno, where her voice still seems to echo among the gentle waves and endless sunsets.

In ancient times, cosmetics evolved from ritual practices to symbols of beauty and seduction. Among the most precious accessories, perfume became a coveted luxury, stored in refined unguentaria made of ceramic, alabaster or glass.

Used by Greeks, Romans and Etruscans, these small vessels contained scented oils based on olive or almond oil, enriched with exotic essences. Unguentaria were true status symbols, indispensable in a woman’s “cista” alongside combs, mirrors and jewellery.

Ovid, in his Ars Amatoria, emphasised the importance of a good fragrance. Today, these elegant artefacts, once objects of desire, are exhibited in Umbrian museums, such as Orvieto's Archaeological Museum, standing as silent witnesses to a timeless art of seduction.

Lombard women's clothing is little documented, but some clues reveal fascinating details. The daughters of Romilda, widow of Gisulphus, to protect their chastity hid pieces of flesh between the bands wrapped around their chests, suggesting the use of an early form of bra. It is also speculated that linen undershirts and leg bands were common, while high-ranking women wore precious robes with gold brocade.

More evidence comes from the jewellery: Lombard women displayed two pairs of fibulae, one to fasten their cloak and another on their belt. Among the artefacts from the necropolis of Nocera Umbra (6th-7th century), some of which are on display in the National Museum of the Duchy of Spoleto, stand out the gold “S”-shaped fibulae with hard stone and glass paste inlays, depicting a stylised two-headed animal, and the silver arched fibulae, finely decorated with abstract zoomorphic motifs.

Women have always been a symbol of beauty and fertility, an archetype rooted in prehistory. The small Palaeolithic ‘Venuses’, scattered across Europe, display generous forms, with ample breasts, pronounced hips and rounded buttocks, evoking fertility worship.

Umbria boasts its own icon: the Venus of Trasimeno, a tiny brown steatite sculpture, just 4 centimetres tall, discovered in the late 19th century near the lake. Its appearance is enigmatic: headless, armless and legless, it carries a mysterious allure that has puzzled scholars. Although there is no certainty about its original interpretation, its style is reminiscent of the famous Venus of Willendorf.

Today, a replica is on display at the Museo della Pesca e del Lago Trasimeno (Fishing and Lake Trasimeno Museum) in San Feliciano, while the original is kept at the Museo Pigorini in Rome.

Sophisticated, ethereal, regal. The Empire style, born between the late 18th and early 19th century under the influence of the Napoleonic regime, marked a revolution in women's fashion, abandoning the rigid structures of the 18th century in favour of new, refined lightness.

Inspired by the classical elegance of ancient Greece, the dresses were characterised by clean, vertical lines, with deep necklines, high waists defined by ribbons under the bust and balloon sleeves. The fabrics? Sheer and flowing, such as cotton muslin, silk and tulle, which caress the body with grace and sensuality.

The Empire style became the symbol of a new femininity made iconic by Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's enchanting wife. A magnificent example of this timeless taste is the dress worn by Alexandrine Bonaparte, the Emperor's sister-in-law, housed at the Museum of Textile and Costume of Spoleto. A piece that tells not only of fashion, but of the power and seduction of a bygone era.

In the shadowy staircase of Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, a bold fresco captures the eye: a young maiden, wrapped in an aura of mystery and power, rides gracefully on the back of a man, bridled like a steed. This scene, charged with symbolism and provocation, seems to whisper secrets of an intriguing past.

Her face, painted with near-photographic precision, contrasts with the faded female figures in the surrounding lunettes, leading scholars to wonder about her identity: could she be the legendary “sora Laura”, Alessandro Vitelli’s fatal lover, whose ghost is said to roam the halls of the palace? Or perhaps Angela Rossi, a formidable woman and undisputed protagonist of the family history?

Historian Vittorio Corbucci offers a fascinating theory: the eternal femininity depicted here might be a tribute to the indomitable strength of Angela, who did not hesitate to challenge even a prelate by pushing him down the stairs