Olimpia Savio (22 July 1815 – 2 November 1889) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

salon-holder and writer. She was considered one of the most influential women in Turin and was later recognised internationally as a patriotic mother who lost her children to an Italian nationalist cause.

Biography

Savio was born Olimpia Rossi in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

to the

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

n nobleman Giovan Battista Rossi and his wife the

Biellese The Biellese is a breed of large domestic sheep indigenous to the province of Biella, in Piedmont in north-western Italy, from which it takes its name. It may also be known as the Razza d'Ivrea, after the town of Ivrea, or as the Piemontese ...

Joséphine Ferrero. Her father was the director of the Royal College of the Provinces of Turin and her mother was considered among the smartest women of her time. She was educated by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and was a debutant in 1830, at a festival for Princess

Maria Cristina of Savoy Maria Cristina of Savoy (Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppa Gaetana Efisia; 14 November 1812 – 21 January 1836) was the first Queen consort of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. She died as a result of childbirth. She is venerated in the Catholic ...

. She married the lawyer Andrea Savio with whom she had four children, Alfredo, Emilio, Federico and Adele. She was Baroness di Bernstiel. Savio hosted salons in Turin during the 19th century and wrote her memoirs leaving a portrait of her visitors and guests. The period was a turbulent time in the region and Savio left a detailed description of major events. She worked with newspapers and magazines including the "Gazzetta Piemontese", "Le Scintille", "Rivista Contemporanea" and "La Donna e la Famiglia". Savio attended the inauguration of the Turin-Genoa railway in 1854 and the inauguration of the Frejus Tunnel of 1871. Savio wrote poetry and was considered a nationalist and patriotic poet. Her son, Alfredo, was killed during the siege of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

in 1860. In 1861 at the siege of Gaeta her son Emilio was killed. Savio became the personification of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

of the Italian crown and cause.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...

wrote a poem, ''Mother and Poet'', in honour and memory of her loss. Savio died in

and was buried in the Monumental Cemetery of Turin. She is remembered by a road in Mirandola, a province of Modena, Italy which is called the Via Olimpia Rossi Savio.

Bibliography

*La rassegnazione : statua in marmo del signor Vincenzo Vela di Milano, 1856 *Memorie della Baronessa Olimpia Savio, 1911

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savio, Olimpia 1815 births 1889 deaths Writers from Turin Italian salon-holders Nobility from Turin 19th-century Italian women writers