It seems that at his time, Simonetta Vespucci, born Cattaneo, was so beautiful and fascinating as to be nicknamed “the without comparison”.
Born in Genoa or Portovenere perhaps in 1453, fifteen years old married the same age Marco, a distant cousin of the most famous Navigator Amerigo Vespucci, and come in Florence while the power of the lordship was in the hands of the family of the Medici. Although Giuliano de ‘Medici, Lorenzo’s younger brother, was already struck by his beauty and seems to be already married and it seems that after his premature death, Giuliano no longer loved any other woman.
Sandro Botticelli, one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance, was so fascinated, almost obsessed with his beauty that he chose it as his muse and painted it in many works that have become immortal masterpieces of art such as “spring” and the “birth of Venus” , where Simonetta is depicted as Venus emerging from the waters. Simonetta Vespucci died tragically of Tuberculosis in 1476, at just 23 years old, leaving a void in the hearts of those who had loved her.
To honor his memory and his beauty, Lorenzo the Magnificent wrote the famous sonnet “or Chiara Stella who with your rays / remove the lights on the nearby stars”. His blonde hair, his clear and magnetic eyes, his angelic features remain immortal thanks to the brush and the genius of Botticelli, and at the distance of centuries, they still continue to seduce and make him fall in love.
If you like this story you can come to take a free walking tour with us. We are running a Free Waking Tour of Florence that start from Santa Maria Novella square, our Florence Free Tour it is the original one where you will have the opportunity to discovers many secrets corner of the city and stories abut this beautiful town that was the cradle of Renaissance time. Our meeting point is in front of Minerva hotel next to the church, please book your free tour.
