4 days ago

Prima Belladonna (Part 2: Gironima Spana) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 150]

Poison artisans Giulia Tofana and Gironima Spana took all the power held hostage in their time by men and placed it in the hands of women. Join us as we go deep into the rise and fall of the world’s most infamous poison and sought after skin care line: Aqua Tofana.

Last week we told Guilia's story and this week we tell Gironima's. Gironima Spana was a savvy business woman who took the recipe for Aqua Tofana and created an empire run by women for women. Empires however, have a tendency to fall. In its own time the Spana Prosecution as it came to be known was a sensational, news worthy event, but after the pope locked away all the documents from the trial, the true story of the women poisoners of Rome disappeared and all that remained was a half baked legend. Thankfully the documents resurfaced over 200 years later and they revealed a nuanced, intelligent and incredibly dramatic tale that we cannot wait to share with you.

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*The Black Widows of the Eternal City: The True Story of Rome's Most Infamous Prisoners

A famous and incredibly thorough article by Mike Dash

*Affiliated link