Isotta Nogarola - Later Life

Later Life

Much of her work is detailed in letters to her peers She continued to receive criticism, which reached a new high when she was accused of being extremely promiscuous, evidence that was sourced in the opinion that a smart woman was never a virgin. Tired of Verona's rejection, she moved to Venice in 1439, a trade city and a major port, filled with fine people and many cathedrals and palaces. She increased her studies and grew hungrier for knowledge, and became more well-known, but she was still labeled as an intelligent woman instead of just intelligent. Her stay in Venice was short, and she moved back to Verona to live with her brother and his family. She lived in celibacy and solitude, becoming devoutly religious, choosing instead to submerge herself in God and the Bible rather than humanism. This was seen as a more suitable occupation for a woman. She had infrequent visitors, as well as her family, and some correspondence with other intellectuals, particularly Ludovico Foscarini, a Venetian politician. The two would debate over philosophical questions, most famously over whose sin was greater: Adam's or Eve's. He visited her home often, participating in discussions with other Nogarola family members, and their relationship was never romantic. She received a wedding proposal in 1453, but on the advice of Foscarini, she declined. She embraced a life of celibacy, while investing in knowledge till, gradually her health began to fail. She died in 1466, aged 48.