Lidia Storoni Mazzolani (1911–2006)

Lidia Mazzolani Storoni was born in Rome. Her father Ulderico Mazzolani was a lawyer and member of Parliament. She attended the Ennio Quirino Visconti di Roma liceo. In 1931, she married Enzo Storoni, an anti-Fascist politician, with whom she had two daughters. She graduated with a degree in arts from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. She became an historian of the ancient Roman world, specializing in the Imperial era. Her best known work is probably Empire Without End (1976). She also wrote other nonfiction, including biographies and essays. She also translated Latin classical texts by writers such as Livy, Cicero and Tacitus, and modern works by authors such as Margaret Yourcenar into Italian. She also contributed articles to magazines and newspapers, including La Stampa, Il Giornale, and La Repubblica. Her interests extended to archaeology and she collaborated on the documentary film De immortalitate (1990), directed by Luigi Bazzani, about the ancient Etruscans and early Christians.