Not much is known or can be corroborated about Giulia Tofana, but she is thought to have been born in 1620 in Palermo, Italy, and either developed, or received from her mother, the recipe for the now famous poison, Aqua Tofana, which she marketed and sold as a cosmetic and devotionary object in vials dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It was made of arsenic, lead, and belladonna, and was both colorless and tasteless and thus easily added to wine or soup.
According to sources, Giulia’s mother was executed for poisoning her husband, and Giulia continued the tradition, helping more than 600 women murder their often violent and abusive husbands in a 50-year period. It’s important to remember that in these times, women were literally the property of their husbands, without rights or protection, and were, more often than not, raped and beaten throughout their lives.
Her downfall came when a client got cold feet and admitted her failed ploy to her husband. At first Giulia was protected, loved as she was by her clients, and fled to a church in hiding. But eventually the Roman police forced their way in, tortured her, and executed her. That’s why much of the information around Giulia is considered unsubstantiated—because she admitted many things, including the number of victims, under duress, ie, while being tortured. Her daughter, who helped her, was also executed.
What we do know is that poison was extremely popular during these times and was known as a quick and reliable way to kill someone. Giulia was certainly not the only person making and selling poison during these times, but she was surely one of the only ones dedicated to helping women who were in awful situations. And for that we remember her name.
Note: There is no known portrait of Giulia, but this image by artist Evelyn de Morgan, called “Love Potion”, is thought to illustrate her story.