She was a soprano, (her real name was Clelia Maria Josepha), born in Lodi in 1815 and died at Saint Agata di Busseto in 1897. She belonged to a family of musicians, studied at the conservatory of Milan and in 1834 began her career at a concert in Lodi. Immediately afterwards she also became successful in the theatrical field and completed her first tournée in Vienna in 1835 facing successfully four years later, the Scala's stage.

But her bad health and strains from an intense and disordered life allowed her only a short career. Her fame remained tied to, above all, that of being second wife to Giuseppe Verdi; Giuseppina Strepponi lived with the great composer from 1848 to 1859, the year in which they got married. Gifted with unusual talent and sensibility, she was the intelligent interpreter of some of the works of the 'maestro' of Roncole; which were "Nabucco" when it was first shown in 1842, "Ernani" in 1844, etc. Her correspondence is of extreme importance for the Verdian biography, which has been published in great quantity.