Maria Spezia-Aldighieri

Maria Spezia-Aldighieri (1828–1907) was an Italian operatic soprano who had an active international career from 1849 up into the 1870s. She excelled in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly admired for her portrayals in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice in 1854 is credited with popularizing the opera after it had initially flopped at its premiere in 1853. She was married to baritone Gottardo Aldighieri and is the great grandmother of singer George Aaron.

Born Maria Spezia in Villafranca di Verona, Spezia-Aldighieri studied singing with Domenico Foroni in Verona. She made her professional opera debut at the Teatro Filarmonico in 1849 in the title role of Vincenzo Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda. She returned there soon after in the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti's Maria Padilla and Verdi's Attila. In 1852–1853 she was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She then spent the next two decades performing in the leading opera houses in Italy, including the Teatro di San Carlo, the Teatro Regio di Turino, the Teatro Costanzi, the Teatro Apollo, the Teatro alla Canobbiana, and La Fenice. She also performed at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

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