Did a female serial poisoner kill hundreds of men in Renaissance Italy?

Did a female serial poisoner kill hundreds of men in Renaissance Italy?

Did a female serial poisoner kill hundreds of men in Renaissance Italy? 9 Minutes Read 1964 Words EN Premium HISTORY & CULTURE For centuries, Giulia Tofana was remembered as a notorious serial poisoner who helped wives murder their husbands. Newly examined historical records tell a far more complicated story. Giovanni Martinelli's Death Comes to the Banquet Table (1635) depicts Death interrupting a meal. During the same period, the legendary poison Aqua Tofana was said to be secretly administered in food and drink throughout Italy. Fine Art Images/Bridgeman Images By Erin Zaleski Published July 10, 2026 For some men in 17th-century Italy, death arrived stealthily. What would begin as a vague sense of malaise would steadily worsen over the course of days or weeks. Stomach pains, vomiting, fever, and extreme thirst were common symptoms of the mystery illness that doctors struggled to explain. What was certain, however, was that it was always fatal.  According to legend, the culprit was a poi…