Education

She devoted herself to study from an early age. She learned the art of rhetoric from Gennaro Rossi and it seems that at fourteen she knew Latin and appreciated classical authors. She was taught philosophy and geometry by Torre Somasco and Don Vito Cazaviello.

Her passions were however algebra and physics. Claudia Gentile explains that, "giovanissima, tenne una tesi sull’elettricità, in latino, e fece esperimenti con la macchina elettrica, durante un incontro dei più illustri letterati napoletani" [ very young still,  she defended a thesis on electricity, in Latin, and experimented with the electric machine, during a meeting of the most illustrious Neapolitan writers] (Gentile, 2008: 44)

Career

She was part of the circle of the prince of Tarsia founded in 1747. The fame of this Neapolitan intellectual circle put her in contact with many European scientists, especially French intellectuals.
She corresponded with authoritative scientists of her time such as the mathematician and astronomer Alexis Claude Clairaut and the physicist Jean-Antoine Nollet.

Financial Situation

It seems her marriage relieved her of economic difficulties. As Gentile suggests, even after her marriage she lived in a simple and frugal manner. 

After the death of her husband, her economic situation became once more difficult. Until her death in 1828 she benefited from a subsidy granted by Queen Maria Carolina.