Love That Moves the Sun : Vittoria Colonna and Michelangelo Buonarroti

The brilliant poet, Vittoria Colonna, whose longing is buried beneath her grief, ignites the spirit of the artist Michelangelo and challenges him with both the profound terror and fierce beauty of love. To her father, the warrior Fabrizio Colonna, she was the daughter whose marriage sealed a political alliance. To Costanza D?Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla, she was the young girl Costanza educated to be a woman molded after herself?independent, curious and passionate. To her husband, Ferrante D?Avalos, she was the woman who adored him and whom he betrayed. To the literary aristocracy in Italy, she was the most accomplished and most famous poet of her age. To four popes and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire , she was a voice of wisdom and influence to whom they turned in times of conflict. To the community of reformers within the Church, she was a powerful force?and the only woman?giving voice to their fervent message. To the Italian Inquisition, she was a suspected heretic. But to Michelangelo, she was the only woman he ever loved.