First edition of the Rhymes and Letters of the Lombard poet. Veronica Gambara (Pralboino, 1485 – Correggio, 1550), Countess and Regent of Correggio, was among the most eminent female figures of the Italian Renaissance. A woman of vast culture, poet, and patron, she transformed her court into a refined political and literary center, frequented by humanists and prominent artists. A skilled diplomat, she maintained the autonomy of her fiefdom through a shrewd balance of alliances and political strategies, earning the esteem of Charles V. Her rhymes, with their clear Petrarchan elegance, earned her a place of honor among the leading voices of female poetry of the sixteenth century.