Emilia Morosini

Emilia Morosini Zeltner (16 July 1804 – 11 July 1875) was a Swiss cultural patron and patriot who supported the Risorgimento movement. She was the caretaker of Tadeusz Kościuszko's heart, a relic entrusted to her family. At her residence, Villa Negroni in Vezia, she hosted a cultural salon that welcomed Italian patriots, political exiles, and prominent artists. In 1819, she married Giovanni Battista Morosini (1782–1874) and relocated to Vezia, Canton of Ticino, settling at Villa Negroni. Emilia and Giovanni had six children: a son, Emilio, and daughters Giuseppina, Carolina, Luigia, Annetta, and Cristina.

Role in the Risorgimento Emilia and her family were deeply involved in the Risorgimento movement. During the Five Days of Milan (18–22 March 1848), an uprising against Austrian rule, she hosted members of the Provisional Government of Lombardy at Villa Negroni. Alongside her daughters, Emilia provided aid to the wounded, supplied provisions to the military, and raised funds for the insurgents. He was severely wounded on 29 June 1849 during battles on the Janiculum Hill near Porta San Pancrazio, fighting alongside Luciano Manara (who died on 30 June 1849), and succumbed to his injuries on 1 July 1849, becoming a martyr for Italian independence.

Villa Negroni mausoleum

In the Villa Negroni mausoleum, alongside Kościuszko's heart, Emilia interred her son Emilio, as well as other young fighters for Italian independence, including Enrico Dandolo and Luciano Manara.

Death Emilia Morosini Zeltner died on 11 July 1875 at Villa Negroni in Vezia, aged 70.