Among her admirers, there were people such as the banker Filippo Strozzi, or aristocrats such as Ippolito de 'Medici. Yet despite all of that, she was always surrounded by a crowd of adoring men, who wrote sonnets in her praise, and were even ready to give up their own lives to save her honor. She had beautiful eyes, but also a long nose.

Her hair, despite being light-colored, was straight. She was tall, which for men at that time detracted from her attractiveness. They confirm, that she was not what one would call a classical Italian beauty – an early matured and well-built woman. There are no certain images of Tullia – however, we have access to some paintings, which may be her portraits. Her attractiveness was a result of the qualities of her intellect and her method of seduction, which worked wonders on either refined or youthful minds. Not everyone was pleased with this sort of manipulation, while the men who disliked Tullia were left seething as she did not offer charm, grace, submissiveness, and sweetness, but rather irony, jests, and eloquent conversation. How do we know? For example, from the texts of a certain Giovanni Battista Giraldi, who wrote with disgust about meetings at Tullia’s home, where guests danced as played the lute in exchange for a promise of corporeal pleasures which they were ultimately refused. She was adored no longer simply by the young but also by mature men, including intellectuals who succumbed to the woman's exceptional aura and her sarcastic sense of humor. It was not until Sacco di Roma (1527), meaning the months-long siege of the city, that her career truly took off. When she was sixteen years old, Tullia was already recognized as a courtesan, but the circle of her adorers was limited to youths. Another solution was going to the convent or getting married in exchange for an enormous dowry, as this was the only way to erase the blemish upon the honor of a man who was willing to marry the daughter of a courtesan. It seemed obvious that she would continue along her mother’s path. As time passed, with Giulia’s charms no longer what they once were, it was time to make a decision concerning the fate of young Tullia.

Several years later they returned to Rome and settled near the Tor Sanguigna maintaining a house with numerous servants. Giulia continued to be successful in Siena, while also sparing no money for the education of her daughter, who exhibited a lively mind since a very young age, along with an excellent memory and immaculate language with a Tuscan accent (especially valued among the elites). When in 1519, their patron died, both Tullia and her mother left Rome. She was his long-time partner and the mother of his daughter. It should then come as no surprise that the attractive courtesan won the heart of Cardinal Ludovic d’Aragon. Tullia’s mother, Giulia Campana from Ferrara, was considered an exceptional beauty.

Holy Week by Louis Aragon