born into a modest family in apulia, in southern italy, scalera spent her youth in a convent. following the wishes of her family, she left the convent to be married, but was soon widowed with two children. she remarried the tuscan silvestro stellini, an official of prince agostino chigi, a nephew of pope alexander vii, and went to live in their palaces at ariccia and in rome. her poetic works qualified her to be received in the academy of arcadia on june 20, 1694, where she was named "aricia gnateatide".