Clio Maria Bittoni (10 November 1934 – 10 September 2024) was an Italian lawyer who specialised in labour law. She was the widow of

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; 29 June 1925 – 22 September 2023) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first to be re-elected to the office. In office for 8 years and 244 days, he was the longest-serving pre ...

, who was the

President of Italy The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Politics of Italy, Italian politics comply with the Consti ...

from 2006 until 2015.

Early life and education

Clio Maria Bittoni was born in Chiaravalle,

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, on 10 November 1934. Her parents were Diva Campanella, a socialist militant, and Amleto Bittoni. She received a degree in law from the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

in 1958. Bittoni met her future husband in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

while attending the university. Following her graduation, they married in 1959 in a civil ceremony in Campidoglio, and settled in Rome. They have two sons: Giovanni (born 1961) and Giulio (born 1969). Bittoni worked as a lawyer for the League of Cooperatives, specializing in labor law and in the application of the fair rent law in agriculture, until 1992 when Giorgio Napolitano was elected as president of the Chamber of Deputies. Bittoni left the practice of law claiming that “because it seemed inappropriate for me to stay, since my counterparts were the parliamentary committees, the presidency of the Council and other institutional bodies”.

Companion of the President of Italy (2006–2015)

Her husband was elected

in 2006, and Bettoni was seen to be permanently at her husband's side as an essential support. Bettoni was not very attentive to protocol and had often been seen close to and among the citizens. In 2012 she lined up to visit an exhibition of pictures by

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

held at the Quirinale, without bodyguards, and upon being recognized she insisted on buying her ticket. During the ten years of Napolitano's presidency, Bettoni was involved in the defence of women and often wrote letters that were later published in the newspapers. In June 2007 she was hit by a car while crossing the ''Via del

Quirinale The Quirinal Palace ( ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the main official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporziano, an estate on the outskirts of Rome, som ...

'', which caused her a serious fracture. After Napolitano's presidency, the couple moved into the family home in Monti and were often seen by neighbours without any escort. Bittoni died on 10 September 2024, only two months before her 90th birthday.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bittoni, Clio Maria 1934 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Italian women lawyers 20th-century Italian lawyers 21st-century Italian women lawyers 21st-century Italian lawyers People from Ancona Spouses of presidents of Italy University of Naples Federico II alumni