Marietta Piccolomini was born Maria Teresa Violante Piccolomini Clementini in Siena, Italy on 5 March 1834.
She was descended from Italian  noble House of Piccolomini, and her parents were horrified at her wanting to pursue a career in opera, but she succeeded in persuading them to allow her to do so.

From the age of four years, Marietta had amused herself at playing at mock theatrical representations.
She used to sing duets with her mother, a skilful amateur, and she had been instructed by mezzosoprano Rosa Mazzarelli, and later trained with Pietro Romani (1791–1877), one of the first professional singing teachers in Italy.
It was under his guidance that she debuted at Florence's Teatro La Pergola in January 1752, taking the title role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and later also appearing in Crispino e la comare by Luigi and Federico Ricci.
In November 1752 she was engaged at Rome's Teatro Argentina, where she performed in Donizetti's Poliuto, Antonio Cagnoni’s Don Bucefalo and Verdi's I masnadieri and I Lombardi alla prima crociata.
In Pisa in 1853, she sang, among others, the title role in Luisa Miller, in Reggio Emilia, the same year, Leonora in Il trovatore, and in Turin, in 1855, Violetta in La Traviata, a role in which she became especially famous.
The response in Turin was a spectacle not seen before in the world of entertainment.
Throngs surrounded her  hotel.
Men tried to unharness the horses from her carriage so that they might draw it through the streets themselves but she would not permit this.
Marietta Piccolomini was born Maria Teresa Violante Piccolomini Clementini in Siena, Italy on 5 March 1834. She was descended from Italian  noble House of Piccolomini, and her parents were horrified at her wanting to pursue a career in opera, but she succeeded in persuading them to allow her to do so. 
From the age of four years, Marietta had amused herself at playing at mock theatrical representations. She used to sing duets with her mother, a skilful amateur, and she had been instructed by mezzosoprano Rosa Mazzarelli, and later trained with Pietro Romani (1791–1877), one of the first professional singing teachers in Italy. It was under his guidance that she debuted at Florence's Teatro La Pergola in January 1752, taking the title role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and later also appearing in Crispino e la comare by Luigi and Federico Ricci. In November 1752 she was engaged at Rome's Teatro Argentina, where she performed in Donizetti's Poliuto, Antonio Cagnoni’s Don Bucefalo and Verdi's I masnadieri and I Lombardi alla prima crociata. In Pisa in 1853, she sang, among others, the title role in Luisa Miller, in Reggio Emilia, the same year, Leonora in Il trovatore, and in Turin, in 1855, Violetta in La Traviata, a role in which she became especially famous. The response in Turin was a spectacle not seen before in the world of entertainment. Throngs surrounded her  hotel. Men tried to unharness the horses from her carriage so that they might draw it through the streets themselves but she would not permit this.
Marietta Piccolomini