October 1845, caused by the disease given to her by Rossini. She died in the villa in Castenaso, given to her in her father's will. Marriage In 1815, while in Naples, Colbran met Rossini, where she quickly became his muse. He was contacted to write an opera by Domenico Barbaia about Queen Elizabeth of England, eventually writing the opera Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, specifically writing the main voice part for Colbran. After many years of dating, they wed on 16 March 1822 at the church of Beata Vergine del Pilar in Castenaso, near Bologna. After their marriage, Rossini took control of all her jobs, money, inherited land, and everything she owned, calling her his property in letters. The couple then traveled to Vienna and London to tour Rossini's operas. She was called his protectress by Rossini's close friends. When Colbran's father died in 1820, Rossini bought him a tomb for him on his family's cemetery plot, officially making it the Colbran-Rossini plot. While they had very successful careers working with each other, their marriage was not a very happy one. Rossini cheated on Colbran with many different women while he would tour after she retired as a singer. Rossini left her sometime between 1829 and 1837, some sources saying they were divorced in 1837. He courted many women during this time, eventually dating Olympe Pélissier in 1830. Rossini wrote many letters to his son, begging and pleading with his son to come visit his sick and dying wife, which is speculated to have never seen these letters with Pélisser hiding them during this time. Rossini continued to financially support Colbran until her death. When word got back to Rossini in August of 1845 how ill she truly was, he visited her, dropping everything he was currently doing. What was said in the room is not known, but he left the room with tears streaming down his face. He instructed those in charge of the villa where she was staying to do everything possible to meet her needs and wishes. People close to her said there was no doubt she loved him until her death. Her last words were Rossini's name. When she died, he paid for a marble statute-like headstone to be put up in her memory and buried her next to her father's tomb in his family's plot, with himself eventually being buried next to her. He quickly sold the