Since she was a child, EBB had fantasized about life in Italy. In fact, she wrote a long collection of stories (The English in Italy) in which she attempted to characterize the English abroad in Rome, Florence, and other Italian cities. Her favorite novel was Madam de Stael's Corinne , in which the heroine, like the heroine of Aurora Leigh , spends her childhood in Italy but must then move to another country in her adolescence. Her marriage to Robert Browning marked a realization of the childhood fantasy of Italy. After eloping, Robert and Elizabeth arrived in Pisa on September 19, 1846. They permanently settled in Casa Guidi in Florence in July of 1847 where they lived the rest of their married life, except for their occasional visits to England and France.

Painting of the inside of Casa Guidi, the Browning's home in Italy.

While in Florence, EBB wrote some of her best poetry, including two volumes of political poetry-- Casa Guidi Windows (1851) and Poems Before Congress(1860), and her masterpiece-- a "novel in verse" entitled Aurora Leigh (1856).

It was also in Italy that EBB became, quite miraculously, a mother at the age of 43. Having suffered two previous miscarriges, her third pregnancy was successful and she gave birth to Robert Wiedman Browning, called "Pen" (because he could not pronounce "Weidman" as a child) on March 9, 1849. Quite bluntly, Pen became the object of EBB's adoration, and she was attentive to every aspect of his upbringing. Most notable about her upbringing of Pen are the following two points:

Firstly, EBB did not allow Pen to learn Latin and Greek-- the normal rite of passage for any young English boy-- until he had first mastered the vernacular languages of English and Italian. Pen began his studies of Latin, French, German, arithmetic, and geography when he was eleven. That EBB celebrated the Italian language and was passionate about the people of her present day and surroundings is certain, as we can tell from her poetry and political views.

Secondly, EBB desired to keep him dressed in an effeminate style for most of his childhood. At age nine, he was still wearing lace collars and his hair down in long locks. While this outraged the Italians, it was a common practice to treat boys in this manner in Victorian England, though EBB did keep Pen in effeminate clothing longer than normal.

Left: A photograph of EBB with Pen
Right: A bust of Pen made when he was a child, now in the Armstrong Browning Library.

EBB and her father were never reconciled in life, and he returned her and Robert's many letters begging for reconciliation and forgiveness, unopened. Consequently, he never cared to meet Pen and when he died in April 1857, EBB took some brief comfort in hearing of a letter in which he had said that he had forgiven his married children and even prayed for the well-being of their families. (In her book Dared and Done, Julia Markus explores EBB's Creole background and how that may have played a role in her father's desire to end his family line because of his mixed blood. We do know that Edward Barrett Moulton's illegitimate first cousins had mixed blood. See bibliography for full reference.)

There is no existing photograph of EBB and Robert Browning together. Yet, we know that their love persisted until EBB's death in 1861 due to the worsening of her already frail health, for reasons still unknown. She died in Robert Browning's arms, with the promise of loving him better after death, if God choose.