Bust of Statilia Messalina
The Messalina most famous in history is certainly Valeria, much talked about wife of the Emperor Claudius , which has become over the centuries (there is no doubt whether rightly or wrongly) the very symbol of lust more unbridled.
The less known Statilia Messalina (About 35-65 AD) was instead the last wife of Nero, woman about whom very little is actually known, apart from the fact that she was gifted with a rather shrewd personality, similar to that of Poppea , married by the fickle emperor earlier.
And in fact, after being Nero's lover, the woman married him only a few months after Poppea's death (for Messalina it was the fifth marriage).
Described by the sources as beautiful and sensual, but also cultured and refined, Statilia Messalina was close to her husband in Greece and in her heyday, but as soon as she sensed the near end, she skilfully slipped away and did not even participate in his ceremony of burial.
There is not much other information on the existence of this smart lady, however we know for sure that Othone of her, Nero's successor, he asked her to be his wife, receiving a sharp refusal from her.