On a day in late October 1562, the muleteer Pasquino di Giovanni, called Bistocco, knocked on the door of a poor house in his hometown of Casteldurante. Pasquino had just arrived from Rome, having made the trip in just under a week thanks to the clear cool weather and the excellent road. In recent years, Pasquino had become the most trusted letter carrier of that very famous man, Michelangelo, who seemed remarkably attached to this provincial town, although he himself had never visited. Pasquino was well paid for his loyal service, and today he was especially pleased to be the bearer of good tidings.

Maddalena answered the door with a naked infant in her arms. Two other children, shabbily dressed and without shoes, peered from the dark, spare interior. Pasquino greeted Maddalena and delivered his message and three large gold coins sent by Michelangelo. The sympathetic artist had heard about Maddalena's unfortunate situation – three small children under age five and a husband mortally ill. Even healthy, the woman's husband could scarcely earn between fifteen and twenty scudi a year; without him, the family would likely starve. Before Pasquino returned to Rome the next week, Maddalena wrote an emotional letter thanking Michelangelo and Jesus Christ a hundred thousand times for “this help which was sent from heaven.”

“FOR THE WELFARE OF MY SOUL”

As Michelangelo grew older, he became notably more charitable, in both word and deed.