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It was 1855, immediately after the Crimean War, which saw the Kingdom of Sardinia among the victorious nations. The Congress of Paris was approaching, and an ally had to be found to present the Italian cause. Who better than the French emperor, who had lived in exile in Italy as a young man?

Then began what would become a veritable encirclement on all fronts. Among the strategies implemented, one was seducing the emperor. Cavour remembered his distant cousin, Virginia Oldoini, considered one of the most fascinating women of the period. Thanks to his connections, he managed to introduce her and her husband to the most exclusive circles of Parisian society of the time. It was there that her destiny became intertwined with the emperor's. Indeed, the timing of the emperor's relationship with the countess coincided with Napoleon III's first sympathies for Piedmont.

Virginia was Countess of Castiglione and the daughter of the Marquis Rapallini, first deputy of La Spezia in the Turin Parliament. She had a lively life, with so many illustrious lovers that, upon her death, her archives were stolen: it was feared that compromising documents on Piedmontese political intrigues during the Risorgimento were hidden there.

She was only 18 years old and had been married for two years. Her debut in Parisian society took place at a ball at the Tuileries, the historic residence of the French monarchs. It is said that "she arrived half-naked, like an ancient goddess." There's no shortage of explicit advice: "Become blonde, very blonde because blondes are popular," Nigra wrote.

Finally, the testimony of the Marquise Tisey-Chatenoy, to whom Virginia had evidently recounted one of her nights with the emperor: "The emperor who offered himself to my gaze seemed a mere mortal. […] It took only half an hour to make me an empress."

Although Cavour considered her frivolous and unreliable, it's clear that Virginia exerted some influence on the emperor. Thanks in part to this, it was easier for Cavour to present the Italian cause to him and gain his sympathy.