Rita begged her parents to let her go to a convent, but was instead arranged to be married to a cruel man named Paolo Mancini. Rita became a wife and mother at only twelve years old and her husband was a man of violent temper. In anger, he often mistreated Rita verbally and physically. He had affairs and many enemies, but Rita's influence over him eventually led him to be a better man. He stopped his feud between the Mancinis and Chiquis. Unfortunately, the feud between the Mancini and Cascia family grew bigger and one of Paolo's allies betrayed and killed him. Afterwards Rita forgave the murderers and also had a public pardon, but Paolo's brother, Bernardo, was still angry and encouraged Rita's two sons, Giovanni Antonio and Paulo Maria,
