There were many beautiful models that posed for artists during 19th century Italy, but none of their beauty could compare with that of the illustrious Apollonia Boitano. As a young lady, she was branded as Venus incarnate (but her husband, Giuseppe, gave her the pet-name Apple-Pie). As an elderly woman, Apollonia reminisces about the days of her youth. This sometimes becomes a problem as it causes her to shudder at the idea of old age. She does not like to be reminded of her actual age, but finds delight in living under the delusion that she's still that young model. It isn't until she goes to undress for her bath and glances in the mirror that she realizes that she's an old woman. She also has a habit of driving her family members crazy with this issue, particularly her sister-in-law, Maria Boitano.

Apollonia was born Apollonia Biance Brunelleschi in Rome, Italy. Her name is the feminine variation of Apollo, the Greek god of music. She was given the name Apollonia because her mother saw in her face a beauty so divine and worthy of immortals that Apollo would compose a song about her. Apollonia's father made instruments (mainly harps and lyres) and her mother was a milliner and seamstress. Her parents were underpaid, as they were bats in a mouse-dominated society, and often struggled to make ends meet. The young Apollonia wanted to find a way to help her family earn the credit that she felt they deserved. It all started when her mother dressed Apollonia for First Communion in one of her own hand-made dresses. For a while, Apollonia gazed in the mirror and made-believe that she was dancing, playing a lyre that her father made for her on her tenth birthday. Apollonia noticed how beautiful she was and took great pride in it. She saw this as an advantage and wondered how she could find a job that wouldn't let her beauty go to waste. When she reached fifteen, she caught the eye of a painter who was visiting Rome with his father and looking for a model to portray Venus for his paintings. This painter was none other than a young Gabriel Rossetti, a born-and-bred British painter of Italian descent. When asked to pose for him, Apollonia accepted without hesitation. She was dressed in a peplos gown, reclined on a canopy bed, and held an apple in her left hand, making it look as if she was about to eat it. Rosetti's painting captured Apollonia beautifully, from her face and reddish-brown ringlets down to her voluptuous legs. Fortunately for her, Rossetti's painting of Apollonia did not go unnoticed by the townsfolk. Many of the townsfolk who saw her picture were astonished by her unique beauty, as it was considered indicative of the goddess of love herself (and this was how she earned her title, The Venus Incarnate). From that moment, Rossetti realized that he had found his model and Apollonia found herself a profession that put her beauty to good use.

Apollonia's newfound profession not only earned her enough money to help out her parents, but also marked the beginning of her womanhood and adulthood. Rossetti depicted her in many Venus portrayals, although she was also depicted as the Greek muse, Nike (The Winged Victory), and Callisto. She became good friends with Rossetti and joined him in his travels. Eventually, their travels led to Sicily, where Apollonia met Giuseppe Boitano. But Apollonia did not plan on falling in love with her newfound bat friend. But when she decided that she wanted to remain with Giuseppe, she parted with Rosetti, bidding him a fond farewell. Giuseppe and Apollonia married and had four children. Through her husband, Apollonia met the Opera singer, Maria Boitano (who was still married to Lucio Boitano at the time) and her only son, Rudolfo (who eventually got his name changed to Rupert). It didn't take long before Apollonia became part of the family. Unfortunately, problems with Lucio in combination with the growing threat of the Sicilian mob, caused Apollonia and the rest of the family to flee Italy for good. Eventually, the Boitano family ended up in Liverpool, England.

After her children were grown up, Apollonia searched for any English painters who were in need of a model. Her luck did not come as easily to her as it did with Rossetti. In fact, many of townsfolk were appalled at the idea of a bat acting as a model and branded the concept as immoral. This came as a great shock to Apollonia, making her realize the hard way that not everyone would praise her beauty. She was on the verge of giving up until she encountered her long-time friend, Rossetti, once again (who had remained in Liverpool since his departure with Apollonia). She began modeling for Rossetti once again. Although the paintings were not as successful in England as they were in Italy, Apollonia still earned enough money to support herself and her family. She continued to model until she turned sixty-five, the same time her friend, Rosetti, passed away. Apollonia never modeled again.

Even though Apollonia no longer models due to her age (which she sometimes doesn't want to admit to), she still envisions herself as The Venus Incarnate she once was. This kind of belief is what is considered an annoyance, even to that of her great-nephew, Fidget. Despite this fault, Apollonia is not a greedy woman who would keep all the money to herself. She is a family woman like anyone else and her husband, Giuseppe, is one who always remembers that.

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