In 1909 Duse retired from acting, and near to that same time she met and became involved in a lesbian affair with Italian feminist Lina Poletti, a former lover of writer Sibilla Aleramo.
Throughout the 20th century, Aleramo was mostly remembered for her tumultuous love affairs, with partners that included Umberto Boccioni and Dino Campana (The 2002 film Un Viaggio Chiamato Amore, by Michele Placido, depicts Aleramo's affair with the latter).