Who is Fiammeta (the elder's) mother from In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel and what is their importance?

Fiammetta Bianchini is the novel's main character. She is described as a young, seemingly independent, woman, who lives in a rich house in Rome. She was brought to Rome by her mother when she was sixteen-years-old, where her mother auctioned off her virginity to the highest bidder.

Afterward, Fiammeta became a high-class courtesan, who manipulates numerous situations to her own advantage and will do most anything to insure her own safety. Fiammetta later travels to Venice and becomes one of the most known courtesans of the region.