Amata was born into a noble family in Assisi, Italy; her father was Don Martin di Cora and her mother Donna Penenda, Clare's oldest sister.
[1] Her parents wanted Amata to marry and as her hagiographer Agnes Dunbar states, she was "pleased with dress and worldly vanity".
[1] She entered religious life at San Damiano at Clare's admonition and exhortation, "with special zeal",[1] and remained there for 20 years.
[3] Amata suffered from chronic illness; she came down with dropsy and a bad cough for a year, combined with severe abdominal pain, a fever, and flu symptoms for thirteen months.
[1][2] Amata was one of those who was interviewed and testified during Clare's Process of Canonization, since she, along with four other members of the community, lived the longest with her at San Damiano.