On 22 August 1409 she married Gianfrancesco Gonzaga, leader of Mantua, in Pesaro.

This union introduced the genetic disease of kyphosis to the Gonzaga family which showed in subsequent generations.

[1][3] She was known as a pious, dignified[1] and keen woman and played a significant role in the Gonzaga court.

Paola greatly influenced Mantuan culture by encouraging her husband to bring Vittorino da Feltre to Mantua to tutor their children.

[1] At the request of Bernardino da Siena, who visited her in 1418,[4] she built the Church of Saint Paola with an adjoining convent in Mantua around 1420 for the Franciscan Poor Clare Nuns.