[1] Monti graduated in natural sciences, after studying the nervous system of insects, from the University of Pavia in 1892, where she worked for a decade.

[2] By doing so, she renounced the high school teaching posts typically accepted by educated women of her time, choosing instead to continue her research at the university level.

[1] Beginning in 1891 Monti frequented the renowned neuro-histology laboratory of Camillo Golgi where she learned his pioneering microscopic techniques.

[1][2] Monti's first job was working for the University of Pavia's chair of mineralogy Francesco Sansoni; she published three papers on petrography in his journal.

[2][3][4] In Pavia, at the beginning of her career, Monti made a name for herself in the zoo-neuro-histological field, with new research on the nervous system of insects.

[1] Monti also documented the extinction of life in Lake Orta resulting from pollution caused by industrial waste, emphasizing the need to respect the ecological balance.

[1][2][3] Because of her initial findings, the study of limnology grew in Italy under the tutelage of her students, and since 1938 has been the subject of the Institute of Hydrobiology, founded in Pallanza.