Born at Colle d'Anchise, Lida Sallustio grew up in Rome and lived there until 1969 when she migrated to Australia with her husband and children. Coming from a line of well-known sculptors and ceramicists, her great-grandfather had been a sculptor in wood and ceramics for Capo di Monte and her grandfather and father had followed in his footsteps, Sallustio has continued the family tradition, starting the Southern Wind Ceramics factory in Adelaide and becoming widely known for her porcelain.

A patron of the arts, and herself gifted in many fields, she has written poetry and a number of unpublished fables for children.