Giovanni della Casa

Giovanni della Casa
Portrait of Giovanni della Casa by Jacopo Pontormo
Born	28 June 1503 Florence or Borgo San Lorenzo
Died	14 November 1556(1556-11-14) (aged 53) Rome
Occupation	poet, author, Bishop of Benevento, diplomat, inquisitor
Nationality	Tuscan
Literary movement	Mannerism

Giovanni della Casa (28 June 1503 – 14 November 1556) was an Italian poet, diplomat, clergyman and inquisitor, and writer on etiquette and society. He is celebrated for his famous treatise on polite behavior, Il Galateo overo de’ costumi (1558). From the time of its publication, this courtesy book has enjoyed enormous success and influence. In the eighteenth century, influential critic Giuseppe Baretti wrote in The Italian Library (1757), "The little treatise is looked upon by many Italians as the most elegant thing, as to stile, that we have in our language."^[1]