Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (died 1798)

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was an Italian adventurer and writer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and published posthumously as Histoire de ma vie. That work has come to be regarded as a unique and provocative source of information on the customs and norms of European social life in the 18th century.