H owever , his biography is not confined to just adventures involving love . The history of the Venetian Giacomo Casanova begins in 1725 . He was born into the family of comedians Gaetano Casanova and Zanetta Farussi . His mother was often traveling , so as a boy he was brought up by his grandmother . Giacomo received a very good education having enrolled at the University of Padua at the age of 12 . Five years later , the young man graduated as a lawyer . Later on , at the request of his mother , he continued his education in a seminary . In 1741 he became an abbot for his hometown church , San Samuel . Following a horrible drunken sermon , Giacomo almost lost his job . His friendship with Senator Malipiero avoided him getting severely punished for this misconduct . During the same period Casanova started to rack up victories in his first attempted love affairs . The position of church lawyer never appealed to the young man . Over different periods of his life he had been fond of mathematics and alchemy and in 1750 joined the Masonic lodge of Lyons . His ecclesiastical career seemed to be going well ; even the Pope favoured the Venetian . However , Casanova , who according to his contemporaries was always « on the move », was bored and sought new adventures . He got involved in the abduction of a French teacher ’ s daughter . Naturally , this crime forced him to abandon the priesthood . Since 1745 , he had tried various professions : a violinist in the San Samuel Teatro , a financier , a librarian and others . After joining the Masonic Lodge , Giacomo headed to Paris . Casanova ’ s debaucheries in the City of Light even extended to religious circles . In 1755 , he was expelled from Paris for his sexually-charged parties involving the Abbot de Bernis , a member of the French Academy and a future cardinal . That same year , his interest in the occult practices and Masonry led Giacomo into the « lead prison » of Piombi . The Venetian ladies ’ man writes in his memoirs that he escaped through a hole in the ceiling and descended from the roof on a linen rope . According to a more plausible version , he managed to get out thanks to the support of one of his patrons . During his travels Casanova got introduced to the great and mighty of this world . He was thus received by British King George III , Prussian King Frederick II and Russian Empress Catherine II . He also became a frequent guest of scientist and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte . Some notes in Casanova ’ s memoirs suggest that he could have been giving advice to da Ponte with respect to
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Giacomo Casanova by his brother Francesco ( 1750 )
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During his journey on the Côte d ’ Azur Casanova meets the Prince of Monaco Honore III and his wife Marquise de Brignoles
his libretto of Mozart ’ s « Don Giovanni ». In 1757 , at the insistence of the French Foreign Minister , Giacomo went to Dunkerque as a spy . His trip to the Côte d ’ Azur may be one of his most memorable since he traveled in the company of the charming Rosalie .
Piombi prison in Venice , Italy
Côte d ’ Azur adventures
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Casanova tells the story of meeting his new passion in his memoirs . A lady from the Marseille Theater at the time does not resist spending a night with him . However , he prefers her 15-year-old maid Rosalie to the Marseille dancer . For Casanova it was love at first sight . Madly in love , he sets off travelling with this girl . « We are on our way to Toulon , I have long wanted to visit this beautiful port city ,» writes Casanova . « We are met by the commandant who promptly offers Rosalie his hand and treats her with a great respect . Once we are back at the hotel , she throws herself at me . And I reward her with my love .»
Their romantic journey continues on the Côte d ’ Azur . In Antibes , Casanova rents a sailing boat to go to Genoa . Bad weather , however , compels them to moor in Villefranche . The lovers then get to Nice which used to be part of the Kingdom of Sardinia . It must be said that Casanova did not give
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