Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer, Scottish Rite Master Mason and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, "Histoire de ma vie" ("Story of My Life"), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. As was not uncommon at the time, Casanova, depending on circumstances, used more or less fictitious names, such as baron or count of Farussi (the name of his mother) or ( ). He often signed his works "Jacques Casanova de
Giacomo Casanova the Marquise d'Urfé that he could turn her into a young man through occult means. The plan did not yield Casanova the big payoff he had hoped for, and the Marquise d'Urfé finally lost faith in him. Casanova traveled to England in 1763, hoping to sell his idea of a state lottery to English officials. He wrote of the English, "the people have a special character, common to the whole nation, which makes them think they are superior to everyone else. It is a belief shared by all nations, each thinking itself the best. And they are all right." Through