Agostino Giusti (29 September 1548,

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

- March 1615, Verona) was an Italian diplomat in the service of the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

and the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. He was also a notable patron of the arts and gardening.

Life

Agostino Giusli was the son of Pier Francesco Giusti. His family owned the county of Gazzo Veronese near Verona. Agostino had two children by his wife Alda Malaspina, namely Giovanni Giacomo and Isabella. After his wife's death he also had two illegitimate children (Laura and Antonio) from a relationship with a servant. In 1570 he started building the

Giardino Giusti The Giusti Palace and Garden ( it, Palazzo e giardino Giusti) are located in the east of Verona, Italy, a short distance from Piazza Isolo and near the city centre. The palace was built in the sixteenth century. The garden is considered one o ...

on a hillside ten minutes from the city centre - it was visited in 1611 by the English traveller

Thomas Coryat Thomas Coryat (also Coryate) (c. 15771617) was an English traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age. He is principally remembered for two volumes of writings he left regarding his travels, often on foot, through ...

, who called it "a second paradise". Venice sent him on several diplomatic missions and he also hosted the Medici family in his home as well as accompanying them on several major journeys. In 1567 he entered the Académie philharmonique de Vérone, two years after it set itself up in the house at San Vitale in Verona, owned by the Giusti family. In 1583 he became sole heir to that house and its gardens and ejected the Accademia before moving in himself. Also in 1583 he set up his own 'Ridotto Letterario', a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

at his home to speak informally about literature and philosophy. Hémard, Nicolas, ''Il conte Agostino Giusti e l’Accademia Filarmonica tra ’500 e ’600 : vita di un mecenate veronese'', Mémoire de master en Lettres et Civilisation Italiennes (mention recherche), sous la direction de Marie Viallon, Lyon, Université Jean Moulin, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giusti, Agostino category:People from Verona category:1548 births category:1615 deaths category:Italian diplomats category:Republic of Venice category:Grand Duchy of Tuscany