1535-1615

Italian Natural Philosopher and Scientist

Giambattista della Porta was a natural philosopher whose ground-breaking development and research in optics was undermined by his belief in miracles and magic.

Home educated, della Porta grew up in an environment where he was mostly self-taught. It is likely that his maternal uncle supervised his education. His education was augmented by the discussion of scientific topics with the learned society that frequented the della Porta home.

Della Porta's mother was from the aristocratic Spadafora family, part of the ancient nobility of Salerno. His father, Nardo Antonio served Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. It was this service that transformed the modest fortunes of the Porta family, into a sum that would allow his son to devote himself entirely to study.

Della Porta was a traveler at heart, exploring Italy, France, and Spain extensively...