Will the real Casanova please stand up?
08 April 2025
Maybe you've heard someone warn a friend: Be careful, that guy's a real Casanova. Meaning, of course, he's a smooth-talking heartbreaker. But who was the real man behind the name? Giacomo Casanova was much more than a legendary seducer. Born in Venice 300 years ago, he was a philosopher, spy, swindler, gambler, writer – and one of the most fascinating figures of 18th-century Europe.
Yes, he loved women, and they loved him back – claiming 116 lovers by name and hinting at hundreds more – but he also loved languages (he spoke at least four), adventure, and high society.
The son of travelling actors, Casanova climbed beyond his humble beginnings through wit and charm. He earned a law degree at 17, dabbled in the occult, played the violin, and even briefly served as a secret agent for the Venetian Inquisition. His charisma opened doors at royal courts across Europe, but scandal was never far behind.
Accused of blasphemy and seducing the young, he was thrown into Venice's dreaded Lead Chambers – and became the first person to escape them. Casanova conned nobles, advised kings, met Mozart and Voltaire, and even helped launch France's national lottery. He lived lavishly, gambled compulsively, and was often broke, arrested, or exiled.
 | Henrique Tizzot What remains of Casanova today, apart from his womaniser legacy, is The Story of My Life. He began writing it in his later years, tired and penniless, while working a quiet librarian job in Bohemia. Spanning over 3,700 pages, the memoir was only published uncensored in the 1960s. Far from just a catalogue of conquests, it offered a witty, vivid portrait of 18th-century Europe and revealed a man driven not just by lust but by curiosity and intellect. |
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