He was born on April 2 1767 and died on February 12 in 1850.

His parents were poor people: his mother made sacrifices in order to give him the first school rudiments, then he went to the Seminary in Catania where he specially studied Greek, Latin, philosophy and mathematics.
But he was very much interested in natural science; in fact he dedicated himself to this subject to become famous in Europe as the European scientists Bonnet, Buffon, Duhamel.
He studied music with Vincenzo Bellini, grandfather of the Catanese Cigno (on November 4 together with other Prelates attended a Baptism of the ”Norma” of the future author in the church of the PP. Jesuit in Catania, now Charity Home, and originally Catania’s Cathedral from 1789 to 1804. One of his passions was the violin.

He had the chair of general physics at the University in Catania, then natural history in Palermo, and going back to Catania the chair of Greek Language and Archaeology. He was conferred the title of Royal Historian in Sicily of the Royal Order of Francesco I (Order of Naples founded on 28 September 1829 from the King Francesco I, to award the services done in the field of science, letters, arts and civil services) and member of the most famous European and American Academies (Universities); the famous Lazzaro Spallanzani and other naturalists were pride of his friendship and proclaimed him Supreme Master.

His works were published many times and were also translated in different languages. Some of them are:

1. Storia generale dell'Etna, Catania 1793. (Mount Etna General History, Catania 1793)

2. Memoria sopra il algo di Naftia, nasso e Gallipoli; e sopra il miele Ibleo e la città d'Ibla Megara. Palermo 1805. (Memoirs about the lake of Naftia, Nasso and Gallipoli; and about the Ibleo honey and Ibla Megara town. Palermo 1805.)

3. Descrizione fisica mineralogica della Sicilia e delle isole che le sono intorno, Messina 1813. (Physical and mineralogical description of Sicily and the Islands around it, Messina 1813)

4. I Campi Flegrei e delle isole che sono intorno. Messina 1813 (Phlegraean Fields and the Islands around.)

5. Storia naturale della Sicilia. Catania 1813. (Sicily Natural History)

6. Memoria sulla antica e distrutta città di Tindari. Palermo 1814. (Memoirs about the old and destroyed town of Tindari)

7. Antichi edifizi ed altri Monuments di Belle arti, ancora esistenti in Sicilia. Palermo 1814. (Old buildings and other monuments of the Fine Arts, still existing in Sicily)

8. Guida dei viaggiatori agli oggetti più interessanti a vedersi in Sicilia. (Travellers’ Guide to see the most interesting objects in Sicily)

9. Memoria sopra i terremoti della Sicilia in Marzo 1823. (Memoirs on the earthquakes in Sicily in March 1823.)

10. Discorso sopra il sito di Palermo. (Speech about Palermo place)

11. Storia di Catania sino alla fine del Secolo XVIII (Catania history to the end of the XVIII century)

12. La Natura, le sue opere e le sue leggi. (Nature, its works and laws)

13. Storia generale della Sicilia. Volumi 9. (Sicily General History 9 Volumes)

14. Medaglie antiche descritte. (Description of antique medals.)

15. Sopra le medaglie di Gelone e dei due Geroni. (About Gelone and the two Gerone’s medals.)

16. Le credenze religiose degli antichi Siciliani, insino alla introduzione del Cristianesimo ed altri trattatidi Sicola Archeologia. 1844. (Religious Beliefs of the antique Sicilians to the introduction of Christianity and other works about the Sicilian Archaeology)

17. Viaggio di Ulisse intorno alla Sicilia descritto da Omero, e viaggio di Enea descritto da Virgilio. (Ulysses’ journey around Sicily described by Homer, and Aeneas’ journey described by Virgil.)

18. Sopra alcune medaglie coniate dal Re Pirro in Sicilia, e sopra una medaglia di Lentini. (About some medals struck by King Pyrrhus in Sicily, and on Lentini’s medal)

19. Sull'influenza dell'aria alla sommità dell'Etna sopra la economia animale. (On the air influence on the top of Mount Etna on the animal economy.)

20. Discorsi accademici e biografici di illustri Siciliani (Academic and biographic speeches of famous Sicilians.)

21. La Contemplazione della Natura - Traduzioni dall'originale francese di Ginevrino Bonnet con note ed aggiunte. (The Contemplation of the Nature-Translation from Ginevrino Bonnet’s French work with some descriptions)

After his dead, in 1886 his citizens wanted to honour him building a marble half–length monument in the homonymous small square, work of the Catanese sculptor L.F. Grasso