Giambattista Gelli

Giambattista Gelli (1498–1563) was a Florentine man of letters, from an artisan background. Gelli was a shoemaker, and he used to publish dialogues. He is known for his works of the 1540s, ''Capricci del bottaio'' and ''La Circe'', which are ethical and philosophical dialogues. Other works were the plays ''La sporta'' (1543) and ''L'errore'' (1556). He became a member of the Accademia degli Umidi on 25 December 1540.

In his historical writings, Gelli was influenced by the late 15th-century forgeries of Annio da Viterbo, which purported to provide evidence from ancient texts to show that Tuscany had been founded by Noah and his descendants after the Deluge. Provided by Wikipedia