Philip Mazzei was born on Dec. 25, 1730, in Poggio a Caiano, part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Italy. Trained in medicine and surgery, he briefly practiced before turning increasingly toward commercial and intellectual pursuits.
Mazzei worked around the Mediterranean before moving to London in 1755. There, he became a wine merchant and teacher of Italian. These early experiences prepared him for a life shaped by experimentation, diplomacy, and Enlightenment inquiry.
