Francesco Valesio was born in
Rome on 14 April 1670, to Carlo Valois, medical doctor originally from
Bordeaux and Giovanna Mancini of Rome. He initiated his university studies at the
Roman College, where he studied
philosophy and
mathematics under Antonio Baldigiani and
Francesco Eschinardi. He continued the course of his studies at the
Sapienza University, studying
Greek under Pietro Antonio Russo, and
jurisprudence under Giuseppe Carpani. He was intended for further study, but then his attention was captured by antiquity and he joined the famous “academy” of
Giovanni Ciampini. He entered the
clerical state and was appointed
Abbot, even if he remained always in Rome, living under somewhat reduced circumstances near
San Carlo al Corso. In his home he kept a large library, which became a meeting point for small groups of scholars and antique dealers. He was a close friend of the antiquarian
Philipp von Stosch. He worked as
censor of
hagiographies. Unlike other in his circumstance, he was not wont to flatter rich patrons. His main interests were archeology (he published an essay with title , i.e. explanation of some statues of
Campidoglio) and history (he published , i.e. historical memories of the
Etruscan town of
Tarquinia). His most important work is the , a diary of the everyday events in Rome which runs from 9 August 1700 to 10 March 1711 and from 24 December 1724 to 27 March 1742, two months before his death.
Pope Benedict XIV on 2 September 1745 ordered that the manuscripts with his diary were conserved in the . Other works of him are about the ancient times of the town of
Cortona and a new edition of the work of Fioravante Martinelli which contains uncommon facts and places of Rome. He died on 17 May 1742 in Rome and was buried in the church of S. Maria in Posterula. A distinct unrelated Francesco Valesio served as physician for King Phillip II of Spain. ==Works==