Carlo Collodi

Carlo Lorenzini (; 24 November 1826 – 26 October 1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi ( , ), was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist, widely known for his fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Early life Lorenzini was born in Florence on 24 November 1826. His mother Angiolina Orzali Lorenzini was a seamstress from Collodi, the town from which he later took the pen name, and his father Domenico Lorenzini was a cook. Both parents worked for the Ginori Lisci. and he had ten siblings; seven died at a young age. He spent most of his childhood in the town of Collodi where his mother was born. He lived there with his maternal grandmother. After attending primary school, he was sent to study at a theological seminary in Colle Val d'Elsa. In 1844, he started working at the Florentine bookstore Libreria Piatti, where he assisted Giuseppe Aiazzi, a prominent Italian manuscript specialist. This newspaper was censored by order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1854, he published his second newspaper, ("The Controversy"). Lorenzini's first publications were in his periodicals. A debut came in 1856 with the play and parodic guidebook , both in 1856. By 1860, he published his first notable work called (Mr. Alberi Is Right!), which outlined his political and cultural vision of Italy. This is the text where Lorenzini started using the Collodi pseudonym, which was taken from his mother's hometown.

Death and legacy Lorenzini died suddenly in Florence on 26 October 1890, at the age of 63, and is interred at Cimitero delle Porte Sante in Florence. The National Carlo Collodi Foundation was established in 1962 to promote education and the works of Collodi, and Pinocchio Park, which was opened in 1956 in the town of Collodi and remains a popular attraction today.