He was born in Genoa on May 30, 1606, and at the baptismal font was given the name of Giovanni Paolo, which he changed to Vincenzio when he entered the Olivetan Order. The "Familiarum Tabulae" of that Order place him in Rome in 1623, in Arezzo from 1624 to 1625, in Ascoli Piceno from 1626 to 1629, in Monte Oliveto from 1630 to 1631, and in Siena from 1632 to 1633, which is when he met Galileo, who entrusted him with all the materials concerning his observations and calculation on the Medicean Planets, which was the name given to the charts of the median motions. We must specify, however, that these charts are in no way related to the Tabulae Mediceae secundorum mobilium universales, which the young monk published in Florence in 1639. The enviable assignment entrusted to him by Galileo, who even decided to him to Holland to demonstrate to the Staats General the practicability of his proposal for calculating longitude at sea, afforded him the opportunity of being a frequent guest of the "Jewel" as well as forming intimate ties with Viviani. He had aspired for some time to a post as lecturer in mathematics at a public School, but in the meantime had to content himself with a private one in Genoa. At the death of Peri a post opened up at Pisa, and with the backing of Prince Leopoldo de’ Medici and Galileo it was offered him in 1640, with the job of teaching Greek, which he had taught for many years in the schools of his Order in Monte Oliveto. He died on November 5, 1647, and his papers were purloined. Of the many letters Galileo wrote to him only two survive, and one of these by sheer accident. As for the famous letter containing his alleged account of Galileo’s trial, it has clearly been shown to be the fabrication of a certain Duke Caetani for the purpose of playing a prank on Tiraboschi, who naively considered it authentic, thus leading many scholars astray even up to recent times.

The Works of Galileo Galilei, national edition edited by Antonio Favaro, Florence, Barbčra, 1899-1909, vol. XX, Biographical Index, to v.