Botti came from a Cremonese family on which Cosimo I de' Medici (1519-1574) conferred Florentine citizenship. He was a member of the Accademia degli Alterati and the Accademia Fiorentina. He undertook various missions abroad as ambassador for Ferdinand I (1549-1609) and Cosimo II (1590-1621). In 1591, he was made a Knight of Saint Stephen.