He was educated at the college of Urbino, and became in 1835 assistant superintendent, and in 1839 director of the Vatican Observatory.
He was pleased with his reception in the U.S. and wished to settle there at Georgetown College, but first returned to Europe to try to recruit some colleagues to join him and purchase instruments for an observatory to be erected under his direction in New York.
The news did not reach Europe before Father De Vico announced his observation, so it was initially named for him.
He was noted for his studies of spots on Venus,[1] and unsuccessfully attempted to determine its rotation period.
He began an ambitious project to compile an atlas of stars down to 11th magnitude.