Giovanni Francesco Fara (February 4, 1543 - 1591) was a Sardinian historian, geographer and clergyman,[1] who wrote in Latin.

Giovanni Francesco Fara, the son of a solicitor, was born into one of the most illustrious families in Sassari.

[2] His early studies were done in Sardinia, and then moved to Italy where he studied law and philosophy at the Collegio di Spagna, an institution for the Spanish students in the city of Bologna; he also attended the lectures of the jurist Camillo Porzio.

He collected information for his writings in Pisa, Florence, Bologna and Rome.

[3] Fara is considered the "father of Sardinian historiography".