[1][2] Giovanni was a member of the Albanian family of Renesi, who originated from the region around Lezhë, in northern Albania.

Because of his services and his poverty, the Council of Italy proposed to give him in Naples five hundred scudi at once.

King Philip II of Spain accepted the Council's proposal and communicated it to the viceroy of Naples, Pedro Afán de Ribera.

Around 1589-1590, at the request of his relative Pietro Renesi, Giovanni went to Cyprus to participate in an assembly where he met three bishops and other personalities of the island.

The assembly decided to encourage Giovanni to send king Philip II of Spain a petition for help to fight against the Ottoman Empire.