By the age of 18 Giovanni Vincenzo was a member of the Accademia dei Mutoli and at 25 he published the poem Stato Rustico, which established his fame as a poet.

In his sprawling poem L'Adone, published in 1623, Marino makes specific reference to him: Giovanni Vincenzo appears in canto 18 as the shepherd Clizio (the protagonist of the Stato rustico) who warns Adonis of the dangers of hunting the boar and then laments his friend's death.

[2] In his early 20s, Giovanni Vincenzo was admitted to the prestigious Accademia degli Addormentati, whose members included Gabriello Chiabrera, Angelo Grillo and Ansaldo Cebà.

[1] In 1619 he was made admiral of the Genoese navy and in 1624 assumed the position of capitano della Polcevera, in both capacities helping defend the republic against the pillaging of pirates.

[4] His masterpiece is considered the didactic poem in blank verse Stato rustico (1607), which describes an imaginary journey from Genoa to Greece, where the semi-autobiographical poet-shepherd Clizio is welcomed on Mount Helicon by Apollo and the Muses.

[6] His collection, including works by Giorgione, Correggio, Rubens, van Dyck, Palma il Giovane, Guido Reni and many others, was inherited by his son, Francesco Maria Imperiale, who tried to sell it to Charles II Gonzaga.