His early education took place in Bologna, his native Florence, and Padua, under the guidance of such distinguished men of letters as Ubaldino Bandinelli and Ludovico Beccadelli.

An important year in Della Casa's life was 1526, which he spent at the villa of his family in Tuscany, reading and translating the Latin classics and, especially, the works of Cicero.

With the death of his protector Farnese and the election of Pope Giulio III, Della Casa left Rome and, disappointed at not having been elevated to Cardinal, retired to a reflective life of writing and reading.

His most famous work, and the most celebrated etiquette book in European history, Galateo proposes a series of rules and restrictions that consent one to live a life of simple dignity and harmony.

In a style that is colloquial and lively, Della Casa (in the voice of an old uncle) instructs his nephew on what to do, and what to avoid doing, in order to be considered appealing, sophisticated, and polite.

Casa is chiefly remarkable as the leader of a reaction in lyric poetry against the universal imitation of Petrarch, and as the originator of a style, which, if less soft and elegant, was more nervous and majestic than that which it replaced.

It was believed that his openly licentious poem, Capitoli del forno, his estrangement from the Medici regime in Florence, and the fact that the French court seemed to desire his elevation, prevented him from being selected cardinal.

His skills in rhetoric and diplomacy were instrumental in securing Della Casa a series of posts at the Vatican, positions of high esteem at the time.

He wrote a biography of Bembo, admiring his friend’s ability to write equally well in Latin and Italian, in prose and verse, rare talents he likewise possessed.