He studied at the Venetian Academy of Fine Arts (1842-1848), and then in Accademia Albertina (1850) in Turin.
He frequented the Caffè della Calcina in Venice, a hangout for Italian patriots including Pietro Selvatico.
In 1888, he became professor of Art History at the Accademia di Brera and member of the commission for conservation of monuments in Lombardy.
Among his books, are encyclopedic reviews of world art across the centuries such as Le meraviglie delle arti: Architettura e scultura Volume 1, co-written by Luigi Archinti (Chirtani), André Lefèvre, Louis Viardot; Editors: Fratelli Treves, Milan 1881.
He also published Degli stili nell'architettura (1895) and La patria di Pietro Micca (1883).