Originally intended for the church, he took orders, but renounced them in 1796 and went to Milan, where he devoted himself to the study of political economy.

Having obtained the prize for an essay on "the kind of free government best adapted to Italy" he decided upon the career of a publicist.

The Nuovo Prospetto delle scienze economiche (1815-1817), although long to excess, and overburdened with classifications and tables, contains much valuable material.

He defends a restrictive policy and insists on the necessity of the action of the state as a regulating power in the industrial world.

His theory of production is also deserving of attention from the fact that it takes into account and gives due prominence to immaterial goods.