Giovanni Battista Zanchi

Giovanni Battista Zanchi (1515 – 1586) was an Italian engineer and author.

Life
Born in Pesaro in 1515 in a family originary from Bergamo, he was a captain leading 12.000 infantrymen and 500 knights for the duke of Parma and Piacenza Ottavio Farnese during the fights against Protestants in Germany. He came back at home with honors, and served during the Siena war under Marcantonio Colonna. In 1561 he was called in Cyprus, where he served as engineer with a salary of 50 ducats a month.

Zanchi wrote some treatises documenting his studies and observations about defensive fortifications of the cities.