Tommaso Campanella OP (Italian pronunciation: [tomˈmaːzo kampaˈnɛlla]; 5 September 1568 – 21 May 1639), baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was a Dominican friar, Italian philosopher, theologian, astrologer, and poet.
Born in Stignano (in the county of Stilo) in the province of Reggio di Calabria in Calabria, southern Italy, Campanella was a child prodigy. Son of a poor and illiterate cobbler, he entered the Dominican Order before the age of fourteen,[1] taking the name of fra’ Tommaso in honour of Thomas Aquinas. He studied theology and philosophy with several masters.
