Tommaso Campanella was an Italian philosopher, theologian, and poet born in 1568 in Calabria. He is best known for his work, The City of the Sun, which presents a vision of a utopian society governed by reason and communal living. Campanella's ideas were influenced by the Renaissance and the Reformation, and he sought to reform society through education and philosophy. Throughout his life, Campanella faced persecution for his beliefs, spending over 27 years in prison. He was a proponent of natural philosophy and believed in the importance of science and reason. His writings contributed to the development of modern thought and influenced later thinkers, including Descartes and Hobbes.