Paolo Andreani

Paolo Andreani
commemorative medal
Born	27 May 1763 Milan, Duchy of Milan
Died	11 May 1823(1823-05-11) (aged 59) Nice, Kingdom of Sardinia
Nationality	Italian
Known for	First balloon flight in Italy
Parent(s)	Giovanni Pietro Paolo Andreani and Clementine Sormani

Paolo Andreani (27 May 1763 – 11 May 1823) was an Italian who made the first balloon flight over Italian soil. He also made an exploration around the Great Lakes in North America.

Andreani was born in Milan on 27 May 1763. His father was Giovanni Pietro Paolo Andreani (1705–1772) and his mother, Clementine Sormani (1733–1763). His father's family can be traced back to the aristocracy of the 13th century, and he was made a Count in 1748. Andreani was the last of the children and they were left without a father in 1772, when they were placed in the care of a guardian.

Andreani's wide range of interests started at an early age. At fifteen he was a member of the "Arcadia Literary Academy". His scientific interests prevailed when he began his balloon experiments based on the news of the flight of the Montgolfier Brothers. Andreani set out to repeat the feat in Italy at the Villa Sormani in Moncucco, a village which is now located in the municipality of Brugherio. The Montgolfier brothers' flight took place in France on 21 November 1783.

The first unmanned balloon flight seen by Andreani took place in 1784 when a hot air balloon built by the Gerli brothers rose a few metres into the air. The small balloon had been built by the three Gerli brothers, who were skilled builders and engineers. Andreani offered to commission a larger balloon. Thanks to its a diameter of 23 metres (75 ft), Andreani made the first balloon flight when he was only 20. The paper-lined cloth balloon had a wickerwork passenger carrier. The hot air was created by burning birch wood, alcohol, and turpentine. The balloon took less than four weeks to make and weighed about 1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb) when it was fuelled and had three passengers aboard. The first flight took place on 25 February 1784 when Andreani, Agostino Gerli () and Charles Gerli flew for 25 minutes without incident.

A public demonstration was arranged for 13 March 1784 at the Villa Sormani in Moncucco (now part of the modern city of Brugherio).Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor was invited to watch, but he reportedly declined the invitation as he did not want to witness a suicide. Instead, the Emperor encouraged the cancellation of the flight. Despite the Emperor's assessment, a crowd of nobility and intellectuals gathered to witness Andreani and two local farmers ascend to a height of 1,537 metres (5,043 ft) whilst the balloon travelled a distance of 8 kilometres (5.0 mi).