Pseudonym "Il Lasca". Grazzini was born in Florence into a family of pharmacists. though his father was a notary. Despite irregular studies, and his failure to learn Greek and, apparently, Latin, he became a man of enormous culture.

As a writer, Grazzini was an important enough figure in Tuscan culture to count among the founders of the "Accademia degli Umidi", and the most famous Italian academy, the "Accademia della crusca", established in 1582 to defend the purity of the Italian language and still existing.

In his verses, Grazzini confesses his own homosexual tastes. In his poems he praise the beauty of young men and boys, speaks about his love for one Liliano, talks about being enamoured of Donatello's statue of St George.