Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian and occasionally also politician. He wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. He was a liberal, although he opposed laissezfaire free trade, and had considerable influence on other Italian intellectuals including both Marxist Antonio Gramsci and fascist Giovanni Gentile. He was President of PEN International, the worldwide writers association, from 1949 until 1952.
Croce was born in Pescasseroli in the Abruzzo region of Italy. His family was influential and wealthy, and he was raised in a very strict Catholic environment. Around the age of 16, he quit Catholicism and developed a personal philosophy of spiritual life, in which religion cannot be anything but an historical institution where the creative strength of mankind can be expressed. He kept this philosophy for the rest of his life.
Source: Wikipedia