Son of Giovanni, colonel of the divisions of Oltremarini, an elite troops division of the Republic of Venice Navy (better known by the name of Schiavoni), and grandson of Antonio, a naval officer of the Venice, was born in Zara two months after the fall of the Republic.

As a child he moved to Venice, where he studied at the Lyceum of Santa Caterina. He graduated in law at Padua in 1818, was again in Venice civil servant (student concept) for twelve years, until - in 1832 - was called to the chair of Eloquence of the Faculty of Philosophy at University of Turin. During these years he had already published several studies: mostly biographies of writers and artists, but also a popular translation of Letters by Pliny the Younger.

Since taking charge of the new function, started a prolific period of production, ranging from Italian literature (studies on the Tasso on Ariosto on Bartoli) to Provencal one, even to Chinese novels (of which was the first to study in Italy and Europe). In addition to literature, was also interested in history and politics, to which dedicated an important essay with an academic speech with the significant title: Dei Sentimenti Patriottici ("On Patriotic Feelings").He purchased a villa near Treviso (in Veneto, but that time under the sovereignty of Austria), who attended regularly and, although politically conservative, for his adherence to the Italian patriotic ideals, he was constantly monitored by the Austro-Hungarians.

He was a friend and correspondent with many illustrious Italians -from Niccolò Tommaseo to Pellico, from King Charles Albert of Sardinia to Vincenzo Gioberti - and had for all his life a sincere affection for the abbot Antonio Rosmini, known since his University scolarship in Padua.

Attentive to the matters of the Italian language, he wrote about this subject important essays, which earned him the appointment as member of the Academia della Crusca.

He died in Turin in 1857. In his honor was erected an herma in the University of Turin, where is also preserved a wide and valuable collection of cards and manuscripts belonged to his legacy to his uncle Antonio.

Even if he left Zadar shortly after his birth, Paravia never forgot the town, to which -following a visit in 1850- in 1855 he donated his private library, consisting of over ten thousand volumes, in order to create, from this initial nucleus, a public library, which was later named in his honor Municipal Library Paravia. Its purpose was not only generous and philanthropyc: Paravia pleaded «Study your language, because here is your future greatness, it is a merit which nobody can deny and is great honour», and so believed, trough his donations, to give a strong address to the Dalmatian, so much that he invited the leaders of the Italian culture of the time -with whom he had a very active correspondence- to also offer books. This library was housed in the ancient Venetian Loggia of Zadar until 1938, and since its opening (August 18, 1857) was the largest of entire Dalmatia. Closed because of war, was reopened October 14, 1945 with the new name Narodna Biblioteka (National Library).

Given the personal history of Paravia, its enthusiastic support to the Italian unification sentiments and the explicit statement of nationality (he wrote «No one can be a great writer without being a national writer, without representing in his writings his nation, its century.») he is considered one of the most important exponent of the Italian Risorgimento culture.