Paganini was born in Genoa, then the capital of the Republic of Genoa, the third of six children of Antonio and Teresa Paganini. His father, a ship chandler who also played music, gave him his first lessons.
He began on the mandolin at about five and moved to the violin around seven. He grew into the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time and wrote the 24 Caprices for solo violin.
Source: Wikipedia