| Birth Date: | August 1721 |
| Birth Place: | Siena, Grand duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) |
| Death Place: | Florence, Grand duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) |
| Occupation: | Traveler, diplomat |
| Parents: | Francesco Stendardi and Urania Stendardi (née Venturi) |
Carlo Antonio Stendardi (August 17216 July 1764) was an Italian traveler to the Ottoman empire and North African state of Algeria.
He was born in Siena to a prominent Florentine family; his father however died when he was merely months of age. Seeking advancement and profit, he spent the next three years in a trip to Smyrna (present-day Izmir in Turkey). Returning to Florence, he continued studies. In 1748, the new Grand Ducal government of Tuscany sent him for some months as an Austrian Imperial commissioner to Istanbul. He was recalled later than year to become a diplomat to the Algerian state, which was negotiating treaties with the Austrian and Tuscan authorities. His letters from this time include a depiction of these lands, cultures, and government. In one of the missions, he was able to negotiate the freedom of imprisoned Austrian sailors at Algeria. After seven years, he had to leave Algeria, whose relations with the Christian states was worsening. Stendardi was able to extricate a collection of Roman medals and marble inscriptions.
Upon his return, he was named ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples, where he continued his observation and collection of antiques. Returning to Florence after 5 years, he was a member of the Accademia Colombaria, the Accademia Fiorentina, and the Accademia degli Apatisti. He died of a stroke in Florence in 1764.
Among his works are the following treatises and essays:[1]