BACKGROUND: Giuseppe Gradenigo (1859-1926), a legendary figure of Otology, was 
born in Venice, Italy. He soon became a pupil to Adam Politzer and Samuel 
Leopold Schenk in Vienna, demonstrating genuine interest in the embryology, 
morphology, physiopathology, as well as the clinical manifestations of ear 
diseases. In this paper, the authors attempt to highlight the major landmarks 
during Gradenigo's career and outline his contributions to neurosciences, which 
have been viewed as looking forward to the 20(th) century rather than awkward 
missteps at the end of the 19(th).
METHODS: Several rare photographs along with many non-English, more than a 
century old articles have been meticulously selected to enrich this historical 
journey in time.
RESULTS: It was after Gradenigo that the well-known syndrome consisting of 
diplopia and facial pain due to a middle ear infection was named. However, 
Gradenigo was much more than a syndrome. Surprisingly, despite the fact that he 
is considered a pioneer of the Italian Otology of the late 19(th) and early 
20(th) century, little is written of his life and his notable achievements in 
the English literature.
CONCLUSIONS: Even though his name lives on nowadays only in the eponym 
"Gradenigo's syndrome," his accomplishments are much wider and cast him among 
the emblematic figures of science. His inherent tendency for discovering the 
underlying mechanisms of diseases and his vision of guaranteeing quality of 
services, professional proficiency, respect, and dedication toward the patients 
is in fact what constitutes his true legacy to the next generations.