Sestini was a numismatist and antiquarian who travelled extensively in the Levant. From 1779 to the middle of 1780 he was a member of the household of Count Ludolf, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Porte, and he travelled with the family. In 1780 he entered the service of Robert Ainslie, British ambassador to the Porte, and acted as his numismatist. His accounts of two journeys through the Danubian Principalities, one to Constantinople via the Black Sea and the other to Vienna, were probably written during his time with Ainslie. The voyage to Bassora was also carried out while Sestini was in Ainslie’s service. His accounts of journeys to Bucharest and to Cyzicus made while he was with the family of Count Ludolf were published in 1785 and 1789 respectively.
Voyage De Constantinople A Bassora, En 1781, Par le Tigre et l’Euphrate, Et Retour A Constantinople, En 1782, Par le Désert et Alexandrie; Par l’Académicien Sestini. Traduit de l’Italien. A Paris, Chez Dupuis, libraire, cour de l’Orangerie, aux Tuileries. Et au Jardin de l’Orangerie, vis à vis la rue Florentin. L’An VI. [colophon: De l’Imprimerie de Hautbout, l’aîné, et Jajot.]