Pasini was born in Busseto and attended the Accademia di Belle Arti at Parma. From 1851 to 1853 he studied under Eugéne Cicéri (1803-1886) in Paris, where he completed his training in the atelier of M. E. Isabey (1813-1890). He made his debut at the Salon in 1853. From his first visit to Persia in 1855, as part of the French legation to the Persian Gulf and Tehran, Pasini specialized in views of remote corners of Turkey and Persia. He travelled to Constantinople between 1868 and 1869, and to Asia Minor and Syria in 1873.

Pasini dedicated himself to open air painting, playing masterfully with light and shade, while depicting Eastern colours, buildings, people, and everyday scenes.