L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017 SIMONE SANNIO I f there is one reason why Italian Americans are espe- cially proud of their ethnic roots, it is because Italy hap- pened to be the birthplace of the first explorers and navigators who "discovered" – or better, "re-discovered" – America at the end of the 15 th century. As we all know, it all began in 1492 with Christopher Columbus' groundbreaking first voyage on the three caravels... But apart from this well-known fact, how much are we really acquainted with the actual life of early Italian explorers like him? Have you ever wondered, for example, whether there are some traces left from the years these men spent in Italy before eventually crossing the Atlantic and reach- ing the "New World"? In our three-part journey back to the Italian peninsula, a "land of explorers" indeed, we will dis- cuss some of the most important figures in the European discov- ery of the Americas – that is Columbus, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci – by under- lining the close relationship they had with their shared Italian homeland. In particular, we will leave aside these navigators' well-known routes and historical accomplishments in order to focus instead on a more intimate quest: the exploration of those hidden corners and buildings which still reveal the unforget- table presence of Columbus, the Cabots, and Vespucci in the cen- turies-old lanes of Genoa, Venice, and Florence, respective- ly. Our first step, in this regard, cannot but be the investigation of Columbus' life in Genoa, the Ligurian city where – according to tradition – the great navigator was born in 1451 with the name of Cristoforo Colombo and where he allegedly spent part of his youth. At that time Genoa (known by the Italians as Genova) was one of the richest port cities in the whole of Europe: an independent city-state ruling over the western Mediterranean, for centuries La Superba – or "the Proud One", as it was labeled – had been the capital of a powerful Maritime Republic whose fortunes rested, in particular, on its Old Harbor and its international trades. Young Columbus himself grew up in this particular environment, where he first learned the art of wool working (a vocation he inherited from his father, Domenico) only to later become a sailor, thus starting the career that would eventually lead him at the service of the Queen of Spain. Nowadays, it is very hard to visit Genoa's old town without noticing the many homages paid by the local people to the city's most famous explorer. Just by leaving the Porta Principe main station, for example, you find yourselves on Piazza Acquaverde, a square marked by the presence of an 1862 stone monument to Columbus: the nav- igator holds an anchor in his hand, while four bass-reliefs on the statue's pedestal represent significant episodes from his life and an inscription tells us how "having divined a world, he found it for the perennial benefit of the old one". But many others are the local tributes to Columbus, to begin with the sloping gardens of Piazza della Vittoria (representing the Three Caravels) and the 16 th century fresco on the facade of Palazzo Palazzo San Giorgio) Genoa, Italy — Photo by scrisman Galata Museo del Mare, the largest maritime museum on the Mediterranean Porta Soprana, a two tower medieval city gate of Genoa's old town, Italy — Photo by KarSol Back to the Land of Explorers (Par t I): Columbus and Genoa di San Giorgio (formerly hosting the ancient bank to which Columbus once donated part of his income to the benefit of his fellow citizens). Most notably, however, Genoa decided to honor Columbus by dedicating to him an entire room on the ground floor of the Galata Museo del Mare, the largest maritime muse- um on the Mediterranean. Apart from an interesting multimedia reconstruction of the explorer's life and times, the place is espe- cially worth-visiting because of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio's portrait of Columbus (arguably his most famous visual representation), but also because of a series of objects, original letters and docu- ments somehow related to the great navigator: in particular, the so-called Codice dei Privilegi (a collection of manuscripts con- taining Columbus' story) and the precious Documento Assereto (a document in which Columbus declared himself a citizen of Genoa, thus proving his Genoese origins). But nowhere in this astonish- ing city is Columbus' presence more felt than in the tiny house which is said to be the one where he spent his childhood. Located next to the Porta Soprana medieval gate and the remains of the ancient cloister of Sant'Andrea, Columbus House is in fact just an 18 th century his- torical reconstruction of the explorer's original home: as a matter of fact, the whole area was unfortunately destroyed by the French fleet in 1684. However it may be, historical sources confirm that – between 1455 and 1470, at least – Columbus' family did live in this little stone house, now used as a museum: in those days, though, the building was surely much grander, probably two or more floors high, so that it's hard to imagine now what it might have looked like. Ultimately, even though just a few traces of Columbus' times still exist in present-day Genoa, it is undeniable that the city contin- ues to be "proud" about its strong ties with the famous navigator. In addition, many nearby locations have also come to claim their own role in Columbus' legend during the last centuries: among them, the Ligurian towns of Cogoleto (where some locate his real native house) and Savona (where his family lived between 1470 and 1484). ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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