Navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, the third son in a cultured family, was born on March 9, 1451, in Florence, Italy. Although born in Italy, Vespucci became a naturalized citizen of Spain in 1505. In the years before him embarked on his first voyage of exploration, he held a string of other jobs. When Vespucci was 24 years old, his father pressured him to go into business. At first he undertook a variety of business endeavors in Florence. Later, he moved on to a banking business in Seville, Spain, where he formed a partnership with another man from Florence, named Gianetto Berardi. According to some accounts, from 1483 to 1492, Vespucci worked for the Medici family. During that time he is said to have learned that explorers were looking for a northwest passage through the Indies. German cartographer Martin Waldseemüler, one of the book’s authors, proposed that the newly discovered Brazilian portion of the New World be labeled America, the feminine version of the name Amerigo, after Amerigo Vespucci. The gesture was his means of honoring the person who discovered it, and indeed granted Vespucci the legacy of being America’s namesake. On February 22, 1512, Vespucci died of malaria in Seville, Spain
Just a few days ago, on 22 February 90 years ago, one of the world’s most beautiful ships was launched, the Amerigo Vespucci, which today, as well as travelling to various ports around the world, is also used for military training.
I think this anniversary is important to remember or even to learn about for those who did not know. What is more, we are touched by the fact that this ship crossed the Strait of Messina in July 2020, and before that, in 2016, it stopped in our port for a training campaign which attracted a considerable flow of tourists who visited the ship during its stay in port.
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