Amerigo Vespucci: 500 Years Later

A few weeks ago, Bobby was asked by the American Consulate of Florence to participate in a celebration of the 500th anniversary of Amerigo Vespucci’s death. Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454 – February 22, 1512) was born in Florence, Italy to a family of wealthy silk traders. The family’s estate (where part of the ceremony was held today) is in the historic center of Florence, near the Arno River and the home of the American Consulate General of Florence. Vespucci’s vivid descriptions of the New World natives made his accounts extremely popular in Europe and as a result, it is his name – Amerigo – which eventually would be modified into “America” and given to two continents – and MOST importantly the United States of America.

Celebrating 500 years after Amerigo Vespucci's death

As the story goes, Christopher Columbus’ (also Italian – from Genoa) voyages to the Americas led to the awareness of the continents, but Columbus passed away still asserting that he had found, in-fact, Asia - not America. Amerigo Vespucci sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage and again by himself 3 other times. During his travels, he openly spoke out against Columbus’ findings and boasted that he had found a new land, writing letters to the Medici family back in Florence to describe all the strange “naked women,” i.e. the natives, he had seen. (Some historians believe that these letters, that were later published into 2 books, were not all written by Vespucci. Also, some people say that he didn’t even make all 4 journeys across the Atlantic.) Nevertheless, Amerigo Vespucci became a very important figure in both Italian and American histories.

Today, the Vespucci family descendents, mayor of Florence (Matteo Renzi), US Consul General of Florence (Sarah Morrison), Italian military members, Carabinieri (Italian military police), and many Florentine citizens gathered to celebrate the life of the great explorer. It was a message of how important it is to celebrate curiosity, innovation, and a bond between the countries of Italy and America. Bobby was asked to participate as a symbol of America and its military and the goal of the two countries working together.