Tra spezie e spie: Filippo Pigafetta nel Mediterraneo del Cinquecento

Filippo Pigafetta, a Vicentine scholar and soldier of the 16th century, played a significant role in trans-Mediterranean networks as an 'explorer, informer, and spy,' contributing to military knowledge during a period marked by conflict with the Ottoman Empire. His career, peaking between 1576 and 1587, involved extensive travel across key Mediterranean cities, including Suez, London, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Jerusalem, and Venice, where he engaged with exiled scholars and religious figures like Giovanni Battista Castagna (later Pope Urban VII). Pigafetta's work as a translator and author of military treatises reflected his deep interest in warfare, while his connections to Vicenza's intellectual circles—such as the Accademia Olimpica and Accademia dei Costanti—highlighted his broader engagement with Renaissance scholarly networks. This study sheds light on the informal diplomacy and transnational exchanges that characterized early modern Europe.

Fletcher, C. (2023). : Tra spezie e spie: Filippo Pigafetta nel Mediterraneo del Cinquecento. Renaissance Quarterly, 76(3), 1128–1129. https://doi.org/10.1017/rqx.2023.451