Francesco Carletti (1573 – 1636) was a Florentine merchant, explorer and writer. He was the first private traveler to circumnavigate the globe (1594-1602). He left with his father, Antonio Carletti, a merchant, to the islands of

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

to buy African slaves to be sold in the West Indies. From there went to the

Spanish colonies The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

in Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and again to Mexico. They sailed from Acapulco to the Philippines in the

Manila galleon fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...

and arrived on the island of Luzon, where they remained one year. Then they moved to Japan and China, where his father Antonio died in 1598. Left alone, Francesco went to India and came to

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, home to the Portuguese viceroy, where he remained for some time. Taken by homesickness, he loaded on a Portuguese ship all his merchandise and sailed to Portugal. On the island of

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

he was attacked and his wealth plundered by Dutch ships. He eventually returned to Florence without his accumulated wealth. The Grand Duke Ferdinand I, who had protected him during the journey, took him to court. Francesco Carletti collected his travel experiences in twelve ''Arguments'', dedicated to Ferdinand I.

Works and translations

*In Italian: Francesco Carletti: Ragionamenti di Francesco Carletti Fiorentino sopra le cose da lui vedute ne’ suoi viaggi si dell’ Indie Occidentali, e Orientali Come d’altri Paesi. * Into German: Francesco Carletti: Reise um die Welt 1594: Erlebnisse eines Florentiner Kaufmanns. Aus d. Italien. übertr. von Ernst Bluth. Herrenalb/Schwarzwald: Erdmann, 1966 * Into English: Francesco Carletti "My Voyage Around the World" Random House, New York, 1964. * Into Dutch: Francesco Carletti "Reis om de Wereld" Translanted by Jo Verhaart-Bodderij, Kruseman Den Haag 1958

References

External links

* {{Italy-business-bio-stub 1573 births 1636 deaths Businesspeople from Florence Italian explorers Italian travel writers 17th-century Italian businesspeople 16th-century Italian businesspeople 16th-century travel writers 17th-century travel writers Slave traders