Andrea di Robilant

Journalist and writer Andrea di Robilant tells the story of the little-known 16th-century Venetian public servant Giovambattista Ramusio whose work can be considered as the birth of modern geography.

Di Robilant explains how Ramusio gathered both popular and closely guarded narratives including from the journals of Marco Polo and from the reports of Muslim scholar and diplomat Leo Africanus.  The publication of Navigationi et Viaggi (Journeys and Navigations) in 1550, and two subsequent volumes, brought a wealth of previously unknown geographical information to the attention of Europeans. Di Robilant shows how Ramusio used political skill and the help of diplomats and spies to democratise the knowledge and show how the world was larger than anyone had previously imagined.

Di Robilant spent many years in the United States as a foreign correspondent for La Repubblica and La Stampa. He is author of books of non-fiction including A Venetian Affair, Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon and Autumn in Venice, the story of Hemingway’s love affair with the city.

Part of the festival’s programme of Italian literature and culture.