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FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD · VICENZA
Casa Pigafetta in Vicenza: find the 1481 motto of the man who chronicled the first voyage around the world
A Gothic façade, a family motto and a direct link to Magellan’s expedition
In central Vicenza, a 1481 Gothic façade links the city to one of history’s greatest journeys. Look for the carved roses and the words IL NEST ROSE SANS ESPINE on the family house associated with Antonio Pigafetta, whose account recorded Magellan’s expedition and the first circumnavigation.
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The Pigafetta story · Façade details · How to visit
WHY SEE CASA PIGAFETTA IN VICENZA: Casa Pigafetta in Vicenza connects a Gothic façade with the story of Antonio Pigafetta, the traveller who chronicled the first voyage around the world. For anyone interested in exploration history, travel writing and strange tales from distant shores, it is a compelling stop in Vicenza’s historic centre.
Look for carved roses, winged griffins and a French family motto on a façade dated 1481, where late Gothic ornament meets Renaissance stonework.
THE PIGAFETTA STORY: THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD: Antonio Pigafetta joined Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in 1519. In 1522, he returned to Spain aboard the Victoria, among the 18 expedition survivors who completed the first circumnavigation. His account follows the voyage through Patagonia, the Strait of Magellan, the Pacific Ocean and the Philippines. He recorded a Pacific crossing so desperate that sailors ate leather and sawdust, and described people encountered in Patagonia as “giants”. In 1982, Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez opened his Nobel Prize lecture with Pigafetta’s astonishing descriptions of South America.
LOOK FOR THE ROSES: The carved roses refer to the Pigafetta family heraldry. Find them beside the entrance, surrounding the inscription.
THE OLD FRENCH: Read IL NEST ROSE SANS ESPINE, meaning “No rose without thorns.” This family motto survives in its old French spelling, carved into the stone.
THE DATE: MCCCCLXXXI means 1481, the year Matteo Pigafetta remodelled the house. Look above the ground floor window to the right of the entrance.
THE GRIFFINS AND CORNUCOPIAS: Look up for winged griffins, birds, flowers and cornucopias among the elaborate windows and heraldic carvings.
THE PLAQUE: The plaque commemorates Antonio Pigafetta, but the building’s traditional identification as his home is disputed. Its connection to the Pigafetta family is firmer than the familiar birthplace story.
HOW TO SEE CASA PIGAFETTA: Casa Pigafetta is a private residence, with viewing from the street only. You can see the façade, motto and carvings for free, without booking. Find it on Contrà Antonio Pigafetta, a short walk from Piazza dei Signori, and include it in a walking tour of Vicenza’s historic centre.
Sources
- Library of Congress · Journal of Magellan’s Voyage
- National Geographic · 240 men started Magellan’s voyage around the world. Only 18 finished it.
- NobelPrize.org · Gabriel García Márquez: Nobel Lecture
- RIALFrI · Motto di Palazzo Pigafetta (Vicenza)
- EasyVi · Casa Pigafetta
Before dating, Vicenza had smorosare: the old verb for courting, flirting and spending time as lovers.
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