De Orbe Novo, Volume 1 (of 2) The Eight Decades of Peter Martyr D'Anghera

Born on the shores of Lago Maggiore in 1457, Pietro Martire d'Anghera grew up amid the proud legends of a once‑great northern Italian dynasty. Though the exact name of his noble line remains elusive, his connections to the Trivulzio and Borromeo families gave him a firm sense of heritage that he often flaunted to friends and patrons alike. The introduction paints a vivid picture of his early life, his family’s ties to the powerful Visconti and Sforza, and the religious fervor that surrounded the Dominican martyr after whom he was named.

From this well‑rooted Italian perspective, the work unfolds as a lively chronicle of the age’s most daring voyages across the Atlantic. Drawing on eyewitness reports and diplomatic letters, the author offers readers a contemporary glimpse of the lands, peoples, and cultures encountered by the first European explorers. His detailed observations and sharp commentary make the narrative both a valuable historical record and an engaging portrait of a world on the brink of profound change.