Giovanni da Verrazzano

Giovanni da Verrazzano was an Italian explorer of North America, in the service of King Francis I of France.

The consensus among scholars is that Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in Val di Greve, south of Florence, then capital and main city of the Republic of Florence, the son of Piero Andrea di Bernardo da Verrazzano and Fiammetta Cappelli. It is generally claimed he was born in the Castello di Verrazzano160 , hence its birth indicator . Some alternative theories have been elaborated e.g., a certain French scholarship assumes that Verrazzano was born in Lyon, France, the son of Alessandro di Bartolommeo da Verrazano and Giovanna Guadagni. Whatever the case, Verrazzano always considered himself to be Florentine and was considered a Florentine by his contemporaries as well. He signed documents employing a Latin version of his name, Janus Verrazanus, and in his will datedMay 1526 in Rouen, France , he called himself Jehan de Verrazane.

Source: Wikipedia