The Reisubók (The Travels) by the Icelandic reverend Ólafur Egilsson (1564-1639) has to be considered a neglected, but very significative source for geo-historical studies related to the Modern Age. It is a sort of a road journal, written in old Icelandic, describing Egilsson’s peregrinations made between 1627 and 1628 across Southern Iceland, where he and his family were captured by pirates, Algeria, where he was taken, and, once released by the corsairs, Italy. From here, passing through France and the Netherlands, he finally reached Denmark, in order to ask the Danish King (at that time ruling also on Iceland) the money for the ransom of his family (still in Algeria), but unsuccessfully. On the basis of the first English translation of Egilsson’s work (2008), this essay deals with the Italian section of the Reisubók: the descriptions regarding Sardinia, Leghorn (the most significative of all), Venice and Genua are here critically discussed. In particular, Italian architecture and Italian urban and countryside population density are the geographical aspects which mostly impressed the Icelandic reverend.
Livorno 1627 nella testimonianza di Ólafur Egilsson, reverendo islandese
Stefano Piastra
2020
Abstract
The Reisubók (The Travels) by the Icelandic reverend Ólafur Egilsson (1564-1639) has to be considered a neglected, but very significative source for geo-historical studies related to the Modern Age. It is a sort of a road journal, written in old Icelandic, describing Egilsson’s peregrinations made between 1627 and 1628 across Southern Iceland, where he and his family were captured by pirates, Algeria, where he was taken, and, once released by the corsairs, Italy. From here, passing through France and the Netherlands, he finally reached Denmark, in order to ask the Danish King (at that time ruling also on Iceland) the money for the ransom of his family (still in Algeria), but unsuccessfully. On the basis of the first English translation of Egilsson’s work (2008), this essay deals with the Italian section of the Reisubók: the descriptions regarding Sardinia, Leghorn (the most significative of all), Venice and Genua are here critically discussed. In particular, Italian architecture and Italian urban and countryside population density are the geographical aspects which mostly impressed the Icelandic reverend.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
