The Fortunate Islands, or the islands that currently form the Canary Archipelago, have represented, since classical times, a very suggestive place, where myths, legends and literary hypotheses are concentrated.
Known by the ancients, its geographical rediscovery in 1312 by the Italian navigator (precisely from Liguria) Lanzarotto Malocello marks the beginning of the period of great discoveries.
The Atlantic Ocean was an insurmountable barrier due to the mythological beliefs of the time and the ships did not venture into the unknown, for fear of encountering serious dangers. Therefore, the knowledge that the medieval world had of the Canary Islands was lost in oblivion...
The first contact, or rather, the approach to the Canary Archipelago occurred in the Late Middle Ages, while the pre-Renaissance period of transition to the Renaissance was taking place. The first trips to the Canary Islands occurred at the end of the 13th century, or probably even earlier, and became increasingly frequent in the following 14th century.
These were mostly trips for commercial purposes, departing from the Mediterranean Sea area, which saw the Genoese as absolute protagonists, followed by Catalans and Mallorcans and then, gradually, by Portuguese and Castilians.
This is how the brothers Vadino and Ugolino Vivaldi, Genoese, in the spring of 1291, organized the first trip of the time, in search of new routes to reach the Indies. But, as we said, it was another Italian, a native of Varazze, Lanzarotto Malocello, who arrived in Lanzarote, the northernmost of the Canary Islands. Malocello gave its name to this island and, in 1339, this island territory, together with the island of Fuerteventura, appeared with the name Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, marked by the red cross of Genoa, in the pilot book made by the Mallorcan cartographer of origin. - also - Italian, Angelino Dulcert.
In truth, however, some 27 years earlier, probably in 1312, they had already been drawn on the Genoese planisphere of Friar Giovanni da Carignano. On the left side of the map (reproduced in 1925 in the editorial work of the Societè Royale de Geographie d'Egypte edited by Charles de La Ronciere entitled La decouverte de l'Afrique au Moyen Age-Cartographes et Explorateurs- Tome premier, Pl. VI ) there is also an inscription in Latin, in very small characters, half erased and, therefore, not very legible, which says more or less like this: “decem mai spacium denotat mediana quinquaginta…..tis per terram dpt unas interislas”. With this writing, the cartographer seems to want to point out the presence of an island, located at a distance of fifty miles from the mainland, incurring, possibly, an error of appreciation about the real distance from Lanzarote to Africa (Capo di Nun), established at about 230 km.
However, this would be the first representation, of at least one of the Canary Islands, reported on a nautical-maritime map.
Unfortunately, the original of the planisphere in question was destroyed by bombing during the last World War, so today in
day, any study must refer to some poor quality photographs of the planisphere, reproducing the lost original (see in this regard "Lanzarotto Malocello, from Italy to Canarias”, by Alfonso Licata, Rome, year 2012, Ed. CISM - General Staff of Defense and “Rediscovery and conquest of the Fortunate Islands” by María José Vázquez de Parga y Chueca, 2002, Ed. Dos Calles-Theatrum Naturae).
Subsequently, other trips were undertaken beyond the Pillars of Hercules to go to the Canary Islands, both by other Italians and by Spaniards and Portuguese, until the armed conquest of the Archipelago and its subsequent colonization. The Canary Islands, therefore, were already well known by the mid-14th century.
And the literature that gives us valid testimony of this whole piece of history, where the great Greek and Roman writers, starting with Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Sallust and Pliny the Elder, from Ancient Times (8th century BC), in their wonderful and immortal works, cite, invoke and describe the Fortunate Islands in a kind of veneration.
*President of the Dante A. Society -Canarias Islands Committee-
*President of the International Committee VII Centenary of the rediscovery of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands by the Italian navigator Lanzarotto Malocello (1312-2012)
