From Hormuz to Aleppo. Observations on the Journey of Alessandro Picolomini, 1586

This paper introduces a previously unpublished document preserved in the Florence State Archive, the Mediceo del Principato fond, doc. 307 folder n. 4277. The document (one- page recto-verso) contains a description of some events that took place between the Persian Gulf and Iraq in 1586. Although the authorship is uncertain, we know that news was reported by a certain Alessandro Piccolomini, who, on 15 November 1586, wrote from Aleppo this brief report on what he had seen or understood during his journey, which began on 15 May of the same year. Although it resembles one, the text is not an actual travel report, but rather an informative letter containing interesting information about the Levant that Piccolomini most likely gathered during his journey. With this article, I intend to provide a preliminary study of the document, useful for future research on the European presence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.