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Verrazano By Jenna1485-1527 Hi! My name is Giovanni da Varrazzano. I was born around 1485 near Florence, Italy. I came from a wealthy family and I was well educated and well traveled during my childhood. My brother’s name was Gerolamo and my parents were Alessandro de Verrazano and Fiammetta Capell. When I was between 18 and 21 years old, I studied classics, math and navigation in Florence. Being recognized as a highly skilled navigator, I was asked by the King of France to explore the region in North America between Florida and New Foundland in 1524. I was looking for the Northwest Passage, a route to the Pacific Ocean. I made landfall several times and interacted with Native Americans. Traveling along the coast of New Jersey, I anchored the ship in The Narrows, the strait between Staten Island and Long Island. This location is very close to the Varrazzano Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, New York. I never found the Northwest Passage and returned to France. Upon my return, the king sent me on another journey to the Indian Ocean to discover a western route to China. Historians believe that during this second voyage, I died. Well, to tell the truth there are many versions of my death. One is that natives in the Caribbean region attacked me. Others say cannibals who are people who killed me and ate me attacked me. One other story is that I was captured by the Spanish and was hung as a pirate. I was 43 years old at the time of my death in 1528.
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