Many may be surprised to know that one of Italy's most famous sons, Cristoforo Colombo, is not really celebrated in Italy itself. However, if Italy's Economic Development minister gets his way, that may soon change.
Perhaps a side-effect of coming from a country that has dozens upon dozens of famous explorers, scientist and artistis - or simply because the financing of Columbus, a Genoa native, actually came from Spain, there was never a real focus on Columbus achievements in Italy even though it is celebrated in the US, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
Minister Scajola said that such a day would also commemorate the life and work of the late Italian senator and leading international Columbus scholar Paolo Taviani, credited with conclusively establishing the explorer's birthplace as Genoa. ''Genoa brings him to mind in a particular way because this was where he was born, of this we are certain,'' said the minister. ''But this was also where Emilio Taviani was born and lived - the man who made it his life's work to certify the Genoese origins of Columbus''.
Scajola expressed concern that Columbus Day received such little attention in the country of his birth. ''In the US and in other countries it is a national festival and I really believe Italy should do more to commemorate it,'' he said. The minister recalled that a national committee had been set up a few years back to assess the idea but had come to nothing. He said it was now up to the authorities and the public to work towards commemorating both Columbus and Taviani, which he said would be a ''great opportunity'' for Genoa.
Columbus's initial 1492 voyage came at a critical time of growing national imperialism and economic competition between developing nation states seeking wealth from the establishment of trade routes and colonies. In this sociopolitical climate, Columbus's far-fetched scheme won the attention of Isabella I of Castile. Severely underestimating the circumference of the Earth, he estimated that a westward route from Iberia to the Indies would be shorter and more direct than the overland trade route through Arabia. If true, this would allow Spain entry into the lucrative spice trade — heretofore commanded by the Arabs and Italians. Following his plotted course, he instead landed within the Bahamas Archipelago at a locale he named San Salvador. Mistaking the North-American island for the East-Asian mainland, he referred to its inhabitants as "Indios".
The anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is observed as Columbus Day on October 12 in Spain and throughout the Americas, except that in the United States it is observed on the second Monday in October.
