THE VERRAZZANO FAMILY

          "Molti dei nostri nobili il lor nome
          preser da quei villaggi loro propri,
          perciò gli antichi, che da Verrazzano
          si dissero, la loro appellazione
          dal luogo di lor prima residenza
          ebbe il principio, e si mantiene ancora."
    Ugolino Verino

The origin of the name Verrazzano is uncertain; some believe that it derives from the Latin name for the area "Veratius" (Veratiae Gentis Veraci - farm of the Verazi), others think that it stems from two words: "verres" (latin for male wild boar) and "zona" to signify land of the wild boar.

The Verrazzano family, of Longobard origins, took its name from the area where it settled in the 7th Century according to some scholars and not before 971 for others, when the leader of Florence was Ugo Marquis of Tuscany.. The family belonged to the Guelph faction and this was the cause of many disputes and controversies; in 1247 they suffered the first reprisals and during the Battle of Montaperti in 1260 they lost two sons at the hands of the Ghibellines. Ser Chiaro da Verrazzano himself, valiant and ardent defender of the Guelph cause, had to flee to Rome and leave the Castle in the hands of the victorious Ghibellines.

In Rome Cardinal Corsini learnt of the vicissitudes of Ser Chiaro, and so commanded that a star on a background half white and half yellow (the Vatican colours) was to be placed on the Verrazzano coat of arms.

Later, when peace was restored and the Guelph government reinstated, Ser Chiaro returned to his home, but during the journey to Florence he was attacked by the Masnadieri of Ricasoli, probably because of ancient grudges and robbed of all the riches accumulated in Rome.

But even in this instance, Ser Chiaro demonstrated his ability in inverting difficult situations and, who knows how, the thieves were found and of the stolen goods "he received in return more than he had lost".

Naturally he was hated and envied, for this and also for his position in the government and the affairs of Florence, so he did not escape the conspiracy of Palm Sunday 1297.

Once again, his sons demonstrated the courage and unscrupulousness of the family by finding the principal leaders of the plot and having them beheaded; a separate destiny was reserved for the actual perpetrator of the stabbings; his hand was cut of and exhibited in public for 3 days while the assassin bled to death on the roadside.

Little more is known of the family because the Verrazzano’s Florentine home was destroyed by fire during the memorable siege by the Imperialists in 1530, and all the important documents in the archive were lost.

The Verrazzano family had an altar (still existent) and several tombs in the church of Santa Croce.

In 1485 Giovanni da Verrazzano was born, destined to become the discoverer of the Bay of New York and a large part of the east coast of America. Giovanni’s work on behalf of King Francis I was rewarded with the French Fleur de Lys on the family crest.

Another member of the family who maintained the marine tradition was Girolamo, who compiled precious maps of the known world and of the new lands discovered by his brother Giovanni for the rulers in Europe.

Yet another seafaring personality was Cavalier Prior Lodovico di Francesco da Verrazzano, Admiral General of the Galleys of Saint Stephen and Governor of Livorno, who won the Battle of Zembalo against the Turks.

The importance of the port of Livorno during the period of the Grand Duke, when it was one of the foremost ports in the Mediterranean, is due to the Verrazzano family and the people of Livorno called the road that went from the port to Florence "Verrazzania" because it was on this road that the family travelled.

The family died out in 1819, thus interrupting the history of a series of worthy gentlemen: the Verrazzanos were the first magistrates of the Republic of Florence, twice they occupied the position of standard bearer for Justice, and thirty five times they had the honour of being the Prior.