History, lineages and family members

One of the first aspects my research has to consider is the history of the Vespucci family – members, weddings and alliances. Several genealogical studies on the family have been published and the one I had the chance to consider is I Vespucci di Greve in Chianti, Peretola e Firenze by the Italian historian Carlo Baldini (1920-2009). The small volume analyses the Vespucci from an historical point of view, giving details on the origin/extinction of the family and providing information on its members. According to Baldini the family originated in Peretola, a small village near Florence (thank you Google Map!) and the earliest documents date back to the XI-XII centuries. This information is confirmed by the Florentine historian Marco Conti who identified in Peretola the house where the early Vespucci lived (article available online http://www.comune.firenze.it/comune/organi/q5/set03/13.pdf. Also the Colombian historian German Arciniegas (1900-1999) – one of the major experts on Amerigo Vespucci and his travels – stated that the family came from Peretola where they owed lands and vineyards (Arciniegas,  Why America? 500 years of a name : the life and times of Amerigo Vespucci).

At the beginning of the XIV century the Vespucci moved to Florence and settled in the area known as Borgo Ognissanti. By the XV century they managed to strengthen their wealth and power in the Medicean Republic:  family members were variously involved in political matters; Amerigo became one of the most popular explorers of the time; alliances were made with relevant families in Florence, Genoa and Naples; and works of art were commissioned to the major painters in town.

Amerigo’s lineage ended in 1875 when Amerigo di Cesare, a Florentine patrician, died in Montefioralle (near Florence) where the family owed a palace.  The grave, found in the local cemetery, carries an inscription and the Vespucci coat of arms. Although Amerigo’s lineage ended, others survived. According to the Italian Heraldic Institute website (http://www.iagi.info) the last representative of the Vespucci family, Enrichetta, married in 1853 Antonio Colocci starting the Vespucci-Colocci lineage. The last member of the family died in recent years and the Colocci-Vespucci palace still stands today in Jesi (Marche, Italy).

All these information generated an awful lot of confusion in my head… lineages, members, houses… I am particularly fascinated by the palaces issue. How many houses did the Vespucci hold? Are the ones they had in Florence still standing today? Was the majority of art works kept there or was the collection spread between the palaces of Florence, Peretola and Montefioralle? All these aspects need to be sorted out and I hope to be able to give some sort of shape to this material soon.