There was a time when the sea was more than an obstacle: it was an enemy. There was a time when the wonders of Asia were as far away for Europeans as the Moon is far away for us today, or rather Mars. There was a time when brave navigators on the verge of unconsciousness tried everything to reach the Moluccas, islands in the Indian Ocean full of every known wonder, from spices to the rarest plants, passing through precious stones.
These intrepid seamen, worthy companions of the heroes of Verne and Salgari, are the protagonists of the beautiful novel " Magellano and the treasure of the Moluccas " (Rizzoli, 2022, pp. 222, also e-book) written with a vigorous adventurous spirit by Gianluca Barbera . Starting point historical reality: in the sixteenth century journeys across the oceans had just begun and the New World had barely been discovered by Christopher Columbus. The entire globe was divided, however, between the two greatest maritime powers of the time, Spain and Portugal. An imaginary line ran between the Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence, which was forbidden to cross or run the risk of war. Too bad that just where the line ran there were the Moluccas with their treasures, so desired by the King of Spain. What to do to get them? Going to war against the ruler of Portugal?
Perhaps, however, another way exists. A route indicated by a reckless navigator like few, but like few mysterious and inscrutable: Ferdinando Magellano . Although he is Portuguese, Magellan has decided to offer his services to Spain and suggests that they try to reach the Moluccas not by circumnavigating Africa and crossing the waters controlled by the Portuguese. No, Magellan is convinced that the Earth is round and suggests pointing west, passing under the continent discovered by Columbus and thus reaching Asia.
Many think that the Portuguese navigator is not just a daredevil , but a real madman, a madman who claims to know an elusive secret passage south of the Americas. Brave or lacking in sense, the king of Spain grants him some shabby ships and a group of sailors desperate for his enterprise. It is the beginning of the first voyage around the world , whose story Barbera entrusts to the words and writing of the Vicenza-based Antonio Pigafetta, the scribe on board and one of the few in whom Magellano has full confidence. He is one of the few to whom the great navigator shows a portion of his tormented and glorious soul.
Thus begins the story of a journey of which no one knows the duration and the precise route, a journey across the scariest of oceans. An enterprise in which Magellan and Pigafetta at his side will face storms , frozen seas and mutinies . And they will meet warlike tribes, fearless and magnificent warriors, dream places and other nightmare places.
It is Pigafetta himself who confirms this by introducing his account: "What you will hear is the story of a handful of intrepid men (not saint's shins, mind you) who crossed all the known oceans, and even the unknown ones, completing a a feat that no one else before them had ever attempted: to circumnavigate the globe proving once and for all that the Earth is round. If you are ready to leave for the seas of adventure, then here is the book for you.