Pietro Querini
Encyclopedia
Pietro Querini was a 15th century sailing captain from the Republic of Venice.
He is known for being shipwrecked in Røst
, in northern Norway
, in the winter of 1432, and subsequently returning to Venice
, where he wrote a report of his travels for the senate. He is also credited with popularizing Stockfish
(called Baccalà alla Vicentina) in the Veneto.
Bound for Bruges in Flanders in 1431,
his merchant ship encountered a terrible storm off the western coast of France.
The storm ravaged the ship, and the sailors had to go in the lifeboats.
They fought the storm and cold for weeks.
Many men drowned or died of starvation and fatigue when, left to their own fates,
drifted on the Gulf Stream far across the North sea.
Just after the new year, in January 1432,
the survivors stranded on an island amid the skerries near Røst, in Lofoten.
Only eleven men, of a crew that totaled 68, made it.
They were found by local fishermen, after nearly a month,
and eventually spent more than three months together with the Røst inhabitants.
This dramatic incident was the origin of trade between northern Norway and Italy,
that made possible - among other beneficial outcomes -
the combination of fine Norwegian stockfish and superb Italian cooking
He is known for being shipwrecked in Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
, in northern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, in the winter of 1432, and subsequently returning to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where he wrote a report of his travels for the senate. He is also credited with popularizing Stockfish
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
(called Baccalà alla Vicentina) in the Veneto.
Bound for Bruges in Flanders in 1431,
his merchant ship encountered a terrible storm off the western coast of France.
The storm ravaged the ship, and the sailors had to go in the lifeboats.
They fought the storm and cold for weeks.
Many men drowned or died of starvation and fatigue when, left to their own fates,
drifted on the Gulf Stream far across the North sea.
Just after the new year, in January 1432,
the survivors stranded on an island amid the skerries near Røst, in Lofoten.
Only eleven men, of a crew that totaled 68, made it.
They were found by local fishermen, after nearly a month,
and eventually spent more than three months together with the Røst inhabitants.
This dramatic incident was the origin of trade between northern Norway and Italy,
that made possible - among other beneficial outcomes -
the combination of fine Norwegian stockfish and superb Italian cooking