Simone Lombardo, I genovesi alla guerra d'Otranto (1480–1481). Diplomazia informale, spie e crociata nell'Italia rinascimentale

Genoa's participation in the Otranto crusade against the Turks provides an opportunity to reveal a broader picture of the connections between local politics, international strategies and commercial interests in the Mediterranean at the end of the 15th century. By means of an extensive source corpus, the volume sheds light on the entanglements of informal diplomacy, private interests, emotions, espionage networks, Italian power balances and internal conflicts that converged in 1480–1481. The Genoese expedition reflects political transformations, complex negotiations and the enduring crusading ideal, as well as, above all, Genoa's Levantine nostalgia. Despite the "reconversion to the West", the desire to recover lost colonies reveals that the idea of returning to the East was still central to some Genoese. The Otranto venture thus emerges as a paradigmatic moment, highlighting another Mediterranean Renaissance.

Ricerche dell'Istituto Storico Germanico di Roma

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