Even after five centuries, it is still impossible to identify with certainty the place of birth of Christopher Columbus, and so it is for his parents. Many theories claim the famous sailor originated from Piacenza, Savona, or even Spain. However, the tradition, which is supported by evidence and documents and widely accepted by textbooks and Genoese historians, recognizes the city of Genoa as the birthplace of the famous discoverer.
Christopher Columbus was indeed from Genoa, and among the many documents backing this theory, there are records that also list the names of his parents, Domenico and Susanna Fontanarossa.
One document in particular, though modest in itself, seems especially relevant for our purposes: a sale conducted by a notary, still preserved in the Genoa State Archive.
The document reads as follows:
“Sozana,(quondam) de Jacobi de Fontana Rubea, uxor Dominici de Columbo de Ianua ac Christophorus et Pelegrinus filii eorum…” which means:
“Susanna, the late Giacomo da Fontanarossa del Bisagno, wife of Domenico Colombo from Genoa, and their children Christopher and Pellegrino…”
From this notarial deed, we can make some interesting observations.
The name Susanna da Fontanarossa, not Susanna Fontanarossa is mentioned. In the first case, the Italian expression ‘da Fontanarossa’ refers to her place of origin, while in the second, it is simply a surname. Still, it is important to note that surnames are often derived from one’s place of origin, as seen with famous Italian families like Garbarino, Isola, and Sessarego.
Columbus’s mother was Susanna da Fontanarossa, from Fontanarossa del Bisagno. However, there is no place named Fontanarossa in Bisagno Valley. More interestingly, in the entire Genoese area, the only village by that name is Fontanarossa di Gorreto, located in Trebbia Valley.
So how do we explain the rather imprecise reference to “de Bezagno”?
First, we should remember that in the ancient Republic of Genoa, the term “Val Bisagno” was used to refer to all the territories along the Genoa-Piacenza route that were under San Giorgio’s control: the actual Bisagno Valley, part of the Scrivia Valley, and the upper Trebbia Valley. The area from Prato to Corte Brugnatella was all considered part of Val Bisagno. Furthermore, etymologically, Bisagno comes from the Latin bis amnis, meaning “double river”, referring to the two directions in which the waters flow: one towards the Ligurian Sea and the other towards Po Valley.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to believe that Columbus’s mother was Susanna da Fontanarossa, from Trebbia Valley. If Genoa claims Columbus as its own and recognizes that Susanna Fontanarossa was the mother of the famous sailor (as evidenced by a school and street named after her in the city), it must also acknowledge that Fontanarossa di Gorreto is the only village that fits the description of being her birthplace.
While the Fontanarossa documents may not be entirely authoritative, and their interpretation might be somewhat stretched, at least there is something concrete to support the claim. It will be up to others to provide more valid, well-founded, and serious counter-evidence. So, with the plaque in the centre of the village stating, “In this village was born Susanna Fontanarossa, mother of Christopher Columbus”, we certainly won’t be the ones distorting history.
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