Newfoundland Part 4b Bonavista

We landed at the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse on August 10 amid the remnants of Hurricane Debby. It followed the eastern seaboard, as do so many storms.

Everybody learns that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and discovered America. It was only the Caribbean islands and eventually Florida. Lost in prominent history are John Cabot, Amerigo Vespucci and Giovanni da Verrazzano, the latter exploring the east coast between Florida and Newfoundland in 1524 on the behalf of King Francis I of France.
Considering that these were all Italian explorers, I had to ponder what would have happened in the Americas if Italy was not a disorganized collection of combating city-states but had unified in the 15th century. I posed this thought to Copilot AI and received in return a compliment (Really? Generated by artificial intelligence?). ‘The idea is both whimsical and profound. Language is a legacy of power, and your reflection highlights how explorers’ sponsors shaped not just borders, but identities.’
Some of its ‘thoughts’ percolated into my commentary, except for the addition of us all speaking Italian – that was my own contribution.



Credits

Lockston Path Provincial Park

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site
Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site - Newfoundland and Labrador

Bonavista Museum
Bonavista Museum | Town of Bonavista

Mockbeggar Plantation Provincial Historic Site
The Mockbeggar Plantation Provincial Historic Site - Newfoundland and Labrador
Mockbeggar Plantation - Provincial Historic Sites
John Reisen, Tenor
Andrea Lodge, Accordion and Viola
Atlantic String Quartet
Oh Danny Boy (traditional)
Puccini Nessun Dorma
Schubert Trio D-471

Ryan Premises National Historic Site
Ryan Premises National Historic Site
Ryan Premises National Historic Site - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Mifflin’s Tea Room
www.mifflinstearoom.com

Foggy Shoales Fish Company
www.foggyshoals.com


Bust of Giovanni Caboto
www.commons.wikimedia.org wiki Bust_of_Giovanni_Caboto._Panteon_Veneto;_Istituto_Veneto_di_Scienze,_Lettere_ed_Arti.jpg
Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, CC BY 4.0
www.creativecommons.org
via Wikimedia Commons