Niccolò de'Conti

Born in Chioggia, year of birth un-known; died 1469 in Venice. Venetian merchant.

Between 1419 and 1444, Conti traveled through western, southern, and southeastern Asia and northeastern Africa, making long stops in Syria, India, Indochina, and Egypt and on the islands of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Java (or Sumatra), and Socotra. During this period, he navigated the Euphrates, Ganges, and Irawaddy; sailed along the shores of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea; and entered the Java Sea. Conti’s narrative, containing characterizations of the countries he visited, was written down by P. Bracciolini in Florence in 1444.