BONSIGNORE’S JOURNEY FROM FLORENCE TO THE EAST: A MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL DIARY AND TESTIMONIES ON THE CULTURAL AND MATERIAL HERITAGE OF SOUTHERN SERBIA IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY

Abstract

This paper examines the manuscript travel diary of the Florentine merchant Bonsignore Bonsignori (Libro di ricordanze) as a significant source for the study of the cultural and material heritage of southern Serbia in the fifteenth century. The research adopts a microhistorical approach combined with a critical analysis of the narrative source, complemented by a comparison with contemporary travel and diplomatic accounts. Particular attention is devoted to the reconstruction of communication routes, the description of the landscape, the organization of settlements, as well as the conditions of travel and commercial exchange. The findings demonstrate that Bonsignori’s diary provides valuable evidence of everyday life and the material reality of a region situated between East and West, while also revealing how the author’s descriptions reflect subjective perceptions shaped by his cultural background. Nevertheless, the source offers important insights into communication and trade networks, as well as into the processes of cultural interaction within the Ottoman and Mediterranean worlds. The paper contributes to positioning Bonsignori’s diary within the broader corpus of late medieval travel literature, highlighting its significance for the study of the historical geography and cultural history of the Balkans.