Statue Gianno da Verrazzano - Greve in Chianti

Greve in Chianti's main square, Piazza Matteotti, is dominated by an elegant statue of the navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano. The monument to Romeo Pazzini was inaugurated on September 14, 1913 in the main square of Greve in Chianti.

After enlisting in the navy of Francis I of France, he quickly rose to fame as a privateer who preyed on ships from Spain and Portugal. One of his trophies in 1522 was the treasure ship laden with Mexican gold and silver that Cortés had sent to Charles V.

In January 1524 he embarked on a voyage of discovery to the New World at the behest of his patron Francis I, during which he kept a diary.