Domenico Colombo (; ; 1 March 14181496) was a weaver, the father of Italian explorer and navigator

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

and Bartholomew Columbus.

Biography

Domenico was born in 1418. He was the son of Giovanni Colombo and Angela Fontana. He had three brothers, who were called Franceschino, Giacomo and Bertino. Porto Genova 0028

His father had apprenticed him to the

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

at age 11. Domenico, a third-generation master of his craft in

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, was also a shopkeeper. His position was secure and respectable in the lower

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

, but he did not have a firm work ethic. He was a poor provider but was generally liked in his community. In the boisterous, enterprising spirit of Genoa, he worked as a cheese maker, tavern keeper and dealer in wool and wine. He married Susanna Fontanarossa. Their firstborn was Cristoforo, in 1451; sons Giovanni Pellegrino, Bartolomeo, Giacomo (also called Diego), – The names Giacomo and Diego are

cognates In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the soun ...

, along with James, all sharing a common origin. See ''Behind the Name'', Mike Campbell, page
GiacomoDiego
an
James
All retrieved 3 February 2017. and daughter Bianchinetta were born after. When he was found in financial difficulty, he was helped economically by Christopher. Forsaking the loom, two of his sons – Bartholomew and Christopher – went to the sea. Domenico's daughter-in-law was Filipa Moniz Perestrelo and his grandsons were Diego Columbus and Ferdinand Columbus. He also had one natural granddaughter, Maria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombo, Domenico 1418 births 1496 deaths 15th-century Genoese people Domenico 15th-century Italian businesspeople Publicans Tavernkeepers