ABSTRACT
The Ethiopian representatives charged with the mission to Rome left Jerusalem in spring 1481, in the company of Giovanni Battista Brocchi da Imola. Hailing from one of his city's most prestigious families, throughout the 1470s Brocchi had served the papacy in a range of capacities. In 1479, while in France as papal ambassador, he was recalled to Rome after his mission turned sour, and because of either personal disappointment or pressure from within the curia, he decided to undertake the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and leave behind his diplomatic career. Little did he know that once in Jerusalem he would be selected, probably because of his extensive diplomatic experience, for a new diplomatic mission. After an eight-month sojourn and frustrating attempts to make inroads with the Prester and his patron, Giovanni da Calabria sent Brocchi back to Jerusalem to inform the prior of their problematic condition and receive further instructions.
