by Claudio Lavanga

A rare copy of a 15th century letter describing Christopher Columbus' trip to the Americas has been returned to Italian authorities after being stolen from a library in Florence. "It is interesting how 500 years after the letter was written it has made the same trip back and forth from America," Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said at a repatriation ceremony in Rome on Wednesday attended by guests including U.S. Ambassador to Italy John Phillips.

Columbus wrote the original, which contained his first impressions of people and the landscape in the so-called New World, to his sponsors King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain upon returning to Europe in 1493. Between then and 1501 the letter was translated into Latin and 14 to 16 printed copies were made and distributed, officials said at the ceremony.

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/