Francesco Balducci Pegolotti

Francesco Pegolotti himself was a businessman in the service of the Compagnia dei Bardi, and in this capacity he was at Antwerp from 1315 (or earlier) to 1317.

[1] He was a director of the London office from 1317 to 1321, and is recorded (as Balduch) as having dealt directly with King Edward II.

Beginning with a glossary of Italian and foreign terms then in use in trade, the Practice next describes nearly all the major trading cities then known to Italian merchants; the imports and exports of various regions; the business customs prevalent in each of those regions; and the comparative value of coinages, weights and measures.

The most distant trade route described by Pegolotti is that from Azov via Astrakhan, Khiva, Otrar and Kulja to Beijing.

He also details the route from Ayas on the Cilician coast of Turkey via Sivas, Erzingan and Erzerum to Tabriz in Persia.