Rout of the Turks at Piombino

In the night on the 12th of July 1555 a Turkish fleet, allied with the French and the Florentines rebelling against the Duke Cosimo I, attacks Piombino guarded by the ducal troops. After two hours of battling, though, the Turks are forced to retreat and go back on their ships: one can see the Turks clinging on to their boats, whereas the "Mare...che sentendo questo romore esce fuori con un ramo di corallo in mano", ("the Sea hearing such commotion appears holding a piece of coral"), shows up in the foreground. Photo: Simone Lampredi