Settling in Lisbon in 1578-82, he travelled to the Indian subcontinent, reaching Cochin in November 1583, and remained in Cochin and Goa and the Malabar coast that joins the two, until his death. He is known to posterity from the thirty-two detailed letters he sent home to members of the Florentine patriciate and the Grand Duke of Tuscany; they were not published until centuries after his death.
He resided in Lisbon from 1578-82 before traveling to the Indian subcontinent, reaching Cochin in November 1583. He remained in Cochin, Goa, and the Malabar coast until his death. His legacy is preserved through thirty-two detailed letters he sent home to members of the Florentine aristocracy and the Grand Duke of Tuscany; these were not published for many centuries after his passing.