In 1621 he went from Ispahan to Shiraz and then the Gulf of Ormuz. Thereafter he travelled extensively in India, Cyprus, Malta and Sicily. In 1626 he came from Naples to Rome where he lived, fathering 14 sons, till he killed one of the Pope's servants, and had to flee the city. He died peacefully in 1652. A member of a noble Roman family, Pietro della Valle began travelling in 1614 at the suggestion of a doctor, as an alternative to suicide after a failed love affair. The letters describing his travels in Turkey, Persia and India were addressed to this advisor.