The Montauk Library will present a series of concerts and live performances in the coming months as part of “Waterways: Commemorating The 500th Anniversary of Verrazzano’s Voyage in 1524.” Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485-1528), an explorer for France, was the first European to sight New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay.

After receiving a formal education in Florence, Verrazzano entered France’s maritime service. After several voyages to the Levant, in 1523 he secured two ships for a voyage backed by the King Francis I of France and other investors to discover a westward passage to Asia. In January 1524 he sailed La Dauphine across the Atlantic, reaching Cape Fear in March.