The Italian priest, Francesco Negri (1624-1698), was the first person whom we know of that traveled to the North Cape with this location as his manifest aim. He was determined to carry through on his intention to travel far in his lifetime, and he decided therefore to head northward to the unknown realm of darkness and the midnight sun. It astonished him that Europeans could neglect to study their own continent. He traveled to Sweden in 1663 and reached as far north as Tornedalen. His attempt to continue northward to the coast of Finnmark had to be aborted, unfortunately; he then reversed directions, spent the winter in Stockholm and made a new attempt the following year. But fall turned into winter before he left on his northern trek. This time he followed the Norwegian coast and arrived at the North Cape sometime during the winter. He tells in his account how much he froze while on his journey, but that people he met along the way were friendly toward him. It was not until he was close to the North Cape, though, that he was able to talk with anyone before meeting a fellow priest who spoke Latin.

Finally having reached the North Cape, he writes:
"Here I am at the North Cape, at the edge of Finnmark, and I dare say the very edge of the world since there are no other places further north inhabitated by man. This affirmation has now been fulfilled to my satisfaction, and I will return to Denmark and, if God permits, to the land of my birth."

Viaggio Settentrionale, Francesco Negri's manuscript, was first published posthumously in 1700. He had done extensive work on his manuscript, and he had even beseeched the Grand Duke of Tuscany for help in funding another expedition to collect additional material. The manuscript consists of eight travel narratives, and his final account is written about Finnmark. He writes about the lifestyles of the Finnmark Sami and Norwegians with keen perception.