Which 15th-century Italian traveller is said to have called the Telugu language the 'Italian of the East'?

The 15th-century Venetian (Italian) traveller Niccolo de Conti is said to have called the Telugu language the "Italian of the East", because, like Italian, most Telugu words end in a vowel, which gives the language a musical quality.

About Niccolo de Conti:

• He was a merchant from Venice, born around 1395.
• He travelled to the East in the early 15th century, spending about 25 years in Asia (about 1419-1444).
• He visited Persia, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, Burma and other places.
• He visited the Vijayanagara empire, probably around 1420, during the reign of Deva Raya I.
• He described the city of Vijayanagara, saying that its circumference was about sixty miles, with walls running up to the mountains.
• He described the king's power, the large number of his wives, festivals, and customs such as sati.

His account:

• On his return to Italy, he narrated his travels to the papal secretary, Poggio Bracciolini, who wrote them down in Latin.
• His account was important for European knowledge of Asia before the Portuguese voyages.

About Telugu:

• It is a Dravidian language, spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• It is one of the most widely spoken languages in India.
• It was declared a classical language in 2008.
• Its literature flourished under the Vijayanagara rulers, especially Krishnadeva Raya.
• The Telugu script developed from the Brahmi script, through the Bhattiprolu script.
• The phrase "Italian of the East" is also sometimes applied to Kannada, but it is most commonly used for Telugu.

Other Italian travellers to India:

• Marco Polo (13th century): visited south India.
• Ludovico di Varthema (early 16th century): visited Vijayanagara and the Malabar coast.
• Niccolao Manucci (17th century): lived at the Mughal court.
• Pietro Della Valle (17th century): visited western India.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Marco Polo, Varthema and Della Valle were other Italian travellers.