Italy on the Grand Tour: The Gem of the Europe and Her Influence on the Affluent 'Tourists' of the 17th-18th Centuries

" Milan, April 1818: Behold us arrived at length at the end of our journey - that is, within a few miles of it - because we design to spend the summer on the shore of the Lake Como. Our journey was somewhat painful from the cold - and in no other manner interesting until we passed the Alps: of course I it except the Alps themselves; but no sooner had we arrived at Italy, then the loveliness of the earth and the serenity of the sky made the greatest difference in my sensations. I depend on these things for life; for in the smoke of cities, and the tumult of human kind, and the chilling follows and rain of our own country, I can hardly be said to live. What with delight did I hear the woman, who conducted us to see the triumphal arch of Augustus at Susa, speak the clear and complete language of Italy, though half unintelligible to me, after the nasal abbreviated cacophony of the French! A ruined arch of magnificent proportions in the Greek taste, standing in it a kind of road of green lawn, overgrown with violets and primroses, and in the midst of stupendous mountains, and a blonde woman, of light and graceful manners, something in the style of Fuseli's Eve, were the first things we met in Italy." - From Letters of P.B. Shelley, 1792-1822

The description that Shelley of gives at the start of his tour into Italy is indicative of many other Grand Tourists, whose writings depict the grandeur of the culture and the beauty of the countryside. They wrote of a world filled with glorious views of forested copses and vineyards, of jagged peaks and crystalline lakes, of ancient lava fields and tranquil seas. There was such a wide offering of stimuli for the writer and poet; it is reflected in the verses and prose of many of the travelers, both professional and amateur writers and poets. Italy was a key destination for British because of the distinct dichotomy of geographical wonders and lustrous arts and architecture. Naples, Florence, Verona, Venice and Rome were among the cities that were considered to be an anticipated stopover whilst journeying. Indeed, Italy offered much toward the education and refinement of the tourist, and this period was being extensively used to acquire detailed knowledge of the arts, such as literature, sculpture and paintings; and the sciences, particularly archeology and geology. This gathering of this knowledge thusly contributed to the artistic, literary and scientific accomplishments of many distinguished personalities of British artistic and scientific culture such as Charles Dickens, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and George, the Lord Byron.

While the accomplishments of Dickens and his ilk were significant, most of the British subjects, who set out upon their tours did so with less scholarly pursuits in mind. They were then expected to return home after a few years of traveling with a good understanding of the arts and other such pursuits, and to such end were accompanied by a tutor who would guide and instruct them in customs and deportment, as well as helping the traveler learn to refine their tastes for opera, theatre, architecture, painting and sculpture. The tutor would also expose them the wonders of nature such as Mount Vesuvius and the marshes of Venice, and the scientific wonders of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The travelers would return home hopefully cultured, refined, appreciative of the finer things of life, ready to serve King and country as a member of the elite, and with a collection of art and artifacts, ready to take their place in society.

Religion also played a significantly key role for many a grand tourist traveling in Italy. Catholicism was the prevalent religion of Italy, Rome being the center of papist activity. As Catholicism was predominately looked upon with scorn throughout Britain, the tourists must have been filled with apprehension when they were to being their tour of Italy. Some must have worried how they would be perceived in the country; whether they would be welcomed or banished, given the past transgressions of King Henry VIII and the resulting spilt from Rome. It is probable that the traveller would be extremely concerned for their safety in this hotbed of Catholicism and the formidable power that the Pope and his retinue exerted over Italy and much of Europe.

While there were some instances of local problems for the Protestant tourists, most were welcomed as honoured guests of their local hosts. The idea of leaving their religious beliefs on the shores at Dover, to be open to new concepts and ideas seemed to be the norm of most of the tourists. Philip Francis wrote of his reception by Pope Clement XIV in 1772, stating that, "whoever has the honour of conversing with him (the Pope) will see that it is possible to be a Papist without being a Roman Catholic." It may indeed have been the predilection of the tourist to be of open mind which allowed practitioners of two very distinct, but still resolutely homogeneous religious practices, to come together in a meeting of intellect and reason without the thought of conversion or argument of religious practice or fundamentals.

The landscape of Italy offered the tourists such a grand geographical and geological diversity it would have been difficult to choose among the many, which were available for the tourist to visit. It seems that the grand tourist first taste of Italy came in their views of the landscape and the creations of nature. The grander of Alps and Lake Como, the sunlight in Siena, the hills of Rome, the island of Capri and the rugged beauty of Mount Vesuvius affected greatly upon the grand tourist. In the essay 'From excursions in Italy', Mount Vesuvius is described as " this beautiful the mountain a under our eyes, I say beautiful, for, including its base... its sides seamed with ravines, and occasionally smiling with verdure or dark with forests - and its cone of cinders - it forms altogether an object of great attraction."

However beautiful the natural sights within Italy, travelling to the county was often an arduous affair. In order to access the country, the traveller could choose to cross the sea, but his was fraught with peril due to the unaccountability of the weather and fierce windstorms that swept across the Mediterranean. Taking the inland northern route meant enduring a perilous carriage ride over uneven terrain and unforgiving mountain passes. The roads in the North of Italy were often in poor condition and not conducive to enjoyment of 'the view'. Rather, once the tourist reached destinations such as Genoa, Venice or Naples, they were better able to enjoy the spectacular scenery boasted by these regions. The climate of Italy was also a major draw for the tourist. The warmth of Rome and the sea climes of Naples were welcome respites from the rains and grey drab of Britain; although in the winter the Northern routes were covered by snowfall and subject to the threat of avalanche. In the spring the traveller must be aware of the threat of malaria. Even with these obstacles, the traveller was nonetheless was likely to experience no real threat from the weather or road and sea conditions

Tourists were nonetheless enthralled with the plethora of descriptions detailing the offerings of Italian culture. Books, such as the one written by Jerome Richard (Description historique et critique de l'Italie (1766)) offered detailed and lyrical accountings of the offerings of Italy to the discriminate traveler. Lady Elizabeth Webster often enthused on the merits of the artistic and literary accomplishments of the Italians to all and sundry. She spoke of a time while visiting Pasestum; the temples that she had viewed were "precisely what I had conceived them to be from the drawings I had seen". The Italians were indeed prolific in their painting and poetry and other art forms. Lesser quality guidebooks often gave indications to the tourist in regards to points of interest they might wish to visit and locations where they might find vendors willing to ply the tourist with artifacts and souvenirs as reminders of their visits to the region. Often goods on offer were of poor quality and the vendors were of lesser stature, some even considered undesirable and unscrupulous, and were to be rigorously avoided at all times by the Grand Tourist.

The artisans of the country were indeed a major drawing power in bringing the eager tourist to Italy. It was expected that the traveler would not only return home well versed in the arts and with a substantial grouping of treasures and trinkets, including paintings and portraiture, sculpture, and antiquities. The paintings of such Italian artists as Carlevaris and Canaletto were commissioned by and highly sought after by many of the travelers. The beauty of the Italian landscape also gave inspiration to a number of British artisans, including Cozens, Hamilton, Reynolds and Towne, who painted many lovely landscapes and watercolours that graced the walls of their homes. Copies of the masterpieces of Reni and Van Dyck were also authorised by Tourists. Portraiture was also a popular memento for the traveler to being back to Britain. There was a certain pleasure in seeing one's self immortalized for the generations that follow. The works of Masucci, Trevisani, Mengs and Batoni were among the most prolific artists of this genre. Batoni, in particular, painted in excess of 150 portraits.

The customs and cuisine of Italy were of great contrast to the norms of the British experience. In Italy, new tastes, texture and spices bombarded the British palette. Lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti, and rigatoni, the staple pasta dishes of the area were met with equal amounts of fear and excitement that comes with the advent of something new and unusual to a somewhat limited culinary diet, as was the custom of British kitchens. Bread and wines were served with the afternoon and evening meals, along with the starter of antipasto and the ending of a dessert such as gelato. Porcupine, pigeon, sausage, frog and snail were the usual meats of the Italian diet. The Italian custom of taking a large meal in the afternoon gave the tourist the opportunity to socialize with the Italian populace and learn more of their surrounding. When the tourist retired to his accommodation, a clean room, a comfortable bed and pleasing service. While this was the case, there were areas of Italy that failed to meet up with the standards expected by the affluent Grand Tourist.

Visits to the cities of Italy were mainstays of the Grand tour palette. Of all the cities that the Grand Tourist could visit, Rome, with its stunning architecture, ornate piazza's, beautiful fountains, religious prominence and refined sense of artistic development; and Naples, with its superb bay and the environs of Mount Vesuvius offer complete disparity to each other in drawing the visit of the grand tourist. Rome was the centerpiece of Italian culture and the glitterati of the era, while Thomas Pelham stated his letter of 3 May 1777 that while Naples had no 'opera or public amusements', the beauty of the area would more than occupy his time. Rome offered the opportunity to be educated by gifted artisans, to dine on delicacies and drink of the region with distinguished company in opulent surrounding, to attended galas of the opera and theatre, and enjoy high status accommodation. Naples on the other hand offered little artistic pursuits, only minimal accommodations and ambrosia, and a minor royal court. However, even when the vast differences of Italians cities are taken into account, it is quite apparent why each city was considered a necessity to include on the grand tourist's itinerary.

Genoa offered access to art, and activities at the royal court, although in lord Clinton felt that the activities of village wives cast moral aspersions and impunity, which would be displeasing to tourists of the female persuasion. Milan boasted a society of welcoming people and a particularly good opera. Venice, with its Grand Canal and its rather sublime and understated architecture, drew the travellers with such charming activities as the carnival of the feast of the ascension.

Florence, apart from Rome, was arguably the city of which the artistic excellence of Italy abounded. The paintings and sculptures of Florence were of a grand nature, prompting Lord John Pelham Clinton to convey his disappointment of paintings, but to regale the sculptures, which "infinitely exceeded my expectations." Clinton thought that even if a person with little knowledge of art could judge the sculptures of Florence with "more exactness then he can of painting, as the faults or the beauties (of sculpture) are more striking."

The country was also one of the safer of the grand tourist's experience. It was relatively free from both internal troubles and the reaches of international conflicts. There was a possibility of war internally in the1730s, but the travellers continued to enter the country. The Spanish Inquisition brought the military to the whole of Italy, but concentrated in Rome generally. The governments of the latter 18^th century posed some problems to the tourists, but this did not place exceptional curtailment of activities or travel, so the experience was not adversely affected.

Italy was one of the most important, if not the most significant country to be visited by the grand tourist. The grandeur of the Alps, the waterfalls and rivers, the bay if Lerici, the tempestuous caldron of Mount Vesuvius were the perennial favourites of the tourists caught up in the glory of the geological wonders of the Italian landscape. The aesthetic richness of the arts and artisans, the architecture, food and wines all served to enhance and enrich the cultural status of the traveler on his return home and served him well throughout his life. The opportunity to increase art collections, to acquire antiquities, and to learn at the feet of the masters gave the tourist a certain cache in Britain as 'worldly and well traveled' individual. The variety of opportunities offered in the various cities of the country further augmented the knowledge and insight gained on the tour of Italy.

This was a land of contrasts. It offered the tourist the ability to learn from man and nature, to expose themselves to a culture of passion and intellect, of purpose and pride. A few lines contained in a poem, the Casa Guidi Windows, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning perhaps sum up Italy best; and give testament to why Italy was so important to the Grand Tourist of Britain.

"Of such a nimble bird to sky from perch
Must leave the whole bush in a tremble green
And that the heart of Italy must beat
While such a voice had leave to rise serene"