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Variations in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Changes in preferences

Over the long period of time that the vogue for the journey to Italy lasted, the ideological and cultural motivations of travelers were continually changing. This evolution was automatically reflected in the preferences shown for the Italian cities to be visited. These swings in destinations and interests stemmed from shifts in taste and the fact that, for example, people began to want to explore not just Renaissance Italy, but also that of the Middle Ages .

So we can legitimately compile a list of preferences that will reflect the evolution of taste between the 17th and 18th century . Cesare De Seta has presented a similar table, clearly of use as a guide, based on a comparison between the writings of Misson (1688) and those of Lalande (1765), whose Voyages were the most representative and closely followed texts of each century (De Seta, 1982).

The 17th century

In the 17th century the most favored city was Rome (which was never to lose its position at the top of the list) and the next Venice, both destined to grow in popularity. Third, but some way behind, came Naples, followed by Bologna whose popularity, on the contrary, was doomed to fade. Only at this point did Florence enter the list, struggling to make an impact in a century dominated by the allure of baroque culture. The smaller centers came much lower down, but Pisa and Lucca already stood out. There were two exceptions that attracted large numbers of people: Loreto for its sanctuary and Pozzuoli for its ancient ruins.

The 18th century

In the 18th century the geography of Italy seemed to grow more complex and mutable: intermediate stages became more popular and the itinerary was extended to Naples and beyond. In the shifting of balances the capital assumed even greater importance and at the same time Venice went into partial eclipse. The rationalism and severity of Enlightenment culture played a role in warning people off the city's Byzantine splendors. Second place was now occupied by Naples, considered the only great European capital in Italy; Bologna's position had worsened sharply, partly as a result of the decline in the university's prestige; cultured and refined Florence and enlightened Turin were experiencing a boom that would prove unstoppable; the small centers and, in Tuscany, the cities of Siena, Pisa and Lucca assumed a certain significance. In the background but still present were Livorno, Cortona and Arezzo.

The cultural climate of the Age of Enlightenment found its ideal terrain at Pompeii and in the paintings preserved at Portici. The ideas of the new culture gradually transformed «the last stage of the journey (Naples) into the pinnacle of a new journey […]. The traditional route of the Grand Tour had inverted its highpoints: no longer Venice and Florence, but the Rome-Naples axis was the preferred itinerary of the journey to Italy in the second half of the 18th century» (De Seta, 1982).

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