Journeys Made to Measure
Bespoke journeys were undertaken by a number of people who planned their visit to Italy in order to fulfill a precise and limited purpose. They came there to find documents and vestiges of the past, or to meet well-known figures.
Did they look at their surroundings? Some did, and some did not. But they did present a very complete picture of the state of their own professional sectors in Italy. And these sectors were principally the world of theater, and opera in particular, an area in which Italy was the undisputed master in Europe during the 17th century , and that of science.
Traces of these worlds can be found more or less everywhere in travelers' accounts. This is especially true of the former, owing to its general appeal and the fact that it played a dominant part in social life and one in which even foreigners could take part.