University of Malta. Institute of Anglo-Italian Studies
Abstract
Before the nineteenth century, the Grand Tour had been 'an indispensable
form of education for young men in the higher ranks of society' -a
traditional rite of passage for all those who wished to complete their
Bildung. Upper- and middle-class Victorians still held this conviction.
The Mediterranean, in particular, was a favourite destination for their
journeys. Both the common traveller and the budding artist were encouraged
to visit Southern lands, whose natural beauties and artistic heritage
were expected to widen their cultural horizon. The most popular destination
for artists was Italy. Cities like Rome, Florence and Naples offered
precious opportunities to study Classical and Renaissance architecture,
sculpture and painting. The close link between Italy and artistic initiation
is suggested, among others, by Attilio Brilli, who mentions Giacomo
Barri's Viaggio pittorico (1671) and its English equivalent, The Painter's
Voyage to Italy by William Lodge (1679), as compulsory readings for
the Grand Tourist.peer-reviewe
