The Royal Society And The Discovery Of The Two Sicilies: Southern Routes In The Grand Tour (italian And Italian American Studies)
by Manuela D'Amore /
2017 / English / PDF
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This book illuminates a lesser-known aspect of the British history
of travel in the Enlightenment: that of the Royal Society’s special
contribution to the “discovery” of the south of Italy in the age of
the Grand Tour. By exploring primary source journal entries of
philosophy and travel, the book provides evidence of how the
Society helped raise the Fellows’ curiosity about the Mediterranean
and encouraged travel to the region by promoting cultural events
there and establishing fruitful relations with major Italian
academic institutions. They were especially devoted to revealing
the natural and artistic riches of the Bourbon Kingdom from 1738 to
1780, during which the Roman city of Herculaneum was discovered and
Vesuvius and Etna were actively eruptive. Through these examples,
the book draws attention to the role that the Royal Society played
in establishing cultural networks in Italy and
beyond. Tracing a complex path starting in Restoration times,
this new insight into discourse on learned travel contributes to a
more challenging vision of Anglo-Italian relations in the
Enlightenment.
This book illuminates a lesser-known aspect of the British history
of travel in the Enlightenment: that of the Royal Society’s special
contribution to the “discovery” of the south of Italy in the age of
the Grand Tour. By exploring primary source journal entries of
philosophy and travel, the book provides evidence of how the
Society helped raise the Fellows’ curiosity about the Mediterranean
and encouraged travel to the region by promoting cultural events
there and establishing fruitful relations with major Italian
academic institutions. They were especially devoted to revealing
the natural and artistic riches of the Bourbon Kingdom from 1738 to
1780, during which the Roman city of Herculaneum was discovered and
Vesuvius and Etna were actively eruptive. Through these examples,
the book draws attention to the role that the Royal Society played
in establishing cultural networks in Italy and
beyond. Tracing a complex path starting in Restoration times,
this new insight into discourse on learned travel contributes to a
more challenging vision of Anglo-Italian relations in the
Enlightenment.