Visitors to Verona
Lovers, Gentlemen and Adventurers
Published on 9. December 2016
Book
Hardback
282 pages
978-1-78453-647-3 (ISBN)
Description
Even before the advent of mass tourism, Verona was a popular destination for travellers, including those undertaking the popular 'Grand Tour' across Europe. In this book, Caroline Webb compares the experiences of travellers from the era of Shakespeare to the years following the incorporation of the Veneto into the new kingdom of Italy in 1866. She considers their reasons for visiting Verona as well as their experiences and expectations once they arrived. The majority of English visitors between 1670 and 1760 were young members of the aristocracy, accompanied by tutors, who arrived on their way to or from Rome, as part of a 'Grand Tour' intended to 'finish' their classical education. With the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the eighteenth century, and the resultant increasing wealth of the upper middle classes, the number of visitors to Verona increased although this tourism was derailed once Napoleon invaded Italy in the late 1790s. After 1815 and the allied victory at Waterloo there was a new flood of visitors, previously deprived of the opportunity of continental travel during the Napoleonic wars.
As the nineteenth century progressed, especially with the arrival of the railway, an increasing number of visitors appeared from across Europe and even from across the Atlantic, keen to explore the fabled city of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In comparing a myriad of varied accounts, this book provides an unrivalled perspective on the history of one of Italy's most seductive cities.
As the nineteenth century progressed, especially with the arrival of the railway, an increasing number of visitors appeared from across Europe and even from across the Atlantic, keen to explore the fabled city of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In comparing a myriad of varied accounts, this book provides an unrivalled perspective on the history of one of Italy's most seductive cities.
Reviews / Votes
'Visitors to Verona is a rich compendium of travellers' impressions of Verona in the 18th and 19th century. It is lively, amusing and extremely instructive as to the checkered history of the city (for example, its conditions under French and Austrian occupation), thus reminding us of how much Verona has endured. (The 20th century was to be no less dramatic.) From Shakespeare to Napoleon, from Dickens to James and Ruskin - the characters and comments in this book are endlessly fascinating. After reading it we very much want to return to Verona with renewed interest and knowledge. Caroline Webb has done a service to the visitor who wants to appreciate more deeply all that Verona means and has meant to its citizens and guests.' - Massimo Bacigalupo, Professor of American Literature at the University of Genoa, 'This is a richly informative cornucopia of travel accounts of one of Italy's most fascinating cities. '- Edward Chaney, Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts at Southampton Solent University, 'This book is a delight to read and provides a charming and fresh picture of Verona's daily life in past centuries. The author combines facts and travellers' accounts with masterly skill in a cohesive and lively framework.' - Professor Giandemetrio Marangoni, Universities of Verona & Lugano, 'Visitors to Verona brings together a fascinating collection of writings, offering all kinds of insights into the national characters of both the Italians and the British, how they changed over centuries of travel and tourism and how each reacted to the other, whether with prejudice or admiration, or both. It's an intriguing slice of history and rich food for thought. Those who want to go that way will find Brexit in the making.' - Tim Parks, Author of Italian Neighbours and A Season with Verona, 'The author has certainly discovered a great many reactions to Verona, most of which are unfamiliar to me and many very amusing and enlightening. She writes fluently and with assurance about the historical background.' - Sheila Hale, Author of Verona and Titian: his lifeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
22 colour in 8pp plates, 2 maps
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
560 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78453-647-3 (9781784536473)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2016
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€27.49
Available for download
E-Book
12/2016
I.B. Tauris
€27.49
Available for download
Person
Caroline Webb graduated in History from the University of London and read Italian and Art History in Cambridge and Verona. She has worked as a historical researcher and teacher and is co-author of The Earl and His Butler in Constantinople: The Secret Diary of an English Servant among the Ottomans (I.B.Tauris, 2008).
Content
Plan of Verona
Preface
1 The aims of travel
2 The practicalities of travel
3 Accommodation and food in the city
4 L'Arena di Verona
5 Travellers' opinions of the city
6 The city's civic architecture
7 The Veronesi
8 The French occupation
9 The Austrian occupation
10 Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
11 Scipione Maffei
12 Verona's many churches
13 San Zeno Maggiore
14 Religion through tourists' eyes
15 The Scaligeri monuments
16 Piazza Erbe
17 The Giusti gardens
18 Local artists and aristocratic 'collections'
19 Music and theatre
20 Matters of health
21 Visitors' views on local agriculture and industry
22 The dress of local people
23 How the English saw the Italians
Postscript
Appendix 1 A history time-line
Appendix 2 Biographical notes
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
Preface
1 The aims of travel
2 The practicalities of travel
3 Accommodation and food in the city
4 L'Arena di Verona
5 Travellers' opinions of the city
6 The city's civic architecture
7 The Veronesi
8 The French occupation
9 The Austrian occupation
10 Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
11 Scipione Maffei
12 Verona's many churches
13 San Zeno Maggiore
14 Religion through tourists' eyes
15 The Scaligeri monuments
16 Piazza Erbe
17 The Giusti gardens
18 Local artists and aristocratic 'collections'
19 Music and theatre
20 Matters of health
21 Visitors' views on local agriculture and industry
22 The dress of local people
23 How the English saw the Italians
Postscript
Appendix 1 A history time-line
Appendix 2 Biographical notes
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index