Italy, land of arts and culture. During the sixteenth century and later on, it was the privileged stage of a 'tour' that the young scions of the European aristocracy, artists, men of culture, began to take on a regular basis.
The 'tour' soon became a fad and it is also assigned an international words: The Grand Tour. The term tour clarifies how the fashion of this trip is specified in a 'round'.
The myth of Italy was what the first travellers were going to revere. In particular, they researched the myth of the open-air museum where the exorbitant amount of art, archaeological sites, the Renaissance, the theatres, the libraries, but also bright and sunny weather and whatever could help them to know about the beautiful cities of Italy.
One of the most protagonist of the Grand Tour was the writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He wrote a sort of diaries of this period called “Italian Journey” (Italienische Reise). Italian Journey only covers the first year of Goethe's visit.
Imagine now to retrace this historical tour through the magnificent culture of Italy like a scion during the Grand Tour, and start to visit the cities that have made this country famous all over the world. Starting from Milan, with its theatres, galleries and Gothic Cathedrals, to Venice, with the St. Mark’s gothic church, bridges, carnival, passing through Pisa and Florence, with their churches, museums, operas, and palaces, then discover the charm, antiquity, history, and culture of Rome and Naples that portrays the essence of Italian culture. Finally to successfully complete the Grand Tour the visit of Pompei and Ercolano and of the Sicilian Palermo were a must.
Milan
Venice
Pisa
Florence
Rome
Naples
Pompei
Palermo