 
|
If you had been a nobleman in the 18th century, you would have completed your education with a period of European travel. This so-called Grand Tour could last from a few months to 8 years, thus only the very wealthy, with the time and means to travel, could participate. By undertaking the Tour, young men learned about the politics, culture, and art of neighboring lands. |
|
The primary destination of the Grand Tour was Italy, with its heritage of ancient Roman monuments. 18th-century taste revered the art and culture of the ancients. The British, in particular, were lured to Italy by their admiration of antiquity and their desire to see firsthand such monuments of ancient civilization as the Colosseum in Rome, and such wonders of nature as the volcanic eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, near Naples. |
|
Visit Italy in the 18th century at three new Getty exhibitions . . . and take your own Grand Tour now by following this virtual itinerary. |  |
|
|
|
|
