{"id":36050,"date":"2024-05-16T18:18:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T16:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=267343"},"modified":"2024-05-16T19:32:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T17:32:57","slug":"the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grand Tour: a rite of passage for Europe\u2019s elite"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wealthy Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries often embarked on a Grand Tour, just like Colin Bridgerton in the latest series of Netflix\u2019s sumptuous Regency-era drama Bridgerton. But what was it, and why was it such a cultural phenomenon? <\/p>

By Danny Bird\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 16 May 2024 at 16:18 PM<\/p>

\n\n

During the late 16th century, a cultural phenomenon emerged among Europe\u2019s elite: the Grand Tour.<\/p>\n

Essentially a long excursion around the continent\u2019s ancient locations, the Grand Tour would endure for over three centuries and become a rite of passage for (typically) young male aristocrats, capping off an education steeped in reverence for the Classical world.<\/p>\n

Its zenith was during the 18th century, whereupon it gradually waned throughout the 19th century.<\/p>\n

How did the Grand Tour get its name?<\/h2>\n

Richard Lassels, a Roman Catholic priest, coined the term \u2018Grand Tour\u2019 in his 1670 travelogue, The Voyage of Ital<\/em>y \u2013 although the tradition began decades earlier.<\/p>\n

Who went on the Grand Tour?<\/h2>\n

The archetypal Grand Tourist was a young man of means and leisure, well-versed in Greek and Latin literature and possessing a keen interest in art.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by a tutor, British Grand Tourists often travelled by horse-drawn coach for days, before arriving in Dover and waiting for favourable weather conditions in which to cross the English Channel.<\/p>\n

Inigo Jones, the celebrated architect, embarked on one of the earliest recorded tours in 1613\u201314. His experiences in Italy influenced his aesthetic, evident in projects like the Queen\u2019s House in Greenwich, and revolutionised the trajectory of British architecture.<\/p>\n

\"Inigo\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Inigo Jones, English architect, was one of the earliest known people to take a Grand Tour \u2013 even though he wouldn\u2019t have called it that at the time (Photo by Universal History Archive\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Cities of the Grand Tour: what was the route?<\/h2>\n

Alighting at Le Havre in France, Grand Tourists usually converged with their peers from other countries in Paris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The onward journey south would either entail traversing the alpine Mount Cenis Pass or going via the sea from Marseilles.<\/p>\n

Italy, with its rich artistic and architectural heritage, was the ultimate destination. Cities like Venice, Florence<\/a>, Rome<\/a> and Naples captivated visitors with their famed histories, artistic treasures and ancient ruins.<\/p>\n

Itineraries could vary, with destinations evolving over time to include places like Herculaneum<\/a>, Pompeii<\/a>, Sicily and Athens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Take your own Grand Tour with History\u2019s greatest cities<\/h4>\n

Member exclusive |<\/strong> In this HistoryExtra podcast series, travel journalist and history fan Paul Bloomfield virtually roams the streets and sites of great metropolises in the company of a series of expert historian guides.<\/p>\n

Listen to all episodes now<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p><\/div>

\"Cities<\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/section>

What did Grand Tourists hope to gain from the experience?<\/h2>\n

As the odyssey unfolded, the impressionable travellers \u2013 in many cases, the future governing class of their respective homelands \u2013 were also expected to acquire a knowledge of Europe\u2019s political, philosophical and economic trends.<\/p>\n

But the Grand Tour was not only a scholarly undertaking: it was also an assertion of independence and status. Stopovers like Venice, with its gambling houses and revelry, dazzled pleasure seekers.<\/p>\n

Guides, known as \u2018cicerones\u2019, accompanied many Grand Tourists, offering both cultural insights and chaperoning, while popular artworks by the likes of Canaletto and Piranesi were snapped up as desirable souvenirs of the Continent\u2019s resonant vistas and landmarks.<\/p>\n

For many young Europeans, the Grand Tour was more than an excursion; it was a mission undertaken in pursuit of national service, so as to enrich their country\u2019s culture and standing.<\/p>\n

Surviving letters and diaries provide invaluable glimpses into the experiences of Grand Tourists, revealing their impression of European culture \u2013 something that was often reflected in the lasting impact it had on the design of their estates back home.<\/p>\n

When did the Grand Tour decline?<\/h2>\n

By the late 18th century, the tradition of the Grand Tour was interrupted by the French Revolution<\/a> and the Napoleonic Wars<\/a>, only to resume following Napoleon<\/a>\u2019s downfall in 1815.<\/p>\n

The advent of railways<\/a> in the mid-19th century began to democratise travel as a leisure pursuit, making it more accessible and marketable to the burgeoning middle class, bringing the era of the Grand Tour to an end.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wealthy Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries often embarked on a Grand Tour, just like Colin Bridgerton in the latest series of Netflix\u2019s sumptuous Regency-era drama Bridgerton. But what was it, and why was it such a cultural phenomenon? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":36051,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite.jpg",620,414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite.jpg",620,414,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite.jpg",620,414,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite.jpg",620,414,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/05\/the-grand-tour-a-rite-of-passage-for-europes-elite.jpg",620,414,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wealthy Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries often embarked on a Grand Tour, just like Colin Bridgerton in the latest series of Netflix\u2019s sumptuous Regency-era drama Bridgerton. But what was it, and why was it such a cultural phenomenon?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/36050"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}