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Written Camposanto

The Pisan Cemetery through the Eyes of Chroniclers, Artists and Travelers

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Category: English

Charles-Louis de Montesquieu (1689-1755), Voyage en Italie (c. 1730)

Charles-Louis de Montesquieu, better known today as a political philosopher, was also a judge and a writer. Besides practicing the law, he devoted himself to studying and writing. By the 1720s, he became an established writer and thinker, and in 1728 he embarked on a grand tour of Europe. Voyage en Italie was written in…Continue reading Charles-Louis de Montesquieu (1689-1755), Voyage en Italie (c. 1730)

Pero Tafur (c. 1410-c. 1484), Andanças é viajes (c. 1453/54)

Pero Tafur (c. 1410 –c. 1484) was a nobleman from a Castilian family who participated in military campaigns of the Reconquista before he undertook a long journey around the Mediterrenean and across several parts of central Europe and Italy between 1436 and 1439. Although he visited Jerusalem and Palestine in the first part of his…Continue reading Pero Tafur (c. 1410-c. 1484), Andanças é viajes (c. 1453/54)

John Boyle (1707-1762), Letters from Italy (1754/1773)

John Boyle’s book is a collection of letters, just like many travel accounts of his time. Interestingly, his letter starts from Lyons, France and ends with annecdotes from Florence without mentioning Rome or other Italian cities. As 5th earl of Cork, it seems that he was in connection with distinguished members of the society during…Continue reading John Boyle (1707-1762), Letters from Italy (1754/1773)

Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), Travels through France and Italy (1765/1766)

Tobias Smollett was an acclaimed novelist of his time, known for his picaresque novels, a genre of fiction depicting the comedic and satiric adventures of a  lower-class protagonist. His gift for writing is also reflected in the Travels, which is a personal account that also provides factual information based on other guidebooks. Smollett traveled with his…Continue reading Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), Travels through France and Italy (1765/1766)

William Beckford (1759-1844), Dreams, Waking Thoughts and Incidents (1783)

William Beckford’s travelogue may be the most literary among the travel literature compiled for this blog. Beckford was a novelist, well-known for his Gothic novel Vathek, as well as an art collector. His book is composed of letters from different parts of Europe, written as he traveled. Letter XV describes him arriving from Lucca and…Continue reading William Beckford (1759-1844), Dreams, Waking Thoughts and Incidents (1783)

Thomas Nugent, The Grand Tour (1749)

Thomas Nugent was an Irish historian who spent most his life in London. He was a well-read and well-travelled scholar. Thomas Nugent’s The Grand Tour demonstrates a change in the trend of the Grand Tour. As the full title of the book suggests (The Grand Tour. Containing an Exact Description of most of the Cities,…Continue reading Thomas Nugent, The Grand Tour (1749)

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