The phenomenon of the Grand Tour appeared in Great Britain at the end of the 17th century, beginning of the 18th century. It consisted of study trips throughout Europe to complete the learning acquired in academic institutions. This fashion was increased by British aristocratic families and gradually these practices were adopted by other countries such as France and Germany.
These excursions aimed to reinforce the education of students through numerous trips across Europe to acquire knowledge beyond what had been learned from books and manuals, as well as achieving a certain level of maturity and experience sufficient to embark on a new working life upon returning(Lavaur, 1987 pp. 73-80).
These trips had a primary destination: Italy. This place was understood as the cradle of arts, beauty and reason, associating it with the noble past that preceded it. Subsequently, this destination became even more exalted after the discovery of cities such as Pompeii and Herculaneum in the first half of the 1700s. These places, so attractive for the history they concealed behind their ruins, became exotic destinations for many travelers who visited them in the Vesuvius. It is because of this that this itinerary became the most acceptable route for students and tutors who accompanied them. Many of these routes began in the wealthy city of Paris, passing through other geographical areas until reaching Italy to visit cities such as Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan or Siena.
The fame that the Grand Tour achieved fostered numerous excursions, which were no longer just intended for study trips but also served as recreational activities for many nobles, who dedicated themselves to traveling around different parts of the world, and honeymoon tours were organized for the wealthiest members of society.
This new need spurred the creation of a new literary and artistic genre where many of these routes were used as objects of study at both geographical and global levels. As such, so-called «travel journals» began to be created, which are precursors to today's tourist guides.(López, 2015, pp. 106-115).
A good example is the book titled «Diary of a Journey to Italy» by Goethe in 1786, where he recounts his experiences during his trip to the Italian Peninsula. This fosters the development and understanding of classical art and culture. Also worth noting is Antonio Ponz's, «The Voyage of Spain», where this author from the 18th century narrates chronologically his journey along the Iberian borders. In its multiple volumes, he develops detailed descriptions of all the cities he visited as well as their towns, monuments, works of art, customs and traditions with the main objective of documenting the cultural and artistic wealth of Spain from an exotic perspective due to the Hispanic-Muslim substrate(López, 2015, pp. 106-115).
In addition to the literary boom, the experiences generated by the Grand Tour created a large market for the arts. For this reason, many artists from Italy began to build a substantial professional reputation. Some of these young adventurers wanted to bring back souvenirs that attested to their stay in Europe, so they turned to numerous artists.
Pompeo Batoni was the most sought after by foreigners upon their arrival to Italy for creating a series of portraits of these young people (we could say that it would be the antithesis of today's «selfie») and he gained widespread fame thanks to clients from Great Britain, Germany or France(G. M., 2022, pp. 1-2).
In these paintings, the subjects were often depicted alongside various elements that fell into the cliché of the Grand Tour, such as a map, a notebook or a book held between their hands, and also numerous Greek-Roman decorations such as columns, statues, sculptures and architectural remains behind a window, simulating various historical scenes of Italy.
Not only did this new artistic movement emerge but also what we now know as postcards. These small prints served as souvenirs for tourists who would visit artists specialized or «vedutisti» such as Piranesi, Panini or Canaletto to represent in miniature format archaeological remains, monuments or cities(Pié-Ninot et al., 2010, pp. 57-67).
The art market over time generalized the traffic of antiquities, where unscrupulous vendors would sell worthless pieces to tourists in the area. The fraud slowly grew as well as genuine artistic creations, causing parallelly numerous looting and illegal buying and selling making exceptional pieces the focus of antique dealers and merchants.
Numerous permits for exportation of works were created as well as other permits related to prior excavations , where many requests were accepted from Great Britain. From the Colosseum to the Roman Forum, Italy became a major center for exporting and looting in history. This erudite phenomenon ultimately led to a catastrophe for the conservation and protection of Italian heritage, understanding the Grand Tour as a true paradox of respect towards culture(Montoro, 2018, pp. 1-2).
Conclusions
The phenomenon of the Grand Tour led to modern tourism. This recreational activity allows one to know different countries, cultures and societies as well as various flavors, traditions and artistic manifestations. This solid and growing interest promoted by various companies that promote cultural dissemination can sometimes be considered one of the most destructive methods for current heritage.
While on one hand they offer a complete service regarding the visit and enjoyment of certain historical monuments as well as any monument B.I.C. (Bien de Interés Cultural) by promoting cultural, artistic and historical dissemination of each of our cities, they also generate what is known as «mass tourism», which can be toxic for our monuments and buildings.
With the increasing frequency of disrespect and destruction of numerous works of value by tourists eager to know and learn, as an art historian I advocate for sustainable and systematic tourism and propose a different kind of tourism, leaving outdated guides aside to establish a new perspective on streets, institutions, and artists that often go unnoticed in today's society.
Bibliography
Lavaur, L. (1987). The Grand Tour century (1715-1793). Studies in Tourism, 95, 73-110.
Martínez López, G. (2015). The Grand Tour: a review of an anthropological journey. Tourism Research Journal, 12, 106-120.
https://digitum.um.es/digitum/handle/10201/74429
Montoro, A. (October 1, 2018). The Grand Tour and the first tourists. Desperta Ferro Editions. https://www.despertaferro-ediciones.com/2018/grand-tour-y-los-primeros-turistas/
G. M., A. (January 18, 2022). The precursor of modern tourism. The Grand Tour, the 'Erasmus' of the 17th century. National Geographic History. https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/grand-tour-erasmus-siglo-xvii_17581
Pié-Ninot, R. et al. (2010). From the Grand Tour to mass tourism, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, pp. 57-67.
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