The Grand Tour

by Mike Rendell

17th March, 2022

£8.99 ~~£8.99~~ Save 0% | Paperback

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An introduction to the raucous yet educational 'gap year' tours of Europe taken by wealthy British aristocrats in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. For many young eighteenth-century aristocrats, the Grand Tour was an essential rite of passage. Spending many months travelling established routes through France and Italy, they would visit the great cultural sites of western Europe - from Paris, through to Venice, Florence and Rome - ostensibly absorbing art, architecture and culture. Yet all too often, it was a gateway to gambling and debauchery. In this beautifully illustrated guide, Mike Rendell shows how the tour reached its zenith, examining the young tourists' activities and how they acquired 'polish' and an appreciation for fashion, opera and classical antiquity. He also explores their passion for souvenirs and art collecting, and how these items made their way back to grand country houses, which were themselves often modelled to the rules of classical European architecture. Mike Rendell has written on a range of eighteenth-century topics, including a dozen books about the gentry, the age of piracy, and sexual scandals. Based in Dorset, UK, he also travels extensively giving talks on various aspects of the Georgian era.

Details & Specs

Series: Shire library

Author: Mike Rendell

Publisher: Shire Publications

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781784424954

Publication Date: 17th March, 2022

Pages: 64

Dimensions: 210 x 149 x 6 mm

Notes: illustrations

Availability: Available, usually dispatched within 4 days

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