Travel

James Byres settled in Rome in the 1750s and lived in the Eternal City for over thirty years, at a time when the Grand Tour reached its height of popularity. Working as a guide, antiquarian, art dealer and architect, Byres rapidly became a key player in Rome’s artistic, cultural and social life.

In 1782, John Ramsay undertook a journey to Italy with his father Allan, King George III’s Painter in Ordinary. Their tour lasted two years and for the entire duration of their stay, John Ramsay kept a diary in which he recorded his busy social life and shared his experience of practices of sociability in Italian cities.

Cette notice explore les différents réseaux de sociabilité autour de la figure de Lord Byron dans les domaines artistique, sentimental et politique en retraçant les différentes étapes de son parcours à travers l’Europe. Depuis ses relations amicales nouées sur le sol britannique avec de jeunes prodiges de la littérature romantique (P.B Shelley, Mary Shelley…) jusqu’aux rencontres sentimentales sur les rivages vénitiens et les affinités politiques autour du combat pour l’indépendance grecque, la vie de Byron s’enrichit de réseaux tissés à l’échelle européenne.

Stefan Zanović (1751-1786), a native of Budua (Venetian Albania), is most often remembered as an eighteenth-century impostor and adventurer who was at the centre of many a scandal. However, Zanović was also a prolific writer in several languages.

As British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples between 1764 and 1800, Sir William welcomed guests from across Europe. He showed them his vast collections of antiquities, accompanied them to excavation sites, and shared with them his passion for vulcanology. Different forms of entertainment were also organized for them. His first wife Catherine organized concerts, and his second wife Emma performed her Attitudes and danced the tarantella in front of assembled guests. In another set of performances, young boys splashed naked in the waters in front of his villa.