Iconografia della basilica di San Lorenzo fuuori le mura analisi di alcune acqueforti realizzate nell'ambito del Grand Tour

Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, many men of religion were fascinated by Italy and “migrated” to the country; this trend was spontaneously emulated by others who, either alone or in groups, began to travel to Italy, even at the risk of their own lives. Generally speaking, from the second half of the sixteenth century, this consolidated Italian myth turned into an intellectual experience for every cultured European. This kind of journey was not just a personal experience for those who undertook it, it played a key role in changing people’s tastes in the native countries of the tourists; in fact, these cultural journeys had an “outbound” effect which affected the travelers and an “ inbound” effect which spread like wildfire thanks to the souvenirs they brought back with them to their home country. This two-way flow was further enhanced by the travel diaries and collections they inspired: the former let those who did not make the journey experience the traveller’s feelings and emotions firsthand, while the latter are a sort of status symbol for the upper classes in Europe illustrating the history of Italy for all those who see them. Of all the objects that tourists bought as a memento of their journey, etchings were one of the most popular thanks to their pedagogical and didactic nature as well as their physical qualities. The study of St. Lawrence outside the Walls examined several of these works made between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries to obtain information about the representational model, the graphic quality of the drawings and the architectural designs which can be gleaned from the compositional plan of the Basilica and how its style changed over the years.