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Travels to Tuscany & Northern Lazio

Il libro è basato sulle descrizioni dei viaggi intrapresi nella seconda metà del XVIII° secolo dal Cardinale Henry Stuart, Duca di York. Nelle estati del 1763 e 1764 il Cardinale ed il suo seguito passarono 50 giorni girando per le varie città toscane -Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Firenze, sconfinando a Bologna- dove ammiravano palazzi, giardini e collezioni di rarità.. Poiché il Cardinal-Duca era un gran collezionista d'arte e di libri, sono elencati dettagliatamente i quadri, le sculture, le biblioteche e le iscrizioni latine viste durante le peregrinazioni. Nell'ottobre del 1776 il Cardinale fu per due settimane ospite del vescovo di Viterbo e visitò tanti siti della Tuscia: Bagnaia, Montefiascone, Vetralla, Ronciglione , Caprarola, Civita Castellana e Orvieto. Strumento di studio, di curiosità, il libro di Mary Jane Cryan avvicina il pubblico a un resoconto di viaggio finora inedito, e per di più lo fa rivolgendosi a lettori inglesi e italiani al contempo, riportando il diario in lingua originale e in traduzione. Il volume costituisce anche una preziosa testimonianza di molte opere d’arte purtroppo oggi scomparse.

This historical «on the road» is based on the travel diaries of Henry Cardinal Stuart and other historic travellers to central Italy.
A precious instrument for art students, historians who like to travel and for travellers who enjoy history, this book shows what Tuscany and northern Lazio were like in the 1700s.
-Rare, previously unknown descriptions of towns, travel and life in 18th century Italy. -Valuable primary sources for scholars and a compelling blueprint for today’s travellers, leading us to re-discover forgotten monasteries, villas, spas, and art treasures that are usually overlooked by modern travellers.
-Discover what Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Bologna were like in the summer of 1763. The 1764 voyage included Florence where the Cardinal admired palazzi, churches, villas and gardens.

…A fascinating picture of a royal progress … the reader is tempted to jump on the next plane to Rome and retrace the Cardinal’s footsteps, book in hand.
A book that will be welcomed by anyone interested in the Stuarts, in 18th century travel in Italy, in Catholic ritual and in the relatively little-known area of northern Lazio. The author also gives thumbnail sketches of the towns for the present-day visitor. There are excellent footnotes, a glossary, a bibliography and a list of websites. The book is beautifully illustrated with a mix of contemporary engravings, photographs, sketches and maps by Justin Bradshaw.
Jane Clark, Royal Stuart Review 2005

-A glimpse of 18th century travel as experienced by high ranking ecclesiastical authorities and noblemen. The heart of this thoroughly researched and well- documented book is a travel diary kept by Don Giovanni Landò, secretary to Cardinal Henry Stuart, Duke of York who made three trips to Tuscany and Northern Lazio-- Cryan has done a fine, very readable translation of Landò’s prose.
-Not just a specialist’s book. The diary’s minimalist portrayal of ordinary life will exert its fascination on modern day travelers. Departure times and arrivals are meticulously noted and we learn how long it took to ride from one post station to another. There are descriptions of churches visited and of the treasures and reliquaries they contain, as well as of the sumptuous food served at banquets -- the Cardinal enjoyed game, gelati and chocolate. Gifts given and received are recorded — money, jewels, and food.
In addition to the text of Landò’s diary, previously unpublished in any language ( the second part of the book contains the full text in Italian) Cryan provides a wealth of historical information to help set the scene: maps of the Cardinal’s itineraries, old prints of the areas visited, period illustrations of vestments and clothing, even a bill for the repair of a carriage. She explains how to tell time using the antique Italian system, and how to convert antique measuring units into meters. She lists by name the 76 members of the Cardinal’s traveling party, which included sweepers, porters, stableboys, a doctor, wardrobe attendants, cooks, and musicians and provides a list of prices for basic necessities from the local grocer. These practical details, often overlooked by studies of larger canvas, are the stuff of historical reconstruction which allow the reader to have more tangible sense of daily life in a remote era.
A brief chapter of other travelers to the area completes the volume, along with a description of the places visited on the Cardinal’s three journeys as they are today.

Mary Jane Cryan makes her home in Vetralla, a town in Tuscia, a unique corner of Italy, nestled between Rome and Tuscany in the rustic and unspoiled natural setting of the Cimini Hills. Thoroughly acquainted with the history and culture of the area, she has dedicated a decade to ferreting out its hidden history. Lying between the greater area of Rome and the Val d’Orcia, the towns of the Tuscia have always served an important function as rest stops along the old pilgrims’ road to Rome. Kings, cardinals, pilgrims, intellectuals, writers and painters - from Turner to M.C. Escher, from Edith Wharton to D.H. Lawrence, have trod these roads. In retracing the steps of travelers throughout history to the Tuscia , Cryan has helped fill in a blank space on the map of the Grand Tour, for much documentation still lies buried in archives. Her books are a mine of information, anecdotes, and curiosities for all those interested in delving deeper into the history the area.
Prof. Linda Lappin, Tuscia University

As well as giving an insight into 18th century travel, the diaries contain invaluable information about 18th-century dress, church ritual and a cardinal’s routine. Churches and towns visited are described with great detail. Of special note are those of Orvieto and Florence and the Uffizzi gallery. The author, who is an historian and journalist, gives informative annotations – for example, as to whether churches and families mentioned still exist – allowing the modern reader to link past with present.
Wanted in Rome, Oct 2004

“With this edition of the travel diaries of Henry Cardinal Duke of York, the author offers a precious, new instrument for understanding the cultural patrimony of Tuscany and the Viterbo areas in the 18th century”.
Prof. Carlo Tedeschi - University of Venice

“..very clear and evocative…an excellent work…an important revelation for curious travelers and historians”.
Prof. Maurizio Ascari – University of Bologna

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