Vedute en reisliteratuur als doorkijkjes op Florence en Rome: van de Grand Tour tot nu

Abstract

When Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was finally able to visit in Italy in 1787, he spent time in Venice and Bologna on his way to Rome. But curiously, he only stopped in Florence for two hours, just about long enough to change horses. And looking at the number of early modern vedute (cityscape) paintings and prints that are available for those other cities compared to Florence, one starts to wonder why the Tuscan capital was getting so neglected by painters and Grand Tour travellers. Only in the 19th century does the visitation pattern start to change, and did Florence gain the popularity it has with travellers today. This article examines why this might be the case.