For women the Grand Tour was unquestionably an opportunity for cultural refinement and entertainment, but also a crucial existential episode, often embodying a dramatic gesture of emancipation. Relating their travel experiences, 18th century ladies and later bourgeois women – including Anne-Marie du Boccage, Madame de Staël, and Mary Shelley – tell romantic love stories, as well as intrigues worthy of a gothic novel, against the backdrop of natural and artistic landscapes that stand out due to their glowing indifference. As Sydney Morgan and Anna Jameson have shown, women travellers display a special sensitivity that penetrates the most hidden folds of a country and allows them to listen without prejudice to its voices, explore its political conditions, customs and habits, and discover its inestimable riches.

Attilio Brilli is a major expert on travel literature; his books have been translated into several languages.