“In istato di sapere senza l’altrui aiuto”: Periegetic Literature as a Means of Constructing the Identity of Rome between the 17th and 19th Centuries
 

Alessio Ciannarella

For centuries, guidebooks have aided pilgrims and foreigners in discovering Rome’s historical, artistic and religious heritage. How did these books influence the visitors’ perception of the city? What role did the periegetic literature play in the process of constructing and promoting Rome’s identity between the 17th and 19th centuries? The present research aims to reflect on these issues by analyzing the criteria adopted by authors in writing guidebooks. For this purpose, the project includes the elaboration of a digital map, which, using a geographic information system (GIS), will make it possible to compare routes that were suggested, buildings that were described, and views that were reproduced in the main guidebooks to Rome. Establishing what were the peculiar characteristics of these volumes also proves essential for understanding how the visiting experience has evolved over the centuries, especially between the 18th and 19th century, when the ancien régime traveler gradually gives way to the modern tourist.