Tales of the Grand Tour Trivia Quiz

Answer: Peace of Westphalia

People had been making religious pilgrimages to Rome for centuries by the 1600s; the trip, however, was full of peril, even for simple pilgrims who wanted to find redemption for their sins by visiting sacred areas and churches. After the successful completion of what is generally considered to have been the first Grand Tour by Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, and his family from 1613-14, it was not until after the signing of the Peace of Westphalia that traveling the continent became feasible for most. The Peace of Westphalia, signed in 1648, ended the Thirty Years' War and the Dutch Revolt against Spain, which had involved most of the European powers of the time through the intricate system of alliances, and created a safer climate for travelers who might want to do a bit of sightseeing.

In 1360 the Treaty of Brétigny, signed by the kings of England and France, created a temporary peace during the Hundred Years' War. The Peace of Augsburg (1555) was signed to end some of the religious conflicts caused by the Reformation. Signed in 1783, the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution.

Answer: John Locke

John Locke wrote numerous works during the Enlightenment involving thoughts on religion, religious toleration, and economics, and his ideas about government greatly influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States, among others. His 1690 work, "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding", however, was focused more on the idea of how people learn best. In Locke's opinion, the best way to gain knowledge is from sensory experience, an idea that is called empiricism. In other words, people learn best if they can see or otherwise personally experience situations. Consequently, traveling to other areas became an accepted way of being able to learn about the world and complete one's education. In addition, it was important to also share one's findings with the people who could not have the experience first hand.

David Hume and George Berkeley were both empiricists who were influenced by John Locke. "The Voyage of Italy", written by Richard Lassels in 1670, encouraged the wealthy young men of the day to tour Europe to be understand the world. He is credited with being the first to use the term Grand Tour.

Answer: Cicerone

According to the "Online Etymology Dictionary", the term cicerone originated in Italy in 1726. It was derived from the Latin "Ciceronem", a reference to the great orator Cicero, and referred to guides in Italy who took visitors to museums and gave talks about historic sites. The term was later sometimes applied also to guide books. Another term, "bear-leader" was also used, however, the bear-leader was more than a guide; he was also a tutor, who served as a guardian for one's safety. The well-known English architect, Inigo Jones, was the cicerone for the Thomas Howard family in 1613-14; he had been appointed by the king as the Surveyor of the King's Works and had a reputation for traveling abroad.

All of the other choices are synonyms for cicerone.

Answer: Drawing more accurate maps

Wealthy young gentlemen began their Grand Tour when they were about twenty-one years old. Viewed by many as a way to finish their education and become more knowledgeable about the world, the Grand Tour offered sights and sounds that could not be seen or heard in any other way.

As they passed through a vast variety of locations, travelers would also pick up artifacts, books, and works of art to bring home. Many would later display their collected treasures in their homes, which for some, became small museums, with galleries constructed for the sole purpose of displaying statues and other works that were brought home as souvenirs. Hopefully those taking the tour came back with a better understanding of the areas they had visited and knowledge of art, music, and literature; many, however, also found time to sample local varieties of spirits, gamble, and meet the local girls.

Answer: Letters of credit

Even though conflicts could be avoided as participants made their way through the cities of the Grand Tour, there were still dangers to avoid. Being robbed somewhere on the route was a definite reality, so carrying anything of value - even jewelry - was risky. On the other hand, because the trip could last 2-4 years, there had to be a way to finance expenses. Typically letters of credit from banks were carried that were then presented at cities on the Tour.

A letter of credit, a payment type that had been used for centuries in Europe, was issued by the participant's bank as a guarantee that there would be money to cover necessary payments.

In England so much money was spent abroad that concerns were aroused about all of the wealth that was leaving the country. Consequently, many politicians were opposed to the idea of a Grand Tour.

Answer: Macaroni

The use of the term "macaroni" dates back at least to 1590 (perhaps even to the Greek "makaria") for food that was made in Southern Italy ("maccheroni") from flour, cheese, and butter. Young men who took the Grand Tour had eaten macaroni while in Italy and developed a taste for it; it was, however, a virtually unknown food in England at the time. The term came to be used for men who dressed, spoke, and carried on with their lives in a rather eccentric way, rather overdoing it. They became members of the Macaroni Club and were essentially ridiculed by people when they returned home with these airs that some considered slightly feminine. And what about Yankee Doodle who stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni? The writer of the song, Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, was making a comment regarding young men who thought having a feather in their hat made them a macaroni.

The word darling is used to describe any dear person, while a dandy was a young man who was judged to be too preoccupied with his looks and the fashion of the day, albeit in a more masculine way than a macaroni. Taking the Grand Tour did not entitle one to a title such as esquire. Typically that title was given to the wealthy who served the monarchy in some way.

Answer: False

In one sense, many didn't think the Grand Tour was as necessary for the completion of a young woman's education as a young man's. Nevertheless, girls from aristocratic families could participate; sometimes they tagged along with their brothers or traveled with their parents, but it was more likely that their parents wished to find them a husband rather than turn them into intellectuals. Sometimes they were sent with an older family member to serve as chaperone.

It has been written that there were female scholars in Italy at the time who were quite well educated and brilliant, but that was not the case in many other European countries.

It was also common for aristocratic widows or divorcees to make the trip, and sometimes they would travel in groups.

Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, a well educated Welsh woman who married an Italian musician after her first husband's death, is known for writing "Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey Through France, Italy, and Germany" (1789) about her Grand Tour. Jane Parminter and her cousin Mary built a home, A La Ronde, after their Grand Tour to house their many souvenirs. Today it is held by the National Trust.

Answer: False

Englishmen were not the only Europeans who wished to complete their son's education with a Grand Tour, although most of the information that is known about the trek comes from England. Aristocratic fathers throughout Europe wanted their sons to experience a liberal arts education, and many from Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden also made the trip. According to Ola Winberg in "Den statskloka resan : adelns peregrinationer 1610-1680", a doctoral thesis, while young men in Sweden did not have the funds available that the English had, they still participated in the traveling and had the same basic experience.

They would study at university and visit the renowned cities.

Answer: Painting

A veduta, which is Italian for "view", is typically a large-scale painting of a cityscape, building, or site. Although the style originated in Flanders in the 16th century, it became wildly popular during the Grand Tour in Italy. In Rome artists painted pictures of any number of ancient structures, such as the Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, or ancient ruins in general. The city best known for its veduta painting, however, was Venice, which by the mid 1800s was the center of the vedutisti, veduta artists. Who didn't want to take a picture of the Grand Canal or other views of Venice home with them? One of the most famous vedutisti was Canaletto, whose Canal family specialized in art. After making a name for himself in Italy, he moved to London, where he continued painting for wealthy patrons before returning to Venice.

Coins, medallions, and volcanic rock were also prized souvenirs brought home from the Grand Tour.

Answer: French Revolution

The French Revolution in 1789 definitely brought changes to life in all of Europe. France had always been a favored destination as most aristocrats spoke the language. With the instability caused by the Revolution, however, it simply became too dangerous to travel to some locations in France.

While there were plenty of other locations that could become stops on the Tour, once Napoleon began his attempted conquest of Europe, it was simply too dangerous to travel. In addition, the aristocratic young men were needed for the military. Fighting in the Napoleonic Wars gave them a different type of education. Once peace on the continent was restored, tourism did pick up again as the invention of steam powered transportation made it possible for more people to travel. With more of the people able to afford the trip, it became less prestigious; travel, however, did continue, but it did not involve as much pomp and circumstance as before.

As interest in classicism began to wane, the Grand Tour became a thing of the past.