Traveling to Naples, the "garden of the world": foreigners in the city and the descriptio urbis at the turn of the 16th century

CYCLE: Traveling in Italy between the 16th and 17th Centuries: maps and guides to discovering works, artists, and collections
SPEAKER: Antonio Denunzio
DATE: Tuesday, October 20, 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Bibliotheca Maior - Sala della Crociera

Between the mid-16th century and the first decades of the following century, Naples saw a significant foreign presence: both well-known and lesser-known figures reached the city and stayed there to visit its most representative sites.
Their stays reveal common and recurring traits as well as curiosities and unusual aspects, during a period that saw a new proliferation of books dedicated to illustrating the beauties of the Kingdom's capital. This era marked the transition from essentially antiquarian texts, intended for scholarly readers and travelers, to actual guidebooks, which were also attentive to informing readers about more recent achievements.
Accounts regarding the visits of the Dukes of Mantua and Parma, the Prince of Bavaria, diplomats and agents from European courts, as well as prelates, scholars, and artists of various origins, whether on state or private visits, or traveling for study or work, provide an unprecedented and information-rich perspective, often with fascinating implications for art history and collecting.

Antonio Ernesto Denunzio is the Deputy Director of the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples and the Head of the Cultural Initiatives and Exhibition Projects Office at Intesa Sanpaolo. He completed his studies at the University of Naples Federico II. For many years, he has been dedicated to documentary research and the study of Farnese patronage and collecting, with a specific focus on Cardinal Odoardo Farnese. In recent years, his research has centered on the collecting practices of the aristocracy and the Spanish viceroys of Naples between the late 16th and the first half of the 17th century. He co-curated the recent exhibitions Artemisia Gentileschi in Naples (Naples, Gallerie d’Italia, 2022–2023) and Women in Spanish Naples: Another 17th Century (Naples, Gallerie d’Italia, 2025–2026).

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