"Humble Italy" by Guido Ceronetti: some considerations on visible and invisible landscapes of A journey in Italy

Abstract

In the contemporary era the theme of the "Travel in Italy", a pivotal aspect of the the Grand Tour, is used as a expedient to emphasize the decline of Italy's beauty and its decline because of the progressive industrialization. This paper starts with an analysis of two contemporary typologies of travel book - the erudite collection and meta-travel - and intends to explore the main features of Un viaggio in Italia by Guido Ceronetti. In his travel diary the Italian writer - mixing elements of erudite collection and meta-travel - wants to show an general picture of the no more "umile Italia" that loses its beauty. The result of this travel book is a complex report that illustrates the lost richness of the Italian heritage and the squalor of building speculation. Two types of landscapes can be seen in this book: one is visible, appearing often shrouded in the dullness brought by modernity; the other is invisible, suggested and inspired by the literature. Un viaggio in Italia is therefore a "notebook" in which the author writes about what hurts him in the contemporaneity of Italy.