The Route of Baroque

The Route of Baroque in “Spanish” Italy and in Spain

Spanish Italy and Spain were great protagonists of Baroque culture in Europe and in the world. Knowing and loving the testimonies of the Baroque is a fundamental step towards the protection and enhancement of this important part of the European cultural heritage.

The group of scholars at the University of Teramo that participate in the Enbach project (European Network for Baroque Cultural Heritage) intend to propose to the widest audience of web some cultural touristic circuits which could contribute to spreading the knowledge of the Baroque age in its multiple aspects.

The geographical areas covered are:

• the territories that formed the so-called “Spanish” Italy: the State of Milan, the Kingdom of Naples, the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Sardinia, which were ruled throughout the seventeenth century by the house of Habsburg’s spanish kings. These areas coincide today, more or less, with the current regions of Lombardy, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
• Spain, that, in the seventeenth century, was composed of the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon.

These areas had not only political, but also cultural, religious, economic and social strong ties in the context of the Spanish Monarchy, the set of domains ruled by the Habsburgs of Spain from 1555 to 1700.

Although they maintained different laws and customs, and even without knowing any kind of political, legal or administrative unification, the Italian and Spanish kingdoms of the Habsburgs had – as well as the ruling dynasty – some important things in common: a dense network of economic and financial linkages and an intense circulation of ideas and people.

The interest of the University of Teramo’s scholars focuses on these issues, in order to provide elements to understand and appreciate a trans-national world of intense artistic and cultural life, which has left many traces of itself.

Our work

Our goal is the realization of touristic circuits related to the culture of the Baroque in Italy and Spain. The challenge of this work is to try to create a virtual meeting place between historical research and cultural tourism, a place where scholars from different historical disciplines can put their scientific expertise in favour of a wider audience.

Our ambition is to break down the wall that seems to rise up between specialists and those who have simple curiosities. We want to allow anyone who uses the web to benefit from our work, in the form of texts, images, videos, sounds, etc..

We do not wish to focus your attention only on the most well-known places and aspects of the Baroque inheritance, but we intend to bring to light those – and they are many – that have been little or nothing known to the general public.

The on-line circuit of the “Route of Baroque” will thus provide the essential knowledge to discover and visit the works, buildings and art objects that still exist today and can be visited and seen in Italy and Spain. Similarly, it will allow you to know popular feasts and traditions, cuisine and ways of life that have their origins in the Baroque period.

We hope all the people who surf the web will use the information offered in our work to organize autonomous paths of cultural tourism in Spain and Italy.