Lot N. 287
Guida al Grand Tour - Domenico Boccolari (Lucca, 1780), Nuova descrizione di tutte le città dell'Europa
An interesting and comprehensive 18th-century travel guide entitled “Nuova descrizione di tutte le città dell’Europa” (“New Description of All the Cities of Europe”), by Domenico Boccolari. Printed in Lucca in 1780 by Filippo Maria Benedini, the volume served as an indispensable tool for travelers of the Grand Tour era.
The text goes beyond descriptions of artistic beauties and “notable sights,” offering an extremely rare practical compendium:
Logistics: Listings of the best inns in each city and road distances expressed in leagues and miles.
Economy: Exchange tables and valuations of Zecchini and other gold and silver coins circulating in various states.
Services: Postal rates for Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and England.
Curiosities: A detailed focus on the “Treasure of the Holy House of Loreto”, listing precious gifts sent by kings and princes.
Technical Details:
Author: Domenico Boccolari
Title: Nuova descrizione di tutte le città dell’Europa
Place and Year: Lucca, 1780
Publisher: Filippo Maria Benedini
Binding: Contemporary half-leather with marbled boards. The front cover bears a contemporary paper label with the handwritten title within a blue decorative frame.
Condition:
Very good. The binding shows normal signs of use along the edges and spine. Interior well-preserved, with paper typical of the 18th century.
Historical Note:
Boccolari’s guides were famous for their meticulous accuracy. This copy is particularly valuable for the historical reconstruction of European transportation routes and monetary systems prior to the Napoleonic upheavals. The specific mention of inns and postal rates makes it a first-rate document of social history.
Nuova descrizione delle città d'Europa