Giuseppe Vasi

Giuseppe Vasi, a member of the Accademia di San Luca, was one of the most important engravers of the views of Rome. He is also considered one of the most important engravers of the entire eighteenth century in Europe. Vasi’s Itinerario enjoyed considerable success, quickly becoming the most popular guidebook among Grand Tour travelers and Christian pilgrims. This is a pocket-sized volume with small-scale rametti (engravings) and lengthy descriptions of the monuments of Rome, both ancient and modern. It is formatted according to an eight-day route structured through stazioni (stopping places) or giornate (days), each one offering a different tour through the city. This work was part of Vasi’s larger editorial project, the Magnificenze, comprising ten volumes and dedicated to the most spectacular monuments in the city of Rome. This first edition of the Itinerario is often considered as the concise guide to be used as a companion to the Magnificenze.

The entry dedicated to the Church of Santa Martina mentions the Compagnia dei Pittori in 1588, but not the change of the name to of the Church to Santi Luca and Martina.

Complete digitized book: IIIF Digital View (National Gallery of Art Library, Special Collections)