Some Observations made in Travelling through France, Italy, &c. In the years 1720, 1721, and 1722. [Vol. I]

1730

de Beer Eb 1730 W

London: Printed for Tho. Ward and E. Wicksteed

Edward Wright, in his Observations states that the poet, Virgil (70-19 BC), famous for his Roman epic the Aeneid, was born in a village not far from Mantua, which is 130 kilometres south-east of Milan. Mantua or Mantova is surrounded by three man-made lakes, built in the 13th century as a watery defence for the town. From the 14th to the 18th century the Gonzaga family ruled the city and built an enormous residence there, Palazzo Ducale, second only in size to the Vatican. The Gonzagas were influential in developing and disseminating the new cultures and traditions of the Renaissance, but by 1707 the family had been deposed. Over the next century or so the rule of Mantua changed hands several times between Austria and France until it was incorporated into a united Italy in 1860.