With the weather still cold and wet people are starting to think about their summer holiday. Many picturing warm sandy beaches and relaxing evenings.
200 years ago many of the middle classes were enjoying their first experiences of travelling abroad, by setting off on the Grand Tour. The tour incorporated stops in some of the most desirable locations in Europe, including Paris, Rome, Venice, and Naples and lasted up to 2 years. Many of their diaries and letters home have ended up at the Norfolk Record Office.
One of the last stops on many people’s tour was Italy. Getting into Italy involved a lengthy process, with the tourists having to decide whether to risk crossing the Alps or go via the Mediterranean route. Earlier tourists tended to cross the Alps by the Mount Cenis pass, arriving at Susa before navigating their way to Turin. To make their way across, tourists had to dismantle their carriages which were then carried on mules while they themselves were carried over on sedan-like chairs. As tricky as this already sounds a further difficulty could arise in the form of the weather.
