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Travels of Counts Nikolai Petrovich and Sergei Petrovich Rumyantsev and Friedrich Melchior Grimm in Italy in 1775–1776: from Rome, the Symbol of Decline, to Rome, the Centre of the New World
Recent studies on the role of Italy (especially Rome) as the culminating stage of the Grand Tour in the 18th century focus not only on the educational and educational aspects of such trips, but also on the most important social characteristic of the Age of Enlightenment - sociabilité. This study fits into this trend on the example of travels made in Italy in 1775-1776 by the counts N.P. and S.P. Rumyantsevs in the company of F.M. Grimm. The opportunity to follow the correspondence of the Rumyantsev brothers, written during this journey, is of particular interest, as the initial idea of the decline of Rome is enriched by reflections on the role of religion in the development of art, bringing to the image of Rome - the center of the world united by neoclassical culture.