Only on the occasion of the exhibition will it be possible to admire usually inaccessible environments, in particular, in the music room, you will find a very interesting collection: 104 original optical views from the 1700s. At first glance the engravings may seem to you classic views of squares and buildings of Italian and European cities but, when the room is dark, the optical, backlit views will turn into night landscapes. They are, in fact, watercolor and cut-out prints, with the application of eighteenth-century silks.

The engravings, in very bright colors, with blue skies sloping down towards a clearer horizon, represent streets and squares with a deliberately accentuated perspective: the windows of the buildings are specially perforated and covered with colored papers, so as to offer, once backlit, a night version of the scene. The optical views today are grouped in the same room, but once they were observed inside a box, one by one: just like watching a movie! By observing them you will be able to recognize the squares of cities such as Florence, Rome, London, Paris, Amsterdam, which were considered fundamental stages of the Grand Tour, the journey that the noble scions undertook to complete their training.

Very popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these itineraries could last from a few months up to a couple of years. The optical views, initially purchased as souvenirs, later became collector's items. Active printers produced them in London and Paris, while in Italy the best-known authors were the Remondini brothers of Bassano. The collection of the Zanardi Landi di Rivalta Counts, exhibited in the family castle, is entitled “Journey to Europe” and also includes the so-called engravings of the “Prodigal Son”, the only ones that do not represent views of known squares. The story of the Prodigal Son, who leaves his father's house, was the pretext to tell a journey through Italy and the major cities of Europe.

Rates:

Full Visit: € 15

Reduced visit: € 12

Free:

· Children up to 5 years

· Journalists with an accreditation request at least one day before the visit, at the address: info@castellodirivalta.it