The Grand Tour
Throughout Europe and England, the Grand Tour afforded young men the ability to complete their formal Classics education by traveling to the locations they had studied in university. The trips allowed them to experience culture, view fine art, and tour Ancient Greek and Roman sites, and the itineraries most often included at least what is now Italy and sometimes Greece and other European countries.
The expression ‘Grand Tour’ itself originated with Richard Lassels, a 17th century Roman Catholic priest and travel writer who used it in his guidebook The Voyage of Italy. Published in 1670, the book suggested touring with a tutor by first crossing the Channel, traveling in a coach through France (which didn’t happen during England’s wars with France, of course), and from there, venturing onto Italy and sometimes Sicily and Greece. The average Grand Tour lasted one year, although the sons of wealthier British aristocrats were gone as long as two years or more.
The tours weren’t always educationally oriented, however. For some, the promise of independence was more important. Venice was popular with pleasure seekers since it offered occasions for drinking, partying, and gambling.
Despite the French Revolution’s adverse effect on most Grand Tour plans, the practice of going on one continued for young aristocrats well into the nineteenth century.
Zany
Much as it does today, the term zany was used during the Regency era to describe those who were eccentric or absurd, goofy or clownish. Had he been a little less so, Viscount Thistlewaite could have been called a ‘blade.’