The Grand Tour of the eighteenth century was an extraordinary cultural phenomenon, reflecting the increasing importance the British aristocracy and gentry attached to the experience of Italy as a highly desirable part of their education. This book and catalogue of the exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (13 November 1999 to 20 February 2000) is the first ever to focus on the grand tours made from the north of England, and to examine the impact this experience had on the cultural heritage of the region as a whole.