ABSTRACT
During the whole of the eighteenth century but more intensely in the second half and at the close of the century, the city of Venice was considered an integral part of the itinerary of European Grand Tour travellers. Such places were devoted to sociability and the fruitful exchange of ideas and were to be enjoyed but at the same time to represent their new world as an emblem of modernity. Interestingly, however, the decree in reality had little effect as casinos continued to reopen and indeed multiply around St Mark's Square, next to coffee houses, ridottos and even theatres, attracting more and more Venetians and curious foreign guests rather than driving them away. Towards the end of the century, more and more Italian and European writers, philosophers, dramatists and artists joined the magic procession of travellers who frequented the Venetian casinos, regardless of their nationality, language or social status.
