ABSTRACT
During the middle decades of the sixteenth century, Trent and Rome were not only centers of the Roman Catholic world, but also significant points at which Spanish cultural and political influence was clearly felt in Italy. Rome, the seat of pontifical power, was in the process of redefining its role as the world's capital. The two men shared philological passions, and Pez de Castro could be confident of Zurita's interest in the humanist milieus of Rome and Trent. This chapter examines the Italian experiences recounted by a Spanish humanist within the context of other journeys that men of science and letters from Spain undertook in Italy elucidates the cultural and scientific exchanges between the two peninsulas. Textual and philological concerns were clearly a central preoccupation of the Academy. Natural historical research was already in full swing on both the Iberian and Italian peninsulas and was related to Pez de Castro's interests.
