ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to comparatively analyze the accounts about Genoa provided by two foreigners, focusing on the multicultural aspects they describe in their respective travel diaries. First, the Flemish Jehan Lhermite walked Genoa in 1587 on his way to Spain, describing its architecture, citizens and festivals, concluding that the city was a “paradise on earth”. Second, Cesare Magalotti’s scarcely studied account on Genoa offers a contrasting view of the city. He was there in 1625 on his way to France, as a member of Urban VIII papal legation presided by Cardinal Francesco Barberini. Genoa was then besieged by Savoyard troops. Thus, Magalotti was forced to describe the city mainly from the papal galleys anchored at the port: the city open to the Mediterranean had become a hostile place, where diplomacy came into play and foreigners were no longer welcome. Nonetheless, Magalotti went into Genoa seeing the horror of the city daily life and how the kind Genoese maidens that Lhermite spoke of became women possessed by the “fury of Mars”. Hence, this methodological approach provides some keys to understanding both visions, taking into account the different historical, political and cultural backgrounds that influenced both authors’ perceptions of the same city.
