Ricerc@Sapienza

This paper maps the Roman sites visited and illustrated by John Ruskin during his first trip
to Rome (1840-41) and mentioned in his diary, in order to investigate on the multiple interests
he was pursuing as a young artist. Often sick and weak, the 21 years-old did not suffer
the charm of the eternal city and found the picturesque places he was looking for in the Fontana
di Trevi as well as in S. Maria del Pianto, at the gates of the Jewish Ghetto. By adopting
Ruskin’s words and drawings as both an historical document and an artwork, the authors
discuss about his evolution from artist to scholar and divulgator and propose some application
of Virtual Heritage through digital photography useful to enquiry his gaze onto the
eternal city as well to reconstruct the aspect the sites Ruskin was engaged in had at the time
of his visit.