2.11 Sarnelli 1685
Pompeo Sarnelli, Guida de’ forestieri curiosi di vedere e d’intendere le cose più notabili della regal città di Napoli e del suo amenissimo distretto […] ornata di vaghissime figure, Naples 1685
E-NAP 11-2851 raro II
The example in the exhibition, which used to belong to Richard Krautheimer, is one of two copies of the editio princeps of Pompeo Sarnelli’s guide to Naples in the collection of the Bibliotheca Hertziana, alongside the later editions of 1688, 1697, 1713, and 1782 (the latter also in the exhibition). The format and style make it a true guidebook, designed for travelers. Alongside the religious theme, ample space is given to civil architecture and landscape, while compared to the previous authors there is less space for historical erudition and epigraphic apparatus. The first book deals with the city and its public and private buildings; the second with its religious foundations; the third with its surroundings. The guide is accompanied by numerous engravings. In chapter VIII, dedicated to Mount Vesuvius, the author recalls the experience of the eruption of August 1682 (pp. 407-408): the frightening spectacle of the “horrible flames”, the darkening of the sun behind dense clouds of smoke, the frequent earthquakes felt in the city of Naples, the serious damage suffered by the places closest to the volcano. [ES]
