Viaggiatori francesi e beni culturali ebraici in età moderna

The article presents a preliminary survey about Italy as the destination of travelers searching for written and oral testimonies concerning Jewish culture and religion at the beginning of the XVI century. In particular, French travellers have been selected who, in a sort of forerunner experience comparable to the Grand Tour, have sought and found in Italy the rudiments of their Hebraistic learning ore have met real Jews, missing in their counrty of origin. The Italian travels of François Tissard, Charles Bovelles and Michel de Montaigne are singled out as especially significant. In the Early Modern epoch Italy was not only the preferred destination for travellers searching for vestiges of the antique or of the picturesque, but also the place of election for acquiring first hand information about the Jews and their cultural and religious heritage, be it preserved in artifacts, symbols or living traditions.