The Diary of Dominique Vivant Denon’s Journey through Calabria in 1778: Places and Narrative Impressions

Abstract

Dominique Vivant Denon’s diary is dedicated to the itinerary of the places traversed in Calabria between 1777 and 1778, as part of the expedition organized by Abbé Saint-Non. This diary was only reproduced in its entirety and returned to its peculiar narrative value in the Notes of the second and fourth volumes of the Voyage de Henri Swinburne dans les Deux Siciles, published in 1785 and 1786. Precisely in consideration of this testimonial value, the research revisited the diary in its original form and function as a daily narrative, where his impressions of the places, landscapes, and cities visited during the journey through Calabria emerge. Denon was disappointed by was disappointed to discover that no ancient monuments remained in Calabria and showed little interest in the urban centers he visited. Conversely, he was impressed by the variety and natural exuberance of the Calabrian landscapes. In this regard, the sketches made on site by Desprez play an essential role; in the immediacy of their graphic style, they convey the initial visual suggestions. This is in contrast to the final views in the Voyage pittoresque, the result of the recomposition and re-elaboration of the sketches and preparatory drawings, where the images fixed often transfigure the reality of the places.