Shakespeare's visit to Italy

Abstract

Did Shakespeare ever visit Italy? His plays contain some evidence that he did, but so far it has not been enough to convince a majority of scholars. The picture has now become much clearer than it was. This article will give reasons to believe that by the end of 1593 Shakespeare had visited the North Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, some forty miles north-west of Venice, and had probably spent several days there. During his stay he carefully studied a very large external fresco, and possibly made sketches of it. This new information agrees well with what Shakespeare's plays already suggest about his knowledge of Italy. Bassano was a subject territory of the Venetian Republic, and Venice is the Italian city of which Shakespeare's plays show the most detailed knowledge. Besides Venice and Bassano, he seems to have spent time in Padua, and possibly in Milan, Mantua and Verona.