It's 1770. Henry Temple, the second Viscount Palmerston, embarks on the Tour des Alpes, stopping in a small lakeside village on Lake Verbano. It has a modest but bustling port, frequented by merchants and travelers. Stefano Bolla begins with the view of that place, Magadino, to relive the journey of one of the first English explorers of the Alps. Instead of nonexistent cameras, he takes along the artist William Pars. The result is a journal recorded day by day by Palmerston and published here in its entirety for the first time, accompanied by some of Pars's illustrations. While not aspiring to mountaineering, this journey stands out as a decisive precursor to Alpine tourism.



Stefano Bolla, a retired solicitor and notary, is the author of studies and articles on law and historical iconography such as Le Chat botté au tribunal. Imaginaire de l'avocat dans le conte de Charles Perrault (Genève 2023) or Cartografia di una valle alpina (Bellinzona, 2023).