Travel, art, political thought, perception of antiquity, a new sense of art, and societal masquerades: viewed from a pan-European perspective. It was through travel that the elite classes discovered Europe as a continent of education since the early 17th century. Initially, the aim was to learn elegant and courtly behavior during the Grand Tour. Visiting the major European capitals and the papal court in Rome served as the pinnacle of all diplomatic masks and pretenses. However, cultural skills quickly became part of the journey: languages, theater visits, and tours of collections—first natural history, soon general science, and eventually those of the fine arts. Alongside travel, travel literature emerged in a dual role: it outlined the destinations and the learning outcomes of travel—a literary blend of theory, practice, and didactics.