The Last Grand Tour

The extensive collection of letters compiled in The Last Grand Tour chronicles the adventures of a Michigan family’s trip to Italy in 1959-1960. Margaret and Gilbert Sherman, with their three children–Helen, Elizabeth (Whiz), and Tom–in tow, detailed their eight-month journey with engaging descriptions, wry observations, and riotous anecdotes in their correspondence with family members back in the States. This candid and witty travelogue highlights the family’s visits to a number of Italian cities, including Venice, Rome, and Pisa, along with the everyday joys and trials of life at a rural villa outside Florence.