Cultural exchange in early modern times: the case of the trip of Johann Georg, duke of Saxe-Weimar, to Italy in 1701

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the German Protestant nobility's travels in the 17 th century. The author states that the manifestations of cultural self-identification among the travellers were more distinct than the manifestations of cultural or religious identities. During the 16 th and the 17 th centuries, all the traditional features of nobility, including communication within it, changed radically. Therefore, the interest to social contacts established partly due to the nobility's travels is justified and connected with those changes.