When in Rome : 2000 Years of Roman Tourism Explored
Matthew Sturgis gives the first talk of 2026 for The Arts Society Ealing
Claude-Joseph Vernet – A Sporting Contest on the Tiber – c 1750. Picture: National Gallery
January 20, 2026
The Arts Society Ealing opens its 2026 lecture season with a journey through the eternal city’s ever-changing allure.
On Monday 26 January, the Arts Society Ealing welcomes historian and biographer Matthew Sturgis to St Barnabas Church Hall for a richly illustrated talk titled When in Rome: 2000 Years of Roman Tourism. The lecture begins at 7:30pm, with doors opening at 6:45pm.
Drawing from his book When In Rome, Sturgis will guide audiences through the shifting tastes and priorities of visitors to Rome across two millennia — from classical pilgrims and medieval devotees to Renaissance scholars, Grand Tour aristocrats, Victorian sightseers, and modern travellers. What tourists chose to admire — whether crumbling temples, sacred relics, or baroque masterpieces — reveals as much about their own times as it does about Rome itself.
“Rome has always been a magnet,” says Sturgis. “But the things people came to see — and the meanings they attached to them — have changed dramatically. This talk is about those changes, and the forgotten marvels that once defined the Roman experience.”
Sturgis, whose biographies of Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley have earned wide acclaim, brings a storyteller’s eye to the cultural currents that shaped Rome’s appeal. His lecture will spotlight once-famous sights now lost to time, offering fresh insight into the city’s layered identity.
The event marks the first in the Arts Society Ealing’s 2026 programme, which includes upcoming talks on the art and architecture of Docklands, famous art thefts, the post-war politics of Ealing Studios, and profiles of Henry Moore, Antoni Gaudí, and American art through 25 iconic works.
Visitors are warmly invited. Tickets are £10 (£3 for students), payable by card on the evening. The venue is St Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing W5 1QG.
The Arts Society Ealing belongs to the large umbrella organisation, The Arts Society, previously known as the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS), which was founded in 1968. The local Society has a membership of around 140.
The Arts Society Ealing holds 10 lectures a year and more information can be found by visiting its web site.
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