Every exhibition is an opportunity for the Library to discover or further explore lesser-known parts of its heritage. For the 2025 exhibition, the focus of research has been the diplomat Cesare Poma (1862–1932) and his invaluable collection of artworks, books, coins, and periodicals.
Within the Poma Periodici collection are three of the fourteen existing copies of the newspaper En route, which lends its title to both the project and the exhibition. This publication was founded, written, and published by the French journalists Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud, who, at the end of the 19th century, traveled around the world by bicycle.
Like them, many ventured beyond the borders of their hometowns to explore distant lands. Many were men, but many were also women—women who courageously defied social conventions and set out by any means possible, accomplishing feats once deemed impossible.
The Consul Cesare Poma
A diplomat and scholar, an insatiable and curious traveler, an erudite collector of all kinds of human testimonies, and a passionate enthusiast of linguistics, numismatics, botany, and Oriental art, Poma embodies the Vatican Library’s broad intellectual scope. His legacy reflects not only the richness of its collections but also the spirit of inquiry—the effort to gather, classify, and make accessible the vast wealth of knowledge produced by humankind across the globe.
Lucien Leroy e Henri Papillaud
Leroy and Papillaud embarked on their journey from Paris in 1895, aiming to challenge two British journalists in a race to circumnavigate the world. In just two years, they traversed numerous countries, ultimately outpacing their rivals, who abandoned the challenge after only a few stops. Their ingenious idea of financing their journey by documenting their travels in a self-published newspaper brought them not only financial support but also fame and success. This exhibition will follow their adventures in Mexico, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The Female travelers
While studying the global journeys of both Poma and the French journalists, an increasing number of female travelers emerged—women who, in the heart of the Victorian era, set off alone on their own tour du monde. Diverse in their backgrounds and approaches, each of them represented a new way of experiencing travel and redefining their era. Among them were Nellie Bly, Elizabeth Bisland, Annie Londonderry, Gertrude Bell, and the Smith twins, all of whom defied social conventions and helped shape a new model of womanhood.