ABSTRACTBoth geographical and historical perspectives are necessary to analyze the phenomenon of tourism. This is illustrated by a review of pre modern tourism, and the fascination for ‘the South’, the most explicit expression of what was the Grand Tour. However, a case study of Naples and Sorrento reveals that the Grand Tour changed in its social construction over time, with important implications for the types of visitors attracted, their activity patterns and, consequently, intra‐regional distributions of to