This book examines the Accademia degli Arcadi in its heyday, a little known phenomenon in Italian history in the first part of the eighteenth century. The Roman academy aimed for a peninsula-wide cultural renewal induced by literary reform. Operating within a papal court society, it eschewed extant patronage systems and social hierarchies and introduced enlightened ideas to its members. By attending to the institution's policies, Between the Real and the Ideal provides a rich understanding of the Arcadi's goals.