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5 December 1880 — Florence | |
Sunday. 5th December [1880]. We went into the Uffizzi to look at the pictures for 1½ hour in the morng. The entrance is free today & there were a great many people. The only person we knew was an old spinster Miss Wright whom we had not seen since Madrid days. She had brought Henry a letter from Prof. Donaldson. We came back to the Hotel at 12 & Giovanni got us a landau with two horses & we drove up to Fiesole. Giovanni accompanied us. We went by a new road wh was much less difficult of ascent than the old one. We got to Villa Mozzi abt 1 o’cl. Mr Spence & his son Campbell recd us at the Gates. Mrs Sloane, Mme Verocchio, a widow Russian, her daughter Mrs C. Spence & Miss Spence were the party there. We had a tremendous lunch & afterwards we all sang. It was a lovely day & quite hot in the sun. The covered in loggia of the Villa was delightful. Mr Spence played the organ & then I sang Spanish, Miss Spence sang Italian & Mme Verocchio sang Russian. We had quite a concert. A M. & Mme Le Planchet came in—they are great collectors of pictures &c. She is a delicate looking little woman & much younger looking than she is having a boy of 6 & looking abt 14. They told me she had a baby 6 weeks ago & came from Paris travelling all last night. She said they had had a nuit blanche having to change 3 times & she was a little fatigued– They had taken a box at the opera for tonight! We drove back to Florence abt 3 by another road. There were quantities of roses in bloom in the hedges. We drove round by the Square d’Azeglio a very handsome new quarter of the town. There was a lovely sun set over the hills wh became purple & pink. The Galloways dined at the same time as we did & then I went with Lady Galloway to her room & sat with her while the gentlemen smoked. | |
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