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8 February 1881 — Rome | |
Tuesday. 8th February [1881]. We got up rather earlier than usual & went off at 9 oclock to Castellani’s house to meet the party who were going with us to visit the ruins of Ostia. Mme Castellani & Mme Guglio Castellani & Mme Cairoli & I went together in one carriage, Henry, Castellani, & Signor Bernabei in another. We had a very pleasant drive of 2½ hours chatting talking & laughing. Stories were told of Mme Ratazzi amongst others that she had ordered a ball dress of a dress maker in Paris & told her she must come herself & put it on her the night of the ball. The woman accordingly came. Mme R. proceeded to take off all she had on except a very transparent light drapery. She took off even her chemise in order to make herself slimmer. The dress maker who was lacing her stays for her trembled & fumbled nervously at it– Mme R. turned to her & said Qu’est que vous avez donc! Why are you so awkward– The poor dress maker said, Mme je n’en peux plus—au moins faites sortir ces deux messieurs!” Mme R. only laughed & the dressmaker never would make her another gown. We arrived at Ostia abt 11.30 & went to visit the fortress there which is now made into a museum. In the court we found a beautiful Greek atlas which had just been discovered & which was being taken to the Museum. The Museum is not particularly interesting it mostly contains fragments of statues inscriptions &c &c. Most of the party went up into the keep where there was a fine view over the Tiber to Rome. We then returned to the village & found our provisions laid out in a room of a house belonging to the Aldobrandini family. We were hungry & enjoyed our kind of picnic waited on by Giovanni & the Castellani servants. Afterwards we set off to walk to the ruins & saw the theatre wh has just been discovered & is in pretty good preservation & very interesting. A quantity of men are still at work at it– We went on to the town itself which is very curious. The houses are supposed to be the granaries. There is one very fine house with painted walls. In some houses the stairs remain & in one house one cd go up on to the terrace on the roof. The Tiber is gaining very much on the ruins & in a short time they will all be washed away. In some places we cd not pass for the mud from the late over flowing & we could not get to one ruin wh is called the Palace of the Cæsars at all. We went back to visit the Temple of Vulcan which stands a huge mass at one end of a street. It is built up on superstructure of massive masonery & the temple is entered by a magnificent flight of steps which must have had made a grand effect when the doors were open for a great ceremony. We had our carriages brought to the guardian’s house & started from there driving past the village of Ostia thro’ the Campana to the Pineta of the family. We got let into the park wh has avenues of stone pines & a forest wh extends to the sea– The house is a turretted one—rather dilapidated & uncared for & stands on the sward with no road. This makes it the more picturesque. We then drove back to Rome. I went in one carriage with Sigs Castellani & Bernabei & was very much entertained. They by turns quoted long bits of Dante—then they sang bits of Operas—then Sr Bernabei imitated animals & disturbed the peace of mind of all the dogs by barking at them! Henry went in the other carriage with the ladies. At Ostia we found the peasants living in huge blocks huts made like a hive, of brambles & straws &c. Whole families came out to stare at us & beg. Someone gave a poor woman 1 franc in paper & she asked how much it was worth—on being told & asked if it was too little—she thanked the giver & said it was too much. We got home abt 6.30 & rushed home to dress to go & dine with Mrs Bruce. When we arrived at her house we found all shut up & that we had made a mistake & that we were invited for next week so we returned to the hotel & dined there & had a quiet eveng. Found on our return a notice to say the Queen expected us to go & see her at 1. | |
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