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20 October 1884 — Florence | |
Monday. 20th October [1884]. Got up at 6.30 & went off by 8 train to Pisa. We left Luigi at Florence—sent Regina to see her own people and went quite alone only taking our small luggage. We got to Pisa at abt 10.30—deposited our luggage & then lunched at the buffet. I was not very well & could not eat much—then we took a carriage & drove to the Sta Catherina a church one entered by the University door. There a few pictures & a tomb & the Pulpit used by St Thomas Aquinas. We went on to Francesco & through the cloisters we got into the sacristy where there were some frescoes. The church being in course of repair we could not see– The old monk who showed us about was one of the oldest I ever saw & it was a melancholy sight to see 5 or 6 of these old gentlemen tottering about trying to warm themselves in the sun. They are allowed to remain until they die out on condition they take in no young or new brothers. We drove on to the picture gallery wh contains a lot of interesting old “gold ground” pictures as Mr Newman the artist calls them. When the custode had shown us every thing he begged us to go down to his house & see some old things he had for sale. I bought some old damask & a china jar. We walked on to the Campo Santo & had hardly got there when a heavy shower of rain came on—a thunder shower. I felt very unwell & was glad to sit there quietly & wait until the rain ceased. When it cleared we went to the Baptistry & then to the Cathedral. Then we took our carriage again & drove out of the town to La Cascina a place 4 kil. off where the King has a shooting box. The air was pleasant & less heavy after the storm. We returned & went to the station abt 5. When we went to the gallery in the afternoon to pick up our purchases the custode begged us to go with him to see some more silk a man had—& there we bought a lot more—but told the man to bring it to the station on Wedy morng when we would pay for it & take it away. We went on by train to Lucca & got there abt 6½. I had such a bad headache I had to go straight to bed. We went to the Universo a very nice old fashioned hotel & had a charming Louis XV room with pretty stucco & paintings on ceiling, doors & shutters. There was [a] very civil & intelligent maid who kindly brought me soup &c. | |
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