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22 September 1890 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Monday. 22nd September [1890]. Was called at 7 & had some tea while dressing & at 8 went over the way & joined Count Seckendorff & the Empress & went to the station & left Venice by 8.30 train for Battaglia where we arrived at 9.40. There Css Pisani had sent 2 carriages to meet us & her coachman & there we were met by Ct Nigra the Ambassador who was staying here taking the waters & came to salutare H.M. We drove at once to Cattaio a villa belonging to an Austrian archduke. It had once belonged to the Este family & from them passed to the Obizzi family. When they became extinct it returned to the Este’s represented by the Austrian R. family. The place is well kept & the rooms painted by followers of P. Veronese. There is also a little nice old furniture & a fine old bed. The position of the villa wh is half fortress is fine being against the side of the hill & the gardens pretty. There is a museum wh once contained fine Roman statuary wh was afterwards removed to Ferrara– What remains is not remarkable but is well kept—as is the armoury also indifferent in an artistic sense. We drove from here to Arqua to visit Petrarchs house & tomb. It was very hot & we were very hungry so the first thing we did was to unpack our provisions. We went into the yard of a fine old gothic house & got the good people to lend us a table which we placed on the top of the flight of steps leading to the door. There we had a lovely view & were quite quiet & retired & did justice to our meal. I had brought some & Ct Pisani sent us more so we were amply supplied. When we had appeased the pangs of hunger we thought of seeing the place & went first to Petrarch’s tomb. By that time the population began to find out what was going on & followed us about. We had a steep walk up to Petrarch’s house which we went over. It is very nicely kept & is beautifully situated. In one of the rooms where a lot of rubbishy old pictures were hung is a bad copy of the children of our Charles I—a funny thing to find in this corner of the world. There were a lot of children of the orphanage here having come out for the day– They formed & saluted H.M. & then seized their bugles, trumpets & lascerated her ears with a discordant music. We left abt 1.30 & drove straight to Vescovana giving up Val San Zibio where we were to have seen the Martinengo garden. We drove thro’ Monselice & reached Vescovana abt 4. The Countess was at the door to receive H.M. supported by Henry & Mr Malcolm who had come by 10.30 train from Venice. The Empress at once wished to see the garden & then we went upstairs & had tea. Went out again in the garden & to the chapel where the family vaults are. To the farm to see the bove & the sheller at work shelling the indian corn– On our return we found a cart arranged like a Turkish araba drawn by 2 white oxen covered with red cloth & with bells &c. The Empress, the Countess, Ct Seckendorff, Malcolm & I got in & we were taken to the farm to see the oxen ploughing & a short round by the fields home. The sindaco of Este Sr Verdi also accompanied us—a very pleasant intelligent young man. I persuaded H.M. to lie down & rest for a little before dinner & left her in her dressing gown with a book & I had a few minutes rest also after dressing for dinner. We had brought besides Rina, our cook Bland & John the footman. At dinner Don Antonio read out a poem he had composed for H.M.—& the sindaco also made a short speech—in Italian fashion. After dinner we sat in the long salon till 10 when the garden was lighted up with Bengal lights & we went off to bed—having earned our rest. | |
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