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20 June 1909 — Mezzaratta, Bologna | |
Sunday. 20th [June 1909]. Today was the great procession of the Madonna of San Lucia which is brought down every year to pass the night in some part of this town. This year the procession was in the part nearest Mezzaratta & the streets were cleaned up & the houses washed & painted & varnished inside & out & decorations hung across the streets. Donna Laura took me to town to see them. We went down the little steep bit from her house in her pony trap & thence we walked till we got to the Palazzo Bevilacqua. This was open to the public who streamed in & out to see the court yard & inner cloister. Da Laura sent up word to the porter that she was at the gate & immediately a message came from the Duke of Bevilacqua to beg us to go up to the private apartments. He came out of the small door into the cloister of the 1st floor to receive Da Laura & his old mother followed. I was duly presented & we went in to a magnificent suite of rooms wh have been lately restored, the painted travi (beams) of the ceilings are fine—the furniture appropriate—the Duke said they were recent bric a brac. The windows looked into the narrow street with its gay addobbo or hangings & across to another fine palace. There were many friends of the family invited on the occasion. Was presented to the young Duchess a fine big handsome woman who is rich & has provided the means for restoring the old family Palace. We had not to wait long for the procession wh was shorn of all its old magnificent. It began with a band playing badly & discordantly—then came cross bearers candle bearers– Small girls dressed in white & carrying bouquets of flowers—then clergy chanting & the Host & the Madonna under a baldachino—more children more dirty looking men of confraternities another loud band of music & the show was over– All was squalid & the effect of 3 different music within earshot distracting. In the window from which I looked was a young priest who devoutly kneeled as the procession passed. When all was over we were invited to sit with the old Dss on the sofa of the big salon—the post of honor– Ices, coffee, cold drinks & cakes were served in great profusion—& when we had partaken thereof & rested & done the civil we took our leave. The young Dss kindly took us to see the big Hall where had been held the Council of Trent wh has also been put in order. It divides the private from the apartment of state. We walked back to the foot of the hill & then mounting into the little poney trap were conveyed back to Mezzaratta. Lunched & rested. In the evening we dined with Countess Zucchini at the villa Franck. There were a good many people. I sat between Prince Erastain & P. Cariati the son of my old friend Aimée Cariati née Ehrenhoff who I knew as a girl at Constantinople when her father was Swedish Minister. He was brought up at Eton & is now in the Italian army. | |
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