First Italian lesson, hats, and sightseeing in Florence

Woke up quite early, had my bath, and rang for breakfast by eight. The breakfast had not come so had to wait. Read my French book a while. Was dressed by ten and went into F’s room. She is feeling somewhat better. Helen called me up on the telephone and I said we were going down today.

Signorina Bianca Carli came before F. was dressed so I went down and talked to her in French and began my first lesson in Italian. Florence did not take. I read the words over and we talked a little until twelve o’clock.

Florence went right down to the doctor’s after lunch, but I was not ready. Missed a car so was late in meeting Helen at Dr. Dunn’s. There were six ahead so I did not wait.

Helen took me to her milliner’s. She is going to fix my feathers and perhaps my hat by trimming it so I can wear it this summer.

Then we went down to the Duomo and took No. 8 to the end of the line, Piazza Michelangelo. I was so tired I could not go to see the two churches so we sat there and rested there, looked at the statue of David by Michelangelo and at the wonderful view of Florence and then came back to the Duomo where I took the car for the Luné.


After dinner, Florence stewed cherries and taught me Italian while I knit. Then we played Sequence and F. beat me all to pieces. Florence likes Dr. Ginguioli. He wants her to go to the Pestellini* as soon as she can. He thinks he can help her very much.

* Nigel Nicolson in “A Portrait of a Marriage”, describes his mother, Vita’s stay there in 1908 on her first visit to Florence: “They stayed at the Villa Pestellini, an ochre-coloured house with loggias and terraces and a cottage in the garden, and descended each day to the city…” In 1912, she went with Rosamund to Florence and stayed in the cottage at the Villa Pestellini.

Sewing, walking, and card games

Breakfast in bed. It rained a little in the morning and looked so cloudy at lunch that we decided to give up going to the city. Tried to call up Helen on the telephone and could not get the Montebello so wrote her a postal.

Had a nice letter from Hazel and a note from Percy, also four cunning pictures of John. Hazel said they were going to send me $40 next month but it is not owing me till August. She also said she was not satisfied with Percy’s condition.

Received also a nice letter from Alfred. Wrote a letter to Hazel about the money.

Florence made some hot tea and I went in and took my sewing. Then we went out and took a beautiful walk through the hanging vines along the Via Barbacane.


Stayed downstairs in the salon for a while after dinner then came up and played Sequence with Florence and she beat me.

Festival of the Cricket in Florence

Florence* was married a year ago today.

As usual lately I did not sleep well and therefore slept late. Florence came into my room at 8:15 o’clock to ask me if I did not want to go to the Park in Florence to the cricket festival.** She said it began at 4. She said she did not feel well enough to go but thought I would enjoy it, but as I was not dressed and it was late and I would have to go alone, I declined.

I had b’fast in bed and began to read Le [Lupine?] by Eugene Sue with the help of a dictionary. Then at 9:45 Helen called up and wanted me to go to the Festival and I said I could get dressed and start in half an hour which I did.

I got to the Duomo** a little ahead of Helen. We took a # 5 car and went out to the Park and walked up and down watching the people and the children and the people who sold things to eat, the men who sold toys and especially the ones who sold crickets.


There were thousands and thousands of poor crickets in boxes and pans? But especially in little cages of every hue and color. I bought one for 8 cents, also a flying machine and a clacker. We walked up and down several times there as the crowd rapidly thinned we sat down and talked about everything and everybody. Helen defends her conduct of last Tuesday, saying she acted in a conscientious manner. She apparently cannot see that she was mean and untruthful and deceiving. She said she felt ill and I begged her to put herself under the care of a good doctor, but she won’t. She seemed to have no discipline, no will power left. I tried to talk to her and advise her but it was of no use and I shall just try again. We stayed in the park until 3, then took a car back to town and then went to a tea room where I had ice cream and cake and Helen had caffe latte and cakes. I ate 5. We paid 1 fr. 20 cent. a piece as caffe latte costs more than ice cream.

Then Helen took me as guest [on a] most beautiful drive over the Viale de Colli. It was through a most beautiful country where you had a wonderful view of the city. Then we came down to the Duomo and I took the car home. The drive was Helen’s treat and cost a dollar. I brought the cricket home and let it out of the box.

Florence was here. I bought some “American molasses candy” which was rancid and awfully poor. I told her all about the day and the conversations. Some new people have come to the pension and 3 automobile loads came up and had dinner on the terrace.

I found a nice letter here from Alfred. Sat in F’s room after dinner playing solitaire and knitting.

The people on the terrace made such a noise I could not sleep till late.

*Her daughter, Florence Thurston Hincks, was married May 21, 1913 to Thomas Frederick Sanford, a professor of English at the University of California.
**the Duomo of Florence, also known as the Cathedral of Florence or Santa Maria del Fiore
**In late April or May, the annual cricket festival, Festa del Grillo, is held in the Cascine Park in Florence.**

Still sick...

Did not sleep very well and woke with a headache so I did not eat any breakfast except two oranges. Florence’s throat is so bad that she is going to the doctor’s after lunch.This pen is acting badly again and leaking all over my fingers.

Helen came and stayed to lunch and after lunch, Helen, Florence and I went into the doctor’s. Florence had forgotten it was Sunday and had not made an appointment so we found the doctor out. Nothing to do but wait so we went to a fashionable store and had some frozen custard and cakes and sat in the show windows and then Florence was tired and said she would go home so we walked to the car with her intending to come back and listen to the music.

We stopped at the Baptistery and looked in.It is where all the Catholic babies rich and poor have been baptized for years. Three were waiting there. It was cold and I did not dare to stay so we started for the music and it began to sprinkle so I said I was afraid of catching more cold and I would go home.


Looked in again in the Baptistery, more babies, came out and thought I would go and hear the music but it looked so like rain I turned back, so went into the Baptistery again. Four babies were being baptized and several more including one with a cloak embroidered with a crown and an M in gold were waiting. Florence said it must have been a child of a big ducal family. So cold I did not wait.Helen put me in the car. Told the manager Helen was coming Wednesday.

He was rather disagreeable about it; said he could not keep a room for her.

Went down to dinner. Sat with my back to the rest of the people.

Letter from Margaret saying Hazel was making trouble about the furniture. Wrote a nice letter to Florence.

Out of bed at last!

I got up about ten, but it was nearly noon before I was dressed, as I did some mending. Carried my sewing in to Florence’s room, put hooks and eyes into my new guimpe.

Used the pretty new grey bag with old rose lining that Mrs. Morse gave me Christmas.

After lunch I went out and walked an hour, going up to the next little town and back. It was the first time I had been dressed since May 5th.

I found Helen here when I came back. She brought out some calimel* and Florence and I each took half 12 tablets. I had lunch and dinner in Florence’s room.

I am reading The Price of Lis Doris and find it most interesting.

*Probably “calomel”, mercury chloride, used as a laxative and disinfectant until the 1940’s.

Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and Colosseum in Rome

A very busy day. I went to the 9:30 service in the chapel of Julia in St. Peters* at 9:40 today. I went so early I had a fine seat. The service was both beautiful, and interesting.

After it was over, I took, after waiting a long time, tram no. 16 and went to the English church at which I arrived twenty minutes late. Took a seat by the door. It was a very interesting church. I stayed after service to look at the church.

After lunch I talked to Miss Patterson about ruins. At 3:15 I started for the Coliseum and I went all over it climbing up to the very top to get a fine view.


Walked leisurely through the Forum and thought I should come back near tram 16 but I didn’t. I came out at Piazza Venezia and I had to consult my map had to walk quite a long time before I could get the car but I did finally.

I had planned to go to hear the Benediction sung by the nuns in Santa Maria di Monte** but I was both tired and late. I came right home. Stayed in drawing room a few minutes.

*Probably the Julian Chapel that was built by Pope Sixtus IV and now known as the Chapel of the Choir
**Probably Santa Maria di Montesanto

Walking in Rome on May Day: Doria Palace, Pincio and Borghese gardens

Today was cloudy and it was celebrated by no tram cars running and no taxis or carriages so you had to walk everywhere.

I went with Mrs. Haywood from Folkestone, Eng., a sweet faced woman to the Doria Palace to see the paintings there. We stopped at a church on the way and at the main post office (in an old monastery) on the way back. We must have walked three miles gone from 10-1.

Lay down after lunch and slept 1 1/4 hours, then got ready and went out with Mrs. Hayward, her friend Miss Patterson to walk in the Pincio and Borghese gardens* which were beautiful indeed. Saw magnolia, camphor, ilex, polonia, laburnum and lilac trees, locusts and acacias. It was very beautiful. Gone from 4 to 6:40. Very tired when I got back. Rested 15 minutes.



Went into the drawing room till 9:40. Finished my letter to Hazel and Percy.

*Villa Borghese is a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It is the second largest public park in Rome (80 hectares or 148 acres) after that of the Villa Doria Pamphili. The gardens were developed for the Villa Borghese Pinciana ("Borghese villa on the Pincian Hill").

The Pincio (the Pincian Hill of ancient Rome), in the south part of the park, offers one of the greatest views over Rome.