The Diary of an invalid, being the journal of a tour... in Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and France, 1817-1819

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

264

text excerpt

In the evening to the Opera. Venice is the land of late hours: the scene in St. Mark's Place at midnight is more gay and animated than at any hour of the day; and it is after the opera that evening parties and conversazioni commence. The Gondoliers no longer sing the verses of Tasso; but you are frequently regaled with beautiful music from parties of dilettanti musicians. I ought to record, as an instance of the obliging civility of the Italians, that I met a serenading party in a Gondola to-night, singing very beautifully to their guitars the songs of a favourite opera. Supposing they were professional people, and under the idea that I was to make them a recompense, I detained them half an hour; and it was not till they explained their refusal of any remuneration, that I found it was a nobleman's family returning from an excursion to Padua.

In the evening to the Opera. Venice is the land of late hours: the scene in St. Mark's Place at midnight is more gay and animated than at any hour of the day; and it is after the opera that evening parties and conversazioni commence. The Gondoliers no longer sing the verses of Tasso; but you are frequently regaled with beautiful music from parties of dilettanti musicians. I ought to record, as an instance of the obliging civility of the Italians, that I met a serenading party in a Gondola to-night, singing very beautifully to their guitars the songs of a favourite opera. Supposing they were professional people, and under the idea that I was to make them a recompense, I detained them half an hour; and it was not till they explained their refusal of any remuneration, that I found it was a nobleman's family returning from an excursion to Padua.

excerpt from 'The Diary of an invalid, being the journal of a tour... in Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and France, 1817-1819' pp. 264 (152 words)

1518782960838:

1518782960838