Very lovely morning. Inn dear & bad. Off in a ramshackle with G. at 5.45. Rapallo pretty from the west. Very lovely essence of cultivation all the way, & long coast lines to Levanto. ― St. Lorenzo della Costa, & then La Ruta ―: chesnuts & great hills. Tunnel, & a lovely view of Genoa, & thence always ― in & out, up & down, by Recco, Soli,1 (where the hill had nearly crushed the town 3 months ago ―) & Boliastro,2 ― (?) & Nervi, (where we nearly crushed a child,) & Quinto,3 & Quarto4 ― (where I [minded me] of Isabella Spinola ―) & so by San Martino ― & the Hotel Feder at 10. ― The views of Portofino from this side are beautiful, but one must stay at La Ruta Hotel to do any good. ― Breakfast. ― & arranging boxes till 1 or 2 &c. &c. ―

At 3 inquired about place for G. to Malta. At 5, dined at Table d’hôte & sate next M.me “Buonaparte / Wise.”  I recognized her by the likeness to D. Giuseppe ― & Giulia B. ― never having seen her before. ειναι βεφαιως γυνη τρομερα.5 A kind of Pole or Italian Frenchman sate opposite & talked incessantly to her: ― when she spoke of the “Campells” & others I could not resist chiming in, (to her intense surprise,) as I knew the name of all from the days of [Merignano]. She said all that estate is sold to Torlonia, but when I asked her if D. Giuseppe still was called Prince of Corsica her contempt was extreme, “Comment donc? quand il est Prince de la famille Imperiale?” ([ειχα με αστην ενας νεος της ηλικιας ισως δεκα εξ και εφ αινη δη ου υ εος δης]. ―) A bouncing & tremenjus fat little female is this Lady, but bears marks of great beauty ― tho’ the expression is not exactly likeable.

1860-05-23

After dinner walked out with G.K. ― & returned to bed at 9.30.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. Sori. [↩]
  2. Probably Bogliasco. [↩]
  3. Quinto al Mare. [↩]
  4. Now Quarto dei Mille. [↩]
  5. [] woman is terrible (GT). [↩]