Rose before 5 ― better. Morning gray, ˇ[& a few drops of rain,] ― till 10.

Drew the Bagni Ponte Serraglio till 8.30. The chesnut & acacia foliage is pleasant. Then drew on the other side of the River, & 3rdly went up a steep hill to Lugliano ― whence you see both, or rather all the 3 Bagni, through beautiful Chesnut woods. The quantity of fruit is vast. ― Back by 11 ― & reposed: at 12 dined. The cooking is very good here. Some Chestnut bread, in this Cake ― like bannocks, sweet, but heavy. The Cameriere1 tells me the woods belong to various padroni,2 here & elsewhere, & are affittati3 to Contadini,4 who take 1/3 of the nuts. On my remarking the portraits of V.E. ― G.G. C.C. & G. Fanti, & saying, you are all for the Re5 ― said Cam.e observed ― “Bisogna far come l’altri, ma le cose vanno sempre diminuendo qui ― speriamo per il meglio.”6 ― It is clear that a great class ˇ[in Tuscany] look back uneasily to the past, & might be, (perhaps are) made much use of in case of reaction getting [hard].

Slept, but the mischief has not yet gone. X

At 3, went up slowly to the Chesnuts above V. Bagni Caldi, & drew till 5.30. Then drew the Bagni di Villa till 6.45. Poi, crossed the Ponte Nuovo, & drew till 7.30, back by 8.30.

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

  1. Waiter. [↩]
  2. Landowners. [↩]
  3. Let. [↩]
  4. Farmers. [↩]
  5. King. [↩]
  6. One has to do as the others do, but things are growing worse and worse here ― let’s hope for an improvement. [↩]