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Product Description
At age 16, Fanny Mendelssohn-Bartholdy already had a longing to visit Italy. It would, however, take another 17 years until she could realize her dream. In August of 1839 she, her husband Wilhelm Hensel, and her nine year old son Sebastian left Berlin, Germany. By September they crossed the Stelvio Pass, and after passing through Milan, Venice, and Florence finally reach the Eternal City. As with most travelers of Italy of the time, Rome, the city of artists and painters, the center of Catholicism, and the source of much fascination, was their "true" destination. Fanny Hensel regularly reported her experiences in her letters home. Most of her letters went to her immediate family in Berlin, mainly to her mother Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy and her sister Rebecca, but some also went to her brothers Paul and Felix in Leipzig, Germany. Fanny remained involved in family discussions through her letters, but also reported generously of her adventures exploring Rome, of her encounters with internationally renowned painters and musicians, and recounted in detail the events of the Roman carnival and religious ceremonies. It became clear through her writings how much her experiences in Rome influenced her and that she left the city a changed person. Her experiences left such an impression on her that her return to the confines of Berlin would be very difficult on her. This work presents - for the first time - the sources in their original form and so helps to close any existing gaps in the life of the artist. German text.
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