Comte de Lusace, May 31, 1738, Palmanova to Pordenone

“Le 31e. May. Nous entendimes la Messe et nous partimes aprés cela a Onze heures d’Italie ce qui selon le conte à La françoise est à sept heures du matin de Palmanuova et nous nous rendimes à La Capella ou nous dinames dans la maison du Marquis de [blank] et apres cela nous jouames au Pharon. Nous partimes vers le 3. heures de France et Nous fumes à Sept heures de France au soir à Pordonone.

La Sgra. Pisana Mocenigo envoïa dabord Mr. G. Momolo son fils Cadet pour me feliciter de Sa part sur mon heureuse arrivée ici à Pordonone, et pour me faire dire que Comme Elle ne pouvoit pas venir en Personne pour me donner visite à cause d’un gros mal de Tête qui l’avoit surprit sesie ce matin à Son arrivée ici Elle esperoit de pouvoir du moins être en etat de venir me voir demain à Treviso.

Le Commissaire de La Serme. Republique de Venise vint peu après me presenter dei vin-freschi et un autres Noble Venetien vint avec Lui.”

Codroipo: Villa Manin
Codroipo: Villa Manin
Description of their visit to the Manin palace and gardens in Codroipo prior to passing Perdenone; from Brevi notizie [...] (Florence, 1738)
Description of their visit to the Manin palace and gardens in Codroipo prior to passing Perdenone; from Brevi notizie […] (Florence, 1738)

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Comte de Lusace

Friedrich Christian (Sept. 5, 1722- Dec. 17, 1763) was the eldest son of King August III and Queen Maria Josepha of Saxony/Poland. Sickly at birth and crippled by what was described at the time as "palsy", he toured Italy in 1738-40 on a quasi-Grand Tour-cum-pilgrimage and cure, aged 15-18. Traveling incognito as Comte de Lusace, he departed Dresden on May 13, 1738 in the company of his sister, Maria Amalia, the new Queen of Naples, for a four-week journey via modern-day Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia to arrive in Naples on June 22, 1738. Following a cure on Ischia (July 12-Sept. 23, 1738) and a period of recuperation in Portici and Naples (July 23-Nov. 15, 1738), the prince sojourned for a year in Rome residing in Palazzo Albani alle Quattro Fontane (Nov. 18, 1738-Oct. 14, 1739). After Rome, he toured Tuscany, Lombardy and the Veneto (Oct. 14-Dec. 21, 1739) before floating into Venice for six months in Ca'Foscari (Dec. 21, 1739-June 11, 1740). Prior to returning to Dresden on Sept. 7, 1740, the prince spent two months in Vienna with his grandmother, Dowager Empress Wilhelmine Amalia. Three unpublished diaries written by the prince and two members of his entourage offer parallel accounts of each day of a unique tour of Italy and are presented here in the form of a blog, together with auxiliary documentation and illustrative material. NB: Inaccuracies, idiosyncrasies and misspellings are retained; some writing is bound into the margins and illegible. Autocorrect has occasionally introduced misspellings for which I apologize.