TRIALS.
1873-1877.
“May the hour of trial and grief bring its blessing with it, and not have come in vain! The day passes so quickly, when one can do good and make others happy—and one leaves always so much undone.” (August 2, 1873.)
[1873].
THIS year began brightly and happily to the Prince and Princess, for little Prince Fritz, whose health had often given rise to serious anxiety, seemed stronger and better. In March the Princess at last was able to carry out her long-cherished wish to visit Italy. She travelled incognita, accompanied by Miss Hardinge and Hofrath Ruland. The journey was made in a comparatively short time, but was thoroughly successful. The Princess travelled from Darmstadt by Munich and the Brenner Pass to Florence, where she spent three days, and from there went straight on to Rome.
During her stay in the “eternal city” she employed her mornings in visiting the many beautiful picture-galleries, the churches, and the ruins of ancient Rome. In the afternoons she made longer excursions into the neighborhood, visiting the more distant churches in the Campagna, as well as the celebrated villas of Albani, Ludovisi, Borghese, etc. She used to spend her evenings in talking over and discussing all the objects of interest she had seen during the day. The Princess with her wonderful power of observation was able to do a large amount of sight-seeing in a comparatively short time. She was accompanied by Monsignore Howard (now Cardinal Howard) over St. Peter’s; and he showed her many interesting parts of this glorious edifice, which in general are never shown to Protestants. At the “Farnesina,” the private palace of Count Bermudez, she was received and conducted over it by the Count himself. The ruins of Rome which interested the Princess the most were those which dated from the time of the first Christians, as far back as the early mediæval period, the catacombs of “San Callisto,” and the curious church of “San Clemente.” Amongst the ceremonies of the “Holy Week” the Princess was greatly struck by “The Lamentations,” whilst others made her ask, as all Protestants do, how the pure simple Christian religion could possibly be so misrepresented. After attending all the grand ceremonies of the Church of Rome, the quiet service at the German Embassy made a most happy and peaceful impression on the Princess. She visited the Pope, Pius IX., who received her with his usual winning kindness.[110] She also went to the Quirinal to pay her respects to King Victor Emanuel, and to the Crown Princess of Italy, Princess Margherita. The two Princesses drove together through Rome on the occasion of the celebration of its “birthday,” and witnessed the illumination of the Capitol, Forum, and Colosseum.
On the 13th of April the Princess made a brief excursion to Sorrento by way of Naples, where her father-in-law and the Empress of Russia were staying. On the 24th of April she left with her suite for Florence, travelling by way of Perugia and Lake Thrasimene, through the valley of the Arno. As she had but little time, she was only able to visit the galleries of the Uffizi and Pitti Palaces, the tombs of the Medici in San Lorenzo, the Convent of St. Mark, the Cathedral, the Church of Santa Croce, and the “Museo Nazionale.”