DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0258
218
VISIT TO VENICE
boat to the mouth of the Po, and spent the night at
a wretched hostelry at Stellata. As usual, Isabella
gave her husband a full account of her doings in a
letter from Venice, where she arrived on the 14th of
March.1
“ My dear Lord,—Yesterday morning we left ‘la
Stellata’ so early that we reached Chiozza an hour
after dark, but since the hostelries were all full we
had to send Benedetto Capilupi to inform the
Podesta of our arrival, which we did the more
readily, hearing that he was M. Alvise Capello,
brother to M. Paolo, and a great friend of Your
Excellency; and although we begged him to direct
us to some private lodging near the inns, he insisted
on receiving us in his own house in the kindest
manner possible, and, above all, allowed us to remain
strictly incognito. So we accepted his invitation,
and were honourably lodged and entertained at
supper in the palace. That night we were too tired
and travel-stained to see His Magnificence, but this
morning he visited us and regretted that he had not
been aware of our coming, so as to pay us greater
honour, as the Signory would have wished, and
begged us to dine with him. We replied that we
were on our way to discharge a vow at Padua, but
had come through Venice, as the Duchess had never
seen this city, and that since we were in travelling
dress we should not have made ourselves known to
him, only that he was a friend of Your Excellency,
and, we felt sure, could be trusted to keep our
secret; to which he replied that we had done well,
and that the moment he heard of our arrival he had
1 This and the five following letters in the Archivio Gonzaga
were published by Dr. Luzio, Mantova e Urbino, 307-315.
VISIT TO VENICE
boat to the mouth of the Po, and spent the night at
a wretched hostelry at Stellata. As usual, Isabella
gave her husband a full account of her doings in a
letter from Venice, where she arrived on the 14th of
March.1
“ My dear Lord,—Yesterday morning we left ‘la
Stellata’ so early that we reached Chiozza an hour
after dark, but since the hostelries were all full we
had to send Benedetto Capilupi to inform the
Podesta of our arrival, which we did the more
readily, hearing that he was M. Alvise Capello,
brother to M. Paolo, and a great friend of Your
Excellency; and although we begged him to direct
us to some private lodging near the inns, he insisted
on receiving us in his own house in the kindest
manner possible, and, above all, allowed us to remain
strictly incognito. So we accepted his invitation,
and were honourably lodged and entertained at
supper in the palace. That night we were too tired
and travel-stained to see His Magnificence, but this
morning he visited us and regretted that he had not
been aware of our coming, so as to pay us greater
honour, as the Signory would have wished, and
begged us to dine with him. We replied that we
were on our way to discharge a vow at Padua, but
had come through Venice, as the Duchess had never
seen this city, and that since we were in travelling
dress we should not have made ourselves known to
him, only that he was a friend of Your Excellency,
and, we felt sure, could be trusted to keep our
secret; to which he replied that we had done well,
and that the moment he heard of our arrival he had
1 This and the five following letters in the Archivio Gonzaga
were published by Dr. Luzio, Mantova e Urbino, 307-315.