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Byron in Livorno

Something different about a famous poet

By Patrizia PoliPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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Byron in Livorno
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

“In 1822 for six weeks Lord George Byron lived in Montenero, the most famous of the poets of modern England. He lived in the Dupouy villa now De Paoli, and according to what is said, in the room in the corner between the main front and the western side of the villa itself. At the bottom of this room is a small alcove where the bed occupied by Byron was located. (…) Together with Byron Count Ruggero Gamba had come to Montenero with his son Pietro and his daughter Teresa, married to Count Guiccioli, with a retinue of servants from parts of Romagna. On them, because belonging to the secret society of the Carbonari, the Tuscan police was very vigilant. Lord Byron was also an unwelcome guest, of whom not only the ardently liberal ideas were known, but also the disordered and incorrect life and nature intolerant of every restraint and submission “Pietro Vigo.

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) from Pisa, where he resided on the Lungarni, came to Montenero in 1822. The historian Pietro Vigo, in his guide to Montenero, gives ample account of it.

For the price of one hundred Francesconi a month, Byron rented Dupouy villa, from the banker Francesco Dupouy, with stables, wherehouses, gardens, cisterns and wells for clean water.

In Montenero Byron wrote part of his Child Harold and the inscription for the grave of his daughter Allegra.

A group of Americans anchored at the port of Livorno invited him on board and honoured him.

Pietro Vigo reports a dispute that broke out on June 28, around 5 pm, between the people in the service of Byron and those in the service of the Countess Guiccioli. The Gamba were also involved, knives and pistols were grasped, Pietro Gamba was bruised. This brawl gave the Tuscan police an opportunity to evict the hidden Gamba counts, on the pretext of clamour and intemperance that disturbed the quiet village of Montenero. In this regard, Byron wrote the following letter to the governor, which Vigo claims to have found only in the Italian translation.

“My friends Count Gamba and family received orders to leave Tuscany in four days, as well as my Swiss born courier. I won’t make any observations on this order, at least for now. I will leave this territory in your company, not being a suitable dwelling place for me that country which refuses refuge to the unfortunate and asylum to my friends. But since I have here a considerable capital in furniture and other items that require some time to arrange the removal, I am praying you for a delay of a few days in favor of my friends, as well as of my courier, who will accompany me if this is allowed, and I suppose that a day or two more will be of very little consequence.

Since I will accompany my friends whenever they leave, I ask for permission to ask you to honour me with an answer.”

But the English poet did not get what he asked for. And he did not have his way in the water dispute.

Byron was very difficult in terms of water, he only digested it if it was very pure and crystalline, but the drought led to the exhaustion of the wells. Byron then refused to pay the rent and sued Dupouy in the Livorno court. He lost and had to pay the overdue instalments, interest and court costs.

While still in Montenero, he received a letter in verse from Goethe, who was translated by Enrico Mayer, a young writer of German father. He replied that he would soon leave for Greece, where he fought for independence. In fact, he left the port of Livorno on the Hercules and reached Missolungi, where he died in 24, not in battle, but with meningitis.

In 1900 a street in Montenero was named after him.

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About the Creator

Patrizia Poli

Patrizia Poli was born in Livorno in 1961. Writer of fiction and blogger, she published seven novels.

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