I Tatti, Settignano, Florence. - Knows Julian's birthday was three days ago, but this will 'serve to revive the pleasant feeling of being 18'; not until after the age of thirty that 'birthdays become unpleasant, and one is sad to be a year older. Going… read more
I Tatti, Settignano, Florence. - Knows Julian's birthday was three days ago, but this will 'serve to revive the pleasant feeling of being 18'; not until after the age of thirty that 'birthdays become unpleasant, and one is sad to be a year older. Going to [Umberto] Morra's house at Cortona for a few days tomorrow, then will join C[lifford] A[llen] and Joan at Naples, and go on to Ravello with them. The people here -[Bernard] Berenson, Nicky [Mariano] and her sister [Alda von Anrep] who know Germany very well, all say that if Julian goes to Hamburg he will like it, and that all building there has to be approved by the municipal architects so it is all ' if not very good, at least never bad'; they also say 'Munich is not what it was before the war for music and the theatre', with Vienna, Dresden and Berlin being much better, though he does not think this makes much difference and Julian will probably go to Vienna for part of the time.
Saw Chartres Cathedral with Desmond and Michael MacCarthy on his way through France, and thought it 'easily the finest' he had ever seen. Is rather sleepy as there 'has been a Rothschild to lunch, and we all ate a lot. He was much like other people, and quite nice'. Expects Elizabeth will be visiting Julian soon. Hopes Julian does not 'find the Logie book too dull'; quotes Milton's "Comus" on 'divine philosophy'; Julian will anyway 'know the worst', and it gets much more interesting once through the 'elementary part', but he can always study English Literature [at Cambridge] if he thinks 'Moral Science would become distasteful'; however, he should give it a 'good try', and the psychology part ought to be interesting. Hopes he has good luck in the King's [College] exam: Nicky sends best wishes, and Berenson would too if he were not 'sleeping off his lunch'.
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