Sat. 25. [25 April 1896] Heavenly morning. Streets full of flowers. Up
to the Piazza d'Azeglio on an unsuccessful maid hunt. Then out with
Caroline and the Talbots to San Spirito where I was delighted to see
my Perugino again and the Carmine - tremendous place that chapel.
Then by bribery into the palace where we saw the new Botticelli which
has all his exquisite decorative charm to the full, a certain feebleness
about the Ignorance and not all that might be in the landscape, but the
head and arms of the Science quite delicious. Lunch after which the
Talbots and Lord B. [Brownlow] went away. We spent the afternoon
where we had tea on Mary's and my balcony looking out over the
Arno valley. I scrambled about the fields while Caroline sketched,
gathered blue irises. Went into the theatre - divine view over the bare
hills and the heavenly little church where we looked at the Mino - the
very essence of Fiesole. Down about sunset - all the hills red and the
valley too lovely. Snow far away. Mr Cushing was dining in our inn,
came and talked to us.