On June 23rd 1904, a monument to the great German writer Johann Wolfang von Goethe was unveiled in the Villa Borghese, in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III (r. 1900-46). The monument was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II (r. 1888-1918). Designed by Gustav Eberlein and carved by Valentino Casali, it was presented to Rome as a sign of the friendship between Italy and Germany and in memory of the hospitality the city had shown towards Germany's greatest writer. Goethe, who once declared, 'He who has seen Rome has seen everything', stayed in the Eternal City from October 1786 until February 1787 and again from June 1787 until April 1788. He lodged in Via del Corso (118), which now houses the Casa di Goethe, a small museum which occupies some of the rooms in which the writer lived. Thirty years later, in 1828, Goethe published his Italian Journey, a fascinating account of his time in Italy. Comments are closed.
|
My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private walking tours of Rome.
Search Walks in Rome:
Most Popular Posts
Archives
April 2024
|