[Venice—Thursday, 12 April 1860]
Thursday 12th Unmitigated, unrivalled sunshine. We were floating today 8 hours in our gondola. In the distance as we lay upon the lagoon we saw the mountains of Friuli and the Euganean hills sparkling and quivering up into the blue in their impalpable snowy beauty.
Such a day. We sat in the Doge’s palace and hung longingly over Venice in her graceful campanile while the sun of this new Spring arrayed all Venice in her ancient splendors.