Michel Eyquem de Montaigne was born at Château de Montaigne near Bordeaux in 1533, in the same year as Elizabeth I. He died there in 1592. The Château still stands unchanged and I have visited Montaigne's evocative tower and study there, where his books remain as he left them on now hugely sagging bookshelves.
Michel de Montaigne
Montaigne lived through the long summer of the High Renaissance and the slow decline of the intellectual optimism that had marked the Early Renaissance. As my faithful and learned readers will recall, Montaigne is famous for his essays, a genre that he invented and devoted, in his case, to the discovery of a sane and humane manner of living by studying the world in relation to himself. After four hundred years, they are still very much worth reading. As he says, he admired and emulated the soldier's love of bluntness and distaste for claptrap. Take down your copy, select an essay about a topic that interests you, read it slowly two or three times and then think about it when you have a spare moment. One essay a fortnight is optimal. For those misguided souls who as yet have no copy, there are two excellent modern translations of Montaigne's Essays readily available, one by M.A.Screech (1991) and the other by D.M Frame (1948).
Montaigne's tower at his Château.
Montaigne's Travel Journal
To read Montaigne at his most polished, we read the Essays. However, he also wrote a travel journal that was never prepared for publication and which casts fascinating light on Montaigne's interactions with those he met of all social stations and his observations of how the people lived in the countries he passed through, especially in the spa towns that he visited in the hopes of relieving his painful kidney stones. The Travel Journal is included in D.M. Frame's volume and Frame's translation was published separately by Northpoint Press in 1983 with a introduction by G. Davenport.
Montaigne's journey to Rome
Montaigne's principal destination was Rome which he approached, accompanied by some friends, a relative, his secretary and servants, by a circuitous route through France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He set off from his castle in 1580. In that year, Shakespeare was sixteen, Michelangelo had died in the year of Shakespeare's birth, Raleigh and Drake were on the high seas. Francesco I de' Medici, the second Grand Duke of the cadet line of the Medici family, would rule in Florence for another seven years.
Montaigne was a keen observer of the agricultural production, food served and culinary habits of the places he stopped, and yet there is no mention of pasta, macaroni, or similar
dishes in his journal. It seems that pasta was still not a commonly eaten dish in Italy from Rome northwards during the 16 C.
Montaigne enters Tuscany
Montaigne travelled from Innsbruck in Austria south and through the Austrian Alps via the Brenner Pass, continuing south through Bolzano, Trento and Verona, then west through Padua to Venice, which he hugely admired. He retraced his path (something for which he had a strong aversion) towards Padua and so south again to Bologna. From there, the party passed through the small town of Loiano and immediately after Piamaggio entered Tuscany. They then "followed a road which in truth is the first on our trip that can be called uncomfortable and wild, and in the midst of the mountains more difficult than any other part of this trip." This road was over the Passo del Giogo di Scarperia (882 m) in the Apuan Alps, to the east of the deep valley followed today by the railway and the A1, and led to Scarperia in the area of Tuscany known as the Mugello, the home territory of the Medici family where they owned estates as well as castles and country villas to which they retreated when out of favour in Florence. Montaigne described Scarperia as "a very small town of Tuscany where they sell quantities of little cases, scissors and similar merchandise." In fact, Scarperia then as now was also famous for the production of knives, especially pocket knives. It's one of the few places where you can still buy a hand-made flick knife over the counter. Just don't get caught carrying it on the streets of Florence!
On the road to Florence, Montaigne and his party visited Villa Pratolino (now part of Villa Demidoff) which had been completed only twelve years previously by Francesco I de' Medici.
Villa Pratolino as it was when visited by Montaigne.
Montaigne's first stop in Florence
Montaigne entered Florence for the first time on 22 November 1580 for a stay of just a couple of packed days. He explored the town within the walls, climbed to the top of the Duomo - right to the top, apparently entering the gilt globe which, as he mentions, is large enough to hold four people. He visited the Grand Duke's stables "which are very large, with arched roofs; there are very few horses of any value here: at least, there were not, when we went over them. We were shown a sheep of a very strange form; together with a camel, several lions and bears, and an animal as big as a large mastiff, but of the form of a cat, all striped black and white, which they called a tiger." The next day, he dined with the Grand Duke and his wife. At this point, Montaigne, while regarding Florence as beautiful enough, noted that in this regard that it had no advantage over Bologna, little over Ferrara and was incomparably inferior to Venice. As we shall see, he later revised this opinion.
Florence in November
Montaigne's departure from Tuscany and first stay in Rome
From Florence, Montaigne continued southwards first to Sienna and then to Buonconvento. In Sienna, he noted particularly that the Duke of Florence keeps Silvio Piccolomini close to him - a policy of keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer. Montaigne rated Piccolomini "the most able nobleman of our time in every kind of knowledge and exercise of arms." As we shall, see, he dined with Piccolomini later on his journey through Tuscany. Just past La Paglia, his party left Tuscany and continued on to Rome where Montaigne stayed from 30 November 1580 until 19 April 1581.
Montaigne's journey to take the waters in Tuscany
Montaigne took an unusual route from Rome back to Tuscany to take the waters at La Villa near Lucca. Instead of retracing his steps, he took a longer route through Umbria to the Adriatic coast, passing through Narni, Terni, Spoleto and Foligno in Umbria and so on into Le Marche to La Muccia, Valchimara, Marcerata and Loreto, where he stayed for three days, a couple of km from the Adriatic coast. Loreto was an extremely popular pilgrimage destination and Montaigne describes it in great detail, especially the Sanctuary of the Holy House. From here they proceeded to Ancona, Sinigaglia and Fano, the latter "famous for beautiful women but we saw only ugly ones; when I enquired of a good man of the town, he told me that that time had passed." Oh well! The party then left the coast for Fossombrone and so on to Urbino. Montaigne wasn't much impressed by Urbino ("there is nothing level about it, and everywhere you have to go up and down." - how true!) nor by the palace ("nor is there anything attractive about this whole building either inside or around it.") Perhaps all those steep streets had put him into a bad humour?
Montaigne enters Tuscany for the second time
Sant' Angelo in Le Marche
From Urbino, Montaigne journeyed on to Castel-Durante (originally Castel delle Ripe, now Urbania), Sant' Angelo, described by Montaigne as "very pretty", which it still is, Borgo Pace and so over the mountains from which Montaigne was entranced by the view of the Valdarno. The party passed over the border into Tuscany and so to Sansepolcro and Ponte Boriano. Montaigne writes "We followed a long plain all split by horrible crevices which the waters make in a strange fashion." He was describing le balze, in geological terms the "bad lands" so famous in various parts of Tuscany, especially in the Valdarno and near Volterra.
Le Balze of the Val d'Arno
They passed within a couple of miles of Arezzo and on to Levanella (the hostelry at that time widely held to be the best in Tuscany) and along the route through Montevarchi, San Giovanni, Figline and Ancisa where all the motorway on-ramps are these days, to Pian della Fonte, and the next day to Florence where they stayed only one night. Next day onwards through Prato and Pistoia. They made a brief diversion to Poggio, the Medicean Villa di Poggio at Caiano (Villa Ambra) in the Province of Prato ("a house about which they make much ado"). This palace was the site of the notorious, almost simultaneous deaths of Francesco I and Bianca Cappello in 1587, six years after Montaigne dined with them in Florence – poisoning was suspected although they probably died of malaria.
Villa Poggio a Caiano
After the visit to the villa, they continued on to Lucca where they stayed a couple of days before moving on the their principal destination, the Spa of La Villa.
Montaigne's first stay at La Villa
La Villa is now one of three small towns that make up Bagni di Lucca, about 25 km from Lucca, and Montaigne stayed there twice, first from 7 May until 21 June 1581, treating himself for kidney stones, about which he has a great deal to say, and socialising with the inhabitants and visitors of all classes who flocked there for the season and about whom he also has a great deal of amusing things to say. Montaigne gave a very successful dance for the local girls and handed out numerous prizes which left everyone happy.
Montaigne's second stop in Florence
Making a trip back to Florence, Montaigne travelled via Pescia, forgetting to visit the baths at Montecatini, "through absent mindedness" Pistoia, Prato and Castello, and so to Florence for a ten day stay, still complaining about the lack of glass frames in the windows. Among other activities, he dined with Silvio Piccolomini, whom he greatly admired, and discussed fencing, artillery and warfare. The Piccolomini are a noble family prominent in Siennese politics since the 12 C as leaders of the Guelfs and as bankers with branches in France and England as well as in Italy. By the 13 C they had reached their commercial peak, despite being twice banished from their native city, a Ghibelline stronghold. They managed to escape the economic crisis of the 14 C, thanks to large investments in land, and in 1458 were named counts palatine by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III. The family included soldiers, prelates, literary men, and two popes - Enea Silvio, who became Pius II (1458–64), and his nephew Francesco, who was Pius III (1503). Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Pope Pius II was born at Corsignano and during his papacy created nearby the beautiful town of Pienza as an ideal Humanist City, famous, among other things for the Piccolomini Palace and the Piccolomini Garden looking out over the Val d'Orcia. He also wrote an entertaining memoir which is still readily available in English translation and well worth reading.
As well as socialising, sight-seeing and attending the festivities of the Feast of St. John the Baptist (Festa di San Giovanni), Montaigne dropped in at Giunti's bookshop to buy eleven comedies as well as other books. The publishing firm of Giunti thrives in Florence to this day. Perhaps buying some books put Montaigne in a good humour? "I finally confessed that Florence is rightly called 'the beautiful'."
Montaigne talked to an "artisan, an able man and famous for making fine mathematical instruments, who taught me that all trees bear many circles and rings as they have lasted years . . . and the part that faces north is narrower and has its rings closer and denser than the other". The first such observation is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci in his Trattato della Pittura (Treatise on Painting), compiled by Melzi some time after his death in 1519, but not published until 1651. It seems Montaigne noted what he was told in 1581, 150 years before the French investigators Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau and Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon next described the effect of growing conditions on the shape of tree rings in 1737.
Montaigne's second stay at La Villa
On Sunday 2 July 1581, Montaigne departed from Florence for the last time and headed for Pisa. Montaigne was delighted by the fertile plains filled with crops, houses, small walled towns and villages. Even now, these plains are enormously fertile and laid out with seemingly endless market gardens and tree nurseries (especially olive trees) for sale all over Tuscany. They passed through Empoli and so onwards to La Scala, a small village in the municipality of San Miniato, and from there to Pisa where he stayed from 3 to 22 July 1581. Montaigne describes all the sights he visited and the eccentric individuals he conversed with, including Girolamo Borro whom he mentions in the Essays as having got into trouble with the Inquisition for being "too perfect an Aristotelian". He provides an excellent description of a violent fracas over who should perform Mass between some priests and some friars in the Church of Saint Francis "fighting with fists, sticks, candlesticks, torches and the like; they used everything", and much else of interest, in a very lively style.
Pisa
From Pisa, Montaigne returned to Lucca where he rented the well-appointed ground floor of Ludovico Pinitesi's house for two weeks, and enjoyed a varied social life among the Lucchese. He especially enjoyed dining in the loggias of the homes he was invited to. "A very great ornament indeed to the buildings in Italy is the very high, beautiful and broad vaults. They make the entrances to the houses pleasant and dignified, because all of the lower part is built with that construction, with wide and high doors. In summer the gentlemen of Lucca eat in public under these entryways, in sight of anyone passing along the street." Montaigne also describes the use of bird-lime to trap thrushes and other small, edible birds in specially created copses. The same method is used in the Val d'Orcia where these photogenic copses are still to be seen.
From Lucca, Montaigne and his party moved to La Villa for his second stay there, from 14 Aug to 12 Sept 1581, lodging in the same rooms as previously and receiving a warm welcome. Once again, a large part of his attention was given over to taking the waters and recording the state of his health. On Thursday 7 September, he received a letter from Bordeaux, dated 2 August, informing him that he had been elected mayor of that city and urging him to accept this honour, which he did.
On the 12 Sept, they left La Villa and returned to Lucca in time to enjoy the celebrations of the Festa della Esaltazione della Santa Croce. "I have not found in Italy a single good barber to shave my beard and cut my hair." How times change! On 20 September, they left Lucca, en route for Rome, Montaigne having taken the opportunity of sending two bales of cloth back to France. They took the route through La Scala, Castel Fiorentino, past the foot of Certaldo, noted by Montaigne as the birthplace of Boccaccio, and so to Poggibonsi to dine. Onwards to Sienna where they stayed for three nights. "The square of Sienna is the most beautiful that is to be seen in any city." Still true.
Next day they continued on to San Quirico d'Orcia (which Montaigne refers to as San Chirico, an older, dialectical version of its name). On the way "the pack horse had lain down in a little stream that we crossed at a ford, all my things, and particularly my books, were ruined and it took much time to dry them". On the neighbouring hill they could see Montepulciano. From San Quirico, they visited the nearby spa at Bagno Vignoni, where the original pool visited by our friend Silvio Piccolomini Pius II, not to mention Lorenzo il Magnifico dei Medici, are still to be seen in very attractive surroundings. They were unfortunately in a sad state of neglect when Montaigne visited.
Bagno Vignoni in the Val d'Orcia
Montaigne's second stay in Rome and passage through Tuscany on his way home to France and Château de Montaigne
Continuing south, Montaigne's party crossed over the Tuscan border and visited Viterbo and Monterosso before arriving in Rome on 1 October for a final two week stay.
The return journey took the route through Ronciglione and once more into Tuscany passing through San Quirico, Sienna, Ponte a Elsa (known for being uniquely divided between two different municipalities: Empoli (FI) and San Miniato (PI)), Lucca, Massa di Carrara, Pontremoli and over the Tuscan border to continue via Piacenza, Pavia, Milan, Novara, Livorno, Turin and so into France.
Montaigne arrived home at Château de Montaigne on 30 November 1581. He had been away on his excursion to Rome for a total of seventeen months and eight days. He lived another eleven years, polishing and adding to his Essays. He died aged 59 years.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
