If you were a part of the English speaking expat community in Florence in the latter half of the 1800s and needed a chaperone or a place to stay or were ill or simply wanted a shoulder to cry on, more than likely you called “dearest Isa” for help. Many illustrious people like the Trollopes, the Brownings, Robert Bulwer Lytton and Walter Savage Landor did just that. They relied on the altruism and friendship of the poet and novelist, Miss Isabella Blagden, to rush to their aid.
Comments