Italy

From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Venice, Italy (1907).

Arthur Conan Doyle went many times in Italy. He collected photographs of his journeys in the Mediterranean area, including a grand tour of Italy, in two large albums. A large selection of them can be found in the articles below. The articles were originally published in "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey" in 2012.


Conan Doyle visits to Italy

1891

  • In march 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle back from Vienna went to Paris and London via Venice and Milan.

1894

  • Winter 1894, Louise with Mary and Kingsley were in Davos and in the route they visit Paris, San Remo, and probably Naples.

1895

  • In november 1895, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louise and Lottie travelled trough Italy, stayed some days in Rome, then to Brindisi to go to Cairo, Egypt. They passed trough Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples where they visit Nelson Foley.

1898

Rome, Italy. From left to right: George Gissing, E. W. Hornung, Arthur Conan Doyle and H. G. Wells (april 1898).

1902

  • In april 1902, Arthur Conan Doyle went to Naples to visit Ida and Nelson Foley at La Gaiola, where he spends some weeks. Then went to Sicily, Venice, Italian lakes, Florence, Milan.

1906

  • On 4 july 1906, death of Louise.

1907

1913

  • In may 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle and Jean Leckie went on a sea cruise in Mediterranean. On the return trip they spent a week in Greece, and some days in Rome, then a week in Switzerland.

1916


Conan Doyle's writings related to Italy

Articles, Essays

Fictions

  • The Narrative of John Smith (1880-90s) : Italy, which has now developed into a stately nation, worthy of her grand traditions, was then a congeries of petty principalities.
  • The White Company (1891) : John Hawkwood, had led half the Company into Italy. And 6 other references.
  • Rodney Stone (1896) : France had increased by leaps and bounds, reaching out to the north into Belgium and Holland, and to the south into Italy.
  • Uncle Bernac (1896) : The next month he had broken out in the north of Italy like the plague; Venice and Genoa withered at the touch of this swarthy ill-nourished boy. And 2 other references.
  • Sir Nigel (1906) : Aymery was known to all of them as a famous mercenary of Italy. And 3 other references.
  • The First Cargo (1910) : When I hear the rain falling and the wind howling, Italy seems very far away.
  • The Land of Mist (1926) : Spain and Italy were sunk in alternate atheism and superstition.


In the Sherlock Holmes stories

  • A Study in Scarlet (1887) : The Secret Societies of Italy were not even able to put a more formidable machinery in motion than the Danites of Utah.
  • The Adventure of the Red Circle (1911) : The giant Gorgiano, a man who had earned the name of "Death" in the South of Italy, for he was red to the elbow in murder!


Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey, by Gianluca Salvatori, Enrico Solito & Roberto Vianello (2012)

The following texts were originally published in "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Viaggio in Italia / Italian Journey" edited by Gianluca Salvatori, Enrico Solito & Roberto Vianello, in 2012 (Bobi Bazlen Edizion).


Introduction

By Enrico Solito & Gianluca Salvatori.

In 2004 many personal effects belonging to Arthur Conan Doyle were sold at Christie's famous auction rooms. The more astute of Italian fans immediately noticed that among the many items that would be the delight of every collector, were two albums of photos and postcards of "a Trip to Italy". An Italian consortium was created in a desperate attempt to compete with the other collectors, but the auction price soon went well beyond all possibility of victory on our part, and the exhibits were assigned to a buyer under the cover of anonymity.

It was months later that the two editors of this volume, both members of the glorious combination of Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) of New York, agreed to contact their brethren overseas for news. The news, which arrived almost immediately, identified Dr. Richard J. Sveum as the envied owner of the albums.

We accordingly contacted him, but with very little hope of a response. So it was a great surprise and relief when we got a rather unexpected and cordial answer, and a few months later we met Richard in New York at the annual BSI meeting.

We knew immediately that we were dealing with a gentleman who was generous and interested in sharing the treasures of his Doylean albums with other scholars, so that they, like him, might examine their meaning: a true patron of the arts, who has helped to change the bad impressions about private collectors which most Italian enthusiasts have previously had.

With great generosity and absolute selflessness (we had proposed to pay to see the albums, and he answered by shaking his head and offering us a whisky) Richard immediately sent us a complete scanned copy of the albums so we could study and draw everything possible from those pictures taken a century earlier.

And so we did, discovering our country with the disenchanted gaze of Conan Doyle and his wife, an unexpected dip into the Italy of one hundred and more years ago.

The national meeting of the Italian Sherlock Holmes Society, "Uno Studio in Holmes" (USIH), in 2005 was dedicated to this research and what you are about to read is the result of the efforts of many members of our association who, throughout Italy and Britain, spent years trying to reconstruct the journeys of ACD covered by these two albums. Through logical deductions, findings in the field, small details, numbers on photographic plates and more, we deduced that the primary trip was that of the 1907 honeymoon of Arthur and Jean Conan Doyle and that the Doyles must have visited Venice first, possibly with a literally whistle-stop visit to Florence on the way to Rome, and then on to Naples, before travelling on to the East by sea. All members of USIH participated but those most involved in the research were Ivo Lombardo in Venice, Stefano Guerra in Rome and Philip Weller in Naples and England.

When, in 2008, Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley released "Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters", a collection of letters belonging to ACD, we found sudden confirmation of all of our theories, proving them spectacularly correct, with six letters to his adored mother sent from Venice, from onboard the ship that carried him to Izmir, from Constantinople, Paris and London. Conan Doyle had actually stayed at the Hotel Danieli in Venice, as Ivo Lombardo had concluded, while he had passed through but not stopped in Florence on his way to Rome. You can read other details as you browse these photographs which we studied with great excitement; but it is now time for us quietly to leave the scene and hand over to ACD, his camera and his amazed and ironic expression as an English tourist, but before doing so we have to thank him once again for giving us one more chance to appraise him and dream together.

This book is primarily the result of a great friendship between all the authors of this book, arising from their studies of Holmes and Conan Doyle, forged amidst life's difficulties. It is also a great book for the experts: fans of Conan Doyle's work will find new, previously unpublished photos, feedback, evidence and research results (previously unknown), making this book a classic for years to come. It will be cited a lot, we are sure. But that's not all that this book is: you will find an exceptional photographic record which has the flavour of a bygone age and you will get a taste of the pleasures of delving into an unknown world, guided by the capable hands of USIH.

Many thanks go to all the members of USIH who have supported us with their enthusiasm, to those of us who have dedicated time and effort to this book and especially to Richard Sveum, without whom all of this would have been impossible.


Article On and Off the Rails with Jean and ACD

Philip Weller analyses the contents of two photo albums from the collection of Richard J. Sveum that contain images related to Arthur Conan Doyle's travels, particularly his 1907 honeymoon trip to the Mediterranean and a later trip in 1913. Weller pieces together Conan Doyle's itinerary and the timing of the trips based on the photographs, postcards, and other evidence. He also notes some challenges in dating the images and reconciling them with Conan Doyle's own accounts. He provides detailed information about Conan Doyle's travels, the hotels he stayed at, and the places he visited, including Constantinople, Egypt, Greece, and various locations in Italy.


Article Venice, Romanticism and Mysteries

Ivo Lombardo analyses the photographs of Venice taken by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found in Richard J. Sveum's photo albums. He provides details about the collapse and reconstruction of the famous bell tower (campanile) in Venice, in the early 20th century. It also describes the Hotel Danieli, where Conan Doyle stayed during his visit to Venice in 1907, and information about the hotel's history and renovations. He mentions several other photographs taken by ACD or his wife, including views of St. Mark's Square, a gondola ride, and a canal near the hospital. He suggests that some of these photos may hold clues or mysteries worth investigating further.


Article Strolling Around Rome, Today and Yesterday in the Company of Arthur Conan Doyle

Stefano Guerra describes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's visit to Rome in 1907 with his wife Jean. He analyzes the photos and postcards in Conan Doyle's albums to reconstruct their itinerary and the sights they visited. The visit included tributes to Garibaldi and the Pope, as well as explorations of ancient Roman sites like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Castel Sant'Angelo. He also speculates on Conan Doyle's possible motivations and interests behind the visit, such as his views on the Catholic Church and his fascination with Roman history and culture.


Article A Honeymoon over the Bay of Naples

Philip Weller provides a detailed account of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's visits to Naples and around, particularly in 1907 during his honeymoon with his wife Jean. He describes Conan Doyle's interactions with his sister Ida Doyle/Foley and her husband Nelson Foley, who lived in La Gaiola area of Posillipo. He also discusses Conan Doyle's visits to various historical and archaeological sites in the region, including Pompeii, and provides information about the hotels, villas, and other landmarks that Conan Doyle and his family encountered during their travels.


Article Conan Doyle in Naples

Enrico Solito mentions that Conan Doyle arrived in Naples with his wife and stayed at the Hotel Vésuve (now known as the Grand Hotel Vesuvio). He provides details about the hotel, describing it as one of the most luxurious in Naples, and suggests that Conan Doyle may have come to Naples to study the habits of the local people, which he could use as inspiration for his future novels.


Article The Mysteries of Florence

Enrico Solito discusses the possibility of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife Jean visiting Florence during their travels in Italy. He examines the evidence from their photo album and Conan Doyle's letters, and suggests that they may have stopped in Florence briefly in 1907 while traveling from Venice to Rome, or potentially for a longer visit in 1913 on their return from Egypt. He also mentions Conan Doyle's visit to the Italian front during World War I in 1916, but concludes that the Florence photos in the album are unlikely to be from that trip.


Article On the trail of Conan Doyle: from via Appia to Maywand

Marco Grassi investigates the identity of the mysterious ruins photographed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle during his honeymoon in Italy in 1907. He uses historical photographs and documents to trace the history and evolution of the ruins along the Appian Way in Rome. He also delves into the connections between Conan Doyle, the British military officer Colonel John Ramsay Slade, and the Battle of Maiwand during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, where Slade fought and Dr. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes' companion, may have been present.




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