LOUISA GRACE BARTOLINI

(Bristol, 1818 - Pistoia, 1865) - Louisa Grace was a noble, young and beautiful Irish girl who moved to Pistoia in 1841, and lived at Palazzo Puccini (Puccini Palace) in Via del Can Bianco. She was born in Bristol, Ireland, in February 1818 and was the favourite daughter of Sir William, an English baronet. It was he who decided to move to Sorezè because he felt that the girl needed a warmer climate to cure her chest problems. The girl attended boarding school in Sorezè and, when she arrived in Pistoia, she brought with her her beauty, her culture and all the charm and freshness of her nordic origins. Louisa's talent for the arts manifested itself, and was clearly noticeable, when she was still very young. She was adept at playing the piano and proficient in the composition of music. She also had a particular predisposition to the study of foreign languages, particularly Italian and French. While still a teenager, she composed poetry in French, verses that her father published in 1833. Mr. Pellegrino Arrighi, together with her father, had a very important role in the education of the girl. Her father was always very vigilant in keeping alive his daughter's interest in Italian, and particularly Tuscan culture. In Tuscany, Sir William Grace discovered the origins of his family name, descending from the 'Othere' who in 1016 had moved from Tuscany to Ireland, to fight for the liberation of the land where Grace's dynasty eventually placed its roots. Due to his particular interest in the land of his ancestors, Sir William Grace brought his daughter to Tuscany several times, having in Pellegrino Arrighi in Siena, and Father Angelico Marini in Pistoia great contacts with which to liase. Father Angelico Marini in fact became Louisa's tutor and an irreplaceable guide for her after her father's death. In Pistoia, Louisa quickly settled thanks to her friendship with Niccoló Puccini, an extravagant patron who was engaged in those years with the design of his garden at the Scornio, and with the organization of many other activities in which she was very much interested. These ranged from the annual celebration of the 'Parentali dei Grandi Italiani' (Parentage of the Great Italians) to antityrannical propaganda, and other charitable and educational events held in the 'Giardino Puccini' (Puccini Garden) such as La 'Festa delle Spighe' (The Fair of the Spikes). She was happy in the cultural and political environment of Pistoia and subsequently decided to purchase a house in Via della Madonna with a small, charming and secret garden. This garden soon became the headquarters of a literary society attended by many significant scholars of the period like Carducci who was, in that period, a teacher at the Forteguerri Lyceum. After the death of Niccoló Puccini in 1852, Louisa's literary society became the new centre of cultural life in Pistoia and soon after, she married the engineer Francesco Bartolini who was thirteen years younger than her. Unfortunately, despite unconditional and deep love from her husband, the forty two year old Louisa wasn't able to cope with a subsequent miscarriage and her frustrated desire for maternity. She fell into a deep depression and her health got worse. The only consolation during her final years were her love of painting and her love for her dogs. She died in 1865, leaving her inconsolable husband to take care of her house in via della Madonna which became like a Sanctuary for him and where he was able to preserve her memory. Bartolini lived out the rest of his life working on his projects and reorganizing his wife's books, painting and writings which he then partly donated to the 'Biblioteca Marucelliana' (Marucelliana Library) in Florence. The paintings, furniture and largest part of Grace's and Bartolini's archives are still preserved in her house in Pistoia in Via della Madonna.