“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” ― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It
In June this year the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, of which I am a member, under the direction of Peter Butterfield sang "Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers".
Having never been to Italy I decided (Penny having declined the idea) to visit my sister in the UK for a few days and then go to Italy.
What has developed is a plan travel as an Independent Tourist to Rome, Florence, Mantua and Venice.
Why Mantua? It is off the regular tourist route but it is where Monteverdi composed his 1610 Vespers.
The story is beautifully described in this BBC hour long documentary. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x483elw
It is interesting to note that it was only in 1605 that Frenchman Samuel Champlain, sponsored by Henry IV of France began his explorations that established "New France" - the beginnings of what became Canada.
