''Diary of Journey to Italy'' (''Deník'' or ''Denník na cestě do Itálie'', 1834) is a

travel book The genre of travel literature encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. One early travel memoirist in Western literature was Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias, a Greek geographer of the 2nd century CE. In ...

by Czech poet

Karel Hynek Mácha Karel Hynek Mácha () (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czech romantic poet. Biography Mácha grew up in Prague, the son of a foreman at a mill. He learned Latin and German in school. He went on to study law at Prague University; du ...

, which was likely not meant to be published.

Journey

Mácha with his friend Antonín Štrobach set off walking from Prague on 1834. They passed through Sázava, Tábor, Český Krumlov, and Linz to Salzburg, where they went to the churches and galleries, then via Hellbrunn,

Reichenhall Bad Reichenhall (Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufe ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

through

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...

to Tarvisio and finally to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. The journey took three weeks; parts of it they went on

post coach A mail coach is a stagecoach that is used to deliver mail. In Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia, they were built to a General Post Office-approved design operated by an independent contractor to carry long-distance mail for the Post Office. M ...

. They spent just one day and night in Venice, watched the city from the streets, bought some books by Manzoni and went aboard a ship to go on to Trieste. From there they went through

Postojna Postojna (; german: Adelsberg, it, Postumia) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.

and Ljubljana, where they met the Slovene poet France Prešeren, to

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

. Mácha was impressed by

Grazer Schlossberg The Schlossberg ( en, Castle Hill), at above sea level, is a tree-clad hill, and the site of a fortress, in the centre of the city of Graz, Austria. The hill is now a public park and enjoys extensive views of the city. It is the site of severa ...

with its view of the mountains and castles as well as the gallery there. The end of the journey was after Baden in Vienna, where they arrived on 1834. In Vienna Mácha also went sightseeing; among others he visited

Hofburg The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn ...

, Stephansdom, Prater, galleries, and theatres. He saw

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. Biography Knowles was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer James Knowles (1759–1840), cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The family mov ...

's ''The Wife'' (under the German name ''Mariana'') in Hofburg Theatre and Vincenzo Bellini's opera '' Norma'' in Theater am Kärntnertor. The hike was romantic but not very comfortable. They slept in sheds, barns, on haystacks or just on the grass; they ate what they were offered, sometimes nothing for a long time. There was snow in the Alps. He also had several sexual affairs on the way.

Style

The Diary is written in outline, sometimes just words or simple clauses. Vladimír Holan valued the ''Diary'' above any novels referring to it as "absolute minimum", "God reading breviary instead of a dormant priest".Bagately, Sebrané spisy Vladimíra Holana, , Prague 1988, p. 485

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Journey to Italy (Macha) Travel books 1834 non-fiction books Czech books Works by Karel Hynek Mácha