Selections from the "Observations and reflections made in the course of a journey through France, Italy, and Germany" by Hester Lynch Piozzi who, during her first marriage to Henry Thrale, was the hostess and friend of many of her famous contemporaries including Dr Johnson and Fanny Burney. The vivid and personal "Observations and Reflections" was first published in 1789. - Summary by barbara2

Born into the influential Welsh Salusbury family and married to the rich brewer Henry Thrale, Hester Piozzi was associated to the most illustrious figures of London society in her time, among others the famous Samuel Johnson, to whose biography her diaries added valuable details. After surviving Mr. Thrale and her second husband Gabriel Mario Piozzi, at the age of 80, she fell in love with William Augustus Conway, to whom she wrote these letters.