Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva. Summer, 1816
After a smooth passage through Belgium, they finally arrived at the villa Belle Rive that Byron re-named in honor of the family from whom he had borrowed the house. As the party made the final approach, Byron pointed out the gracious building on the edge of the clear blue waters of Lake Geneva, framed exquisitely by the distant mountains, a perfect pastoral scene from a landscape painting. John marveled at the view and hid a smile at the airy way his lordship referred to this magnificent mansion as a mere summer villa.
During their progress through the Continent, Byron seemed to have thrown off his gloom with each border they crossed away from England’s shores. John was glad of this, as he had received a letter from Byron’s publisher warning him t
