The Rialto Bridge, Venice

Callow made numerous visits to Venice throughout his career. The city clearly had a special resonance for him, as shown in his description of his final trip to Italy, in 1892, at the age of 80, when he spent far longer in Venice than anywhere else. He wrote, 'I started off with my wife on my last foreign tour to bid farewell to the many picturesque old towns which had raised so much enthusiasm in me more than half a century ago....Finally we arrived at Venice and put up at our old quarters, Hotel Europa facing the Grand Canal...After a fortnight of perfect enjoyment...we reluctantly left Venice, for myself at least for the last time' (J. Reynolds, William Callow, London, 1980, p. 154).