D.H. Lawrence and Frieda in Florence

On several occasions, D.H. Lawrence, in his continuous travels, alone or with his wife Frieda, stayed in Florence. Here he wrote poems that were later included inBirds, Beasts and Flowers.Here he set the most beautiful pages ofThe Rod of Aaron.But above all, here he wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover. He wrote it in the hills, at Villa Mirenda, where the Lawrences lived, between one escape and another, for two whole years. It was a tormented work, set aside, then taken up again. Written in the woods, under the pine trees, among the swarming lizards and nightingales that “seem to enjoy turning the pages.” What he himself describes as “the most indecent novel ever written” is rejected by everyone. It is his friend, the bookseller Pino Orioli, who directs him to the florentine Giuntina printing house to publish it privately. The bitterness is soothed by the harmony that L. finally finds in flowery Tuscany: that harmony he so longed for between nature and man’s work; the rhythm of the seasons marked by the farmer who loves his land and the palette of colors of the flowers. Lawrence is ecstatic: “The country is truly the most verdant I have ever known, and I feel I know not what consolation.” It almost seems that Florence can appease his indomitable vocation for escape. Unfortunately, it will be the worsening of his illness that will push him elsewhere this time.