Anonymous - Princess Sissi's Hunt In Rome - Ca. 1870 Italy Rome Austria

Hunting in the Roman countryside with Queen Elisabeth of Bavaria Empress of Austria (Sissi)
oil on canvas, cm. 40×60.

Not reported in the news, but traceable in one of the first historical biographies on the Empress of Austria written by Egon Caesar Conte Corti (1934), is the news of a fox hunt in the Roman countryside. The biographer, who had access to documents unpublished for the time and was able to speak with descendants or read memorials and letters that sometimes appear lost, writes that on January 16, 1870, Elisabeth was invited to a fox hunt. The Roman aristocracy met at the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Empress arrived at 11 at Porta San Sebastiano in a carriage. The hunting committee had prepared a rich breakfast under a tent decorated with flowers. After eating, the hunt began, during which several foxes were flushed out, although not a single one was caught. The nobles galloped for three hours and Sissi, wearing a magnificent Amazon dress, was enchanted by the colors and sweetness of the Roman countryside, even though she had found the terrain much less favorable than that of her beloved Hungary.
Alongside Roman nobles such as the Doria and the Odescalchi, her local favorite was Count Malatesta.