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History Book Discussion Group

J.G. Seume, A Stroll to Syracuse

First-person account of a "stroll" from Leipzig in Germany to Syracuse in Sicily in the year 1802--over 1000 miles through the Alps, past highwaymen, and up Mt. Etna. The full text will be provided.

By the age of 39, Johann Gottfried Seume had already had his share of adventure, starting in his teens when he was sent to America by the Margrave of Hesse to fight for the British. Later he served as an adjutant to a Russian officer and was almost killed during a revolt in Poland. In December of 1801, just to keep things interesting it might seem, he set off by foot for the ancient city of Siracusa, on the east coast of Sicily--a distance of over 1000 miles. Along the way, he crossed the Alps (in winter), was taken hostage by highwaymen, escaped, visited castles, ruins, galleries, and museums, and--once arrived in Sicily--climbed to the crater of Mt. Etna with a group of--rather foolish, as it turned out--British army officers. Unlike others who traveled through Greece and Italy on their "Grand Tour," Seume was not an aristocrat. He stayed in country inns and mingled--mostly happily--with the people. The diary of his journey was a literary sensation when it was released in 1803, but today is unknown, out of print, and virtually unobtainable from public libraries. Register for this discussion and we will share a copy of this text with you. 

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