and Piza, before moving to Florence a few months later. Here they used the title of "Count and Countess of Albany" to avoid difficulties the Italian nobility had with addressing them as "King and Queen of Great Britain". They stayed as guests of Prince Corsini until Charles bought the Palazzo di San Clemente in 1777. It was said that Louise did not enjoy her time in Florence. Count Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Alfieri was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in Asti, now in Piedmont, in 1749. After several affairs with married women, he decided to devote himself to the writing of poetry and tragedies for the theatre. In 1776, during a stay in Florence, he came across Louise and was much taken by her. He did not follow up at this stage, but contented himself with admiring her from a distance. He left Florence to concentrate on study and furthering his literary ambitions. He returned to Florence in 1777 and this time sought an introduction to Louise. He fell in love with her and now determined to split her from Charles. He became a frequent visitor to the Palazzo di San Clemente and was welcomed unsuspectingly by Charles. There is no evidence of when Louise and Alfieri became lovers, but it was probably in 1778 when Alfieri penned her amorous sonnets, including one inviting her to elope with him. Meanwhile, Louise's husband Charles had become a drunkard again, as he had been a number of years before. In December 1780, Louise left Charles and took refuge in a convent. She claimed, and it is widely believed to be true, that Charles had become physically abusive to her. The key event is said to be when Charles had been drinking following Saint Andrew's Day celebrations, and after accusing Louise of infidelities, may have attempted to rape her, resulting in her screaming to the extent that the household servants intervened. Louise received the support of the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, the pope, and her brother-in-law the Cardinal Duke of York, all of whom may have been unaware of Louise's ongoing adulterous relationship with Alfieri. Charles and Louise left Florence in 1777 and returned to Rome. She lived briefly at the Ursuline Convent before moving to her brother-in-law's official residence, the Palazzo della Cancelleria. Alfieri followed Louise to Rome, where for two years they carried on their affair in secret. In April