 In the summer of 1859 Bizet and several companions travelled in the mountains and forests around Anagni and Frosinone . They also visited a convict settlement at Anzio ; Bizet sent an enthusiastic letter to Marmontel , recounting his experiences . In August he made an extended journey south to Naples and Pompeii , where he was unimpressed with the former but delighted with the latter : " Here you live with the ancients ; you see their temples , their theatres , their houses in which you find their furniture , their kitchen utensils ... " Bizet began sketching a symphony based on his Italian experiences , but made little immediate headway ; the project , which became his Roma symphony , was not finished until 1868 . On his return to Rome Bizet successfully requested permission to extend his stay in Italy into a third year , rather than going to Germany , so that he could complete " an important work " ( which has not been identified ) . In September 1860 , while visiting Venice with his friend and fellow @-@ laureate Ernest Guiraud , Bizet received news that his mother was gravely ill in Paris , and made his way home . 
