Rilke in Italy

For Rainer Maria Rilke, poetry and travel were inextricably linked. Italy, a country that had been special to him since his childhood and whose language he mastered, played a prominent role in his work. His main destinations were Florence, Rome, Capri, Venice and Duino: where he would stay for months at a time, and which he knew better than many of the locals. Above all, though, these are the places that inspired him to write some of his most famous poetry.

Birgit Haustedt takes us on a journey through Rilke’s Italy, inviting us to rediscover the country through his eyes, allows us to rediscover his brilliant poetry along the way.