From Constantinople to Vienna

to the border of Austria

After an unpleasant episode with a mounted Janissary who attempted to rob him, he reached Adrianople (modem Edirne) on Sunday 9 January.
Here there were thirteen synagogues, with studies and pious schools, well regulated and supplied with good masters, where many scholars come from other places to learn and teach the Sacred Law.

On Tuesday II January 1735 he left and reached Philippopolis (modem Plovdiv), where there is only one synagogue and a few houses of Jews.
At Bazzargich (modern Pazardzhik) there was again one synagogue and various houses of wealthy Jews. Leaving on Monday morning 17 January by horse, in spite of bitter cold weather with ice and snow, he reached Sofia on Wednesday 19 January 1735, and lodged at the house of a tax farmer of the poll tax whom he had met in Istanbul and by whom he had been invited.
His host pressed him to stay some days, but he was resolved to be home in time for Passover in Florence.
The inhabitants of Sofia were mainly Greeks, in both the city and villages, but there were many Hebrews there and three synagogues, and consequently he thought his host must be kept busy collecting his taxes from them all.

On 24 January he was at Nissa (modem Nish) and stayed with the son of a great merchant of Constantinople whom he had met there as his neighbour in the village of Arnautköy.
This person had come to Nissa to collect a large debt from the new Pasha.
Nissa was the frontier of the Turkish Empire and was fortified.
The Jewish community here consisted of a few natives and some merchants from Salonika who came to trade with Southern Hungary. There was one synagogue.

Austria; Belgrade, Budapest

The Emperor of Austria's domain began at Parachin, which was reached on Friday 28 January.
Here he had to spend three weeks in quarantine at the Lazzaretto in common with many others, on account of the plague which prevailed in Turkey.
He was freed on Sunday 20 February and travelled to Jaudina (Jagodina) by carriage (frullone) provided by the Commandant of Parachin.

On Tuesday 23 February he reached Belgrade by open carriage.
The Governor at that time was General Marulli, a Neapolitan, appointed by Prince Wittenberg,
who was at the present time Commander of the Austrian Army on the Rhine.
There was a good number of Hebrews there, with three synagogues, one Levantine and two German. They were mostly merchants, with many shops dealing in many sorts of merchandise; one was the victualler to the garrison, a trade in which the Levantine Jews specialised, as in Turkey.

On Sunday 27 February, passing Carlowitz (now Sr. Karlovci), they made Pietro Varadino (now Petrovaradin), on the Danube, fortified and garrisoned-largely by French.
There was one synagogue, the Jews being largely merchants.

On 6 March he reached Budapest, where again there was one synagogue and some of the Jews were victuallers to the garrison, but many of the large community he found lived in New Buda, a suburb a mile away from the city, almost entirely inhabited by Hebrews, who mostly deal in wine, aquavita, and beer, which they distil, mix, and distribute both here and in other cities.

After leaving Buda on Monday 7 March in afrullino with four horses, he reached Raab (now Györ)
on 8 March and Pressburg (now Bratislava) on the Danube, on 10 March.
The city is described as populous, containing a great Catholic seminary , nobility, and palaces, being the residence for much of the year of the Duke of Lorraine.
Here the crown of Hungary is preserved in the Palace, as this city was the capital of the kingdom of Hungary .
The Hebrews here have one synagogue but are quite numerous, many being rich, the women there doing business more than the men; they serve in the shops with much cheerfulness and there is a great demand for jewels, in which the nobility delight.

Vienna

On Friday 11 March he reached the outskirts of Vienna, which is described in some detail.
Here he received the invitation of Marquis Bartolomei, the envoy of Cassuto's master, the Grand Duke (of Tuscany) ,to come to his palace, and stay there till he left.

attending a banquet

He asked permission to attend a banquet there, where the nobi1ity were present, as a spectator.
He says that these ministers were accustomed to give dinner parties in turn to each other, so that they hardly ever ate at home, except when it was their turn to give the banquet.
At the head sat Prince Eugene and Count Zinzendorf, the Grand Chance1lor. There also were Count d' A1ban, Grand Master of the Horse, Count Tarocca, Minister of Portugal, Count Arach, Marshal of the Kingdom, and Countess Arach, another Count Arach, a Field-Marshal, Prince Lemberg, Knight of the Golden Key, and the Princess Lemberg, Prince de Belmonte, the General Commandant, and Count Visconti, Viceroy of Naples, and Countess Budiani, Countess Tiraheim, and Countess Altaum - fifteen in all.
The Marquis sat in the middle the better to enjoy the conversation, which was conducted in German, French, and Italian, mostly about the present war and of those who during it showed unfriendly feelings, contrary to a1l reason, against the House of Austria ; in particular the King of Sardinia was most severely blamed, because of his alliance with Spain and France.
Before the banquet Count Tarocca and one of the Counts Arach arrived when Cassuto was talking in the town to the Marquis and involved him in conversation. Then during the meal Prince Eugene and Count Zinzendorf attacked Cassuto on the subject of the Marquis's claim that Cassuto was the
greatest jewe1ler in Tuscany.

to be continued, next:back home in Florence!