Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, so far, it looks as if there will not be any local informal group as you are the only person to have replied to my email:-(
How I envy you being on Ischia. I used to live in Naples and know La Mortella well. What a beautiful garden! Every time I go down to Naples I try to get across and visit the garden.
I am also a great fan of William Walton's music. When I was there two summers ago I was listening to a performance of Belshazzar's Feast on video in the museum. It was being performed in Leeds Town Hall. I am from Leeds so it was very nostalgic for me. At that moment I heard another Yorkshire accent at the side of me and it was a man from Scarborough. We got chatting and it turned out that he he had performed as an instrumental player (organist?) in a performance of B. Feast in Leeds Town Hall himself. Strange that we our paths should cross in that moment by chance on an island in the Bay of Naples.
I have tried in vain to find a copy of the video that Lady Walton made of the garden on DVD. Do you have any decision making powers/influence in that field? It would be great to see it available again.
As for your visit and talk in Rome, I am afraid that I am working at that time. However, thanks very much for the information and perhaps we can meet up some other time when you are in Rome. If you are staying in Rome overnight and are at a loose end I would be happy to meet up in the evening and have something to eat. I work at the British Council in the centre of Rome until 21.00.
Thanks again for your reply and good luck with your talk. Not that you need luck with such a wonderful garden to talk about!