Steppenwolf - Life Is A Gamble

In the fall, with the onset of dampness and cold weather, Wagner decided with his family and several close friends to go back to Italy, where he planned, like last year, to stay until spring. On November 1, he drove in the direction of Naples, but this time the goal of his trip was Palermo in Sicily, where Wagner stayed at the Hotel des Palmes. Here he continued day after day to scrupulously work on the third act of Parsifal, he was not distracted by either rehearsals or preparing the scenery (although Zhukovsky, of course, went to Palermo after Wagner). The composer was increasingly experiencing short heart attacks, but he did not pay any attention to his own health, firmly believing that the favorable Italian climate this time would help him defeat the disease.