The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 13: Holland and Germany

Casanova’s journal transports listeners to a bustling European salon where intrigue and high‑stakes games mingle with whispered scandals. In a Dutch inn, he encounters the striking Countess Piccolomini, a dazzling courtesan whose artificial fairness and sharp wit mask a relentless ambition. Her flirtations with the gregarious English officer Walpole spark a lively round of whist, where cheating is met with good‑natured laughter, and a sudden duel leaves the Count with fresh wounds and a hasty departure.

Against this backdrop, Casanova’s own generosity and restless curiosity draw him into a tangled web of letters, secret meetings, and promises of rendezvous in Amsterdam’s Ville de Lyon. As he navigates the restless currents of honor, debt, and desire, the narrative captures the restless spirit of 18th‑century travel, where every encounter could turn from polite conversation into a perilous adventure. Listeners will feel the pulse of a world where reputation hangs by a thread and every card dealt might change a fate.