MAGIC RING

"See Naples, and die!" an English writer has said; as if it were the crown and summit of all earthy beauty.
To the Mozarts it seemed as such. The splendid situation of Naples, the beauty of the city and its surroundings, the wonderful atmosphere, and the warm welcome they received at all hands, made it appear, as Madame Uslinghi had said, almost a Paradise.
[...] At Naples, which was their next stopping-place, Wolfgang played at the Conservatorio alla Pietà before a brilliant gathering, and excited so much astonishment that several of the audience openly declared that his powers were derived from a ring which he wore upon his finger. 'He wears a charm!' they cried; and when Mozart, hearing their remarks, smilingly laid aside the supposed magic ring, and played even more brilliantly than before, the enthusiasm was redoubled.
After this the Neapolitans vied with one another to show them honour and attention. A carriage was provided for their use, in which they drove about amongst the fashionable crowds on the Strada Nuova and the quay, on which occasions Leopold wore a maroon-coloured coat of watered silk, with sky-blue facings, and Wolfgang one of apple-green, with rose-coloured facings and silver buttons.