johann joachim winckelmann, the 50-years-old prefect of antiquities of pope clement xiii, arrived incognito, as "signor giovanni", in trieste (holy roman empire) on 1 june 1768. he had been traveling to the north, together with a friend, the sculptor bartolomeo cavaceppi, to visit his native germany after 13 years of absence. oddly enough, in view of the tyrolese alps winckelmann had panicked and pondered whether to interrupt the journey. cavaceppi had convinced him to go as far as vienna, where the scholar had been received and honoured by empress maria theresa. then winckelmann, unable to withstand a german atmosphere and desperate to return to italy, had abruptly abandoned his friend, despite his pleas, to return to the papal states completely alone. the two friends had separated in the habsburg capital, and winckelmann headed for trieste. there, he was living at the osteria grande (the city's main inn and present-day grand hotel duchi d'aosta, in present-day piazza unità d'italia), waiting for a ship bound for ancona, the chief adriatic port of the papal states, in order to reach rome. in the inn, winckelmann met francesco arcangeli, an unemployed cook and waiter, and short-time thief, who was lodged in the room next to his. arcangeli visited winckelmann every evening in his room where the scholar showed him his gold and silver medals, including the one empress maria theresa had just offered him. the two spent a lot of time together, eating, walking and talking, throughout the week following their meeting.