while living at the villa medici in rome, his reserved personality did not serve him well. "bourgault-ducoudray was reserved and did not mix too frequently with the other pensioners" (irvine, p. 30). jules massenet was one of those pensioners. massenet had come the year after bourgault-ducoudray. massenet wrote to ambroise thomas about an encounter with bourgault-ducoudray. irvine summarizes: "one morning in march (1864), the reserved bourgault-ducoudray had finally paid massenet a visit. they played bits of bach's st matthew passion and other passions, which bourgault had not known before. early in april (1864), bourgault left to join his family in naples, expecting to return to rome only for the three summer months to write his envoi". his second envoi [first is not known at present] was a french opera titled "meo patacca" on a text by berneri. on 27 november 1864, irvine says that bourgault held a splendid garden party at the villa medici that was attended by 20 men and women from the trastevere, the old jewish quarter of rome across the river from campo dei fiori. the attendees were required to dress in costumes from the early 19th century. the party roamed all over the grounds of the villa medici ending up "in a brilliantly lighted sculptor's falguière's studio, where six musicians with mandolins and guitars provided music for the costumed dancers." massenet – who, it seems, was bourgault's only close friend – was a party guest. the party must have been memorable because massenet recollected it many years later. massenet wrote: "the weather was fine and the scene was simply wonderful when we were in the 'bosco', my sacred grove. the setting sun lighted up the old walls of ancient rome. the entertainment ended in [jean-alexandre-joseph] falguière's studio, lighted a giorno, our doing. there the dance became so captivating and intoxicating that we finished vis-à-vis to the 'transteverines' in the final salturrele. they all smoked, ate, and drank – the women especially liked our punch". bourgault left the villa medici on christmas eve, 1864.