On a date, he spared no expense. When he was 24, the recently defrocked priest Casanova became smitten by the nun who was his then-girlfriend's lover and also the mistress to the French ambassador to Venice. (Take time to digest that if you will.) For one rendezvous, he rented an apartment in Venice – with silk hangings, chandeliers, and French chef on its premises – that was far above his means. The night before he was to meet the lady, he had a run-through to make sure he had the details correct. Alone, he had all the candles lit, ordered and sampled a full dinner for two of white truffles, game, fish, and fine wine. It was good, but not perfect; he asked the chef the next night to supply anchovies, hardboiled eggs, and vinegar with which to make a salad.
The Venice rehearsal must have paid off, because of his first night with the nun, he writes, “I varied our pleasures in a thousand different ways, and I astonished her by making her feel that she was susceptible of greater enjoyment than she had any idea of.”
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