Page "Gioachino Rossini" Paragraph 4

Rossini's father was sympathetic to the French Revolution and welcomed Napoleon Bonaparte's troops when they arrived in northern Italy.

When Austria restored the old regime, Rossini's father was sent to prison in 1799 where he remained until June 1800.

His mother took him to Bologna, making a living as a leading singer at various theatres of the Romagna region.

Her husband would ultimately join her in Bologna.

During this time, Rossini was frequently left in the care of his aging grandmother, who had difficulty supervising the boy.