In the summer or autumn of 1706, Handel traveled to Italy at his own expense, defying earlier offers from aristocratic patrons, including presumably one from Ferdinando de' Medici. He left behind two chests of compositions in Hamburg, which are unfortunately lost today. His Italian study tour lasted four years, during which he visited Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice. The precise chronology of his stays is only partially known: first Florence, then Rome from January 14, 1707, Florence again from autumn 1707, Rome once more from February 1708, Naples at the end of April 1708, Rome in July 1708, and sometime in 1709 Venice, Florence, and Venice again. In the spring of 1710, he began his journey home.
During his time in Italy, Handel gained valuable musical experience. He had already spent three years in Hamburg performing at the city's opera house. Inspired by the contrapuntal teachings of Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow and the melodic inventiveness of Reinhard Keiser, he set out to study the Italian style of composition. In Venice, his opera 'Agrippina' (1709) marked the breakthrough to his own operatic style. After his return from Italy, Handel traveled to London for the first time at the end of 1710, where the triumphant premiere of his opera 'Rinaldo' on February 24, 1711, represented a decisive turning point in his already successful career.