I believe it! Seems reasonable it would take that long for a sole proprietor to spend the price of a house (?) on transporting a gimmicky, delicate machine by b

I believe it! Seems reasonable it would take that long for a sole proprietor to spend the price of a house (?) on transporting a gimmicky, delicate machine by boat, ending up an ocean away from anyone who could service it. The only other people to buy one would be hotels or tycoons, and I don't think Italy had the same cultural cachet back then