At Ferrara he once nearly lost his life through unwittingly trampling upon the susceptibilities of the people, in the following manner.  It appears that the peasantry in the suburbs of Ferrara bore ill-will toward the citizens of that town and called them “asses.”  This little pleasantry was manifested by the suburbanites in “hee-hawing” at the citizens when fitting opportunity presented itself.  Now it happened that Paganini played at a concert, and some of the audience expressed dissatisfaction with the singer, Madame Pallerini, and hissed her.  Paganini decided to have revenge, and when about to commence his last solo, he amused the public by giving an imitation of the notes and cries of various animals.  The chirping of various birds, the crowing of the chanticleer, the mewing of cats, the barking of dogs were all imitated and the audience was delighted.  Now was the time to punish the reprobates who hissed.  Paganini advanced to the footlights exclaiming, “This for the men who hissed,” and gave a vivid imitation of the braying of an ass.  Instead of exciting laughter and thus causing the confusion of the enemy as he expected, the whole audience rose as one man, scaled the orchestra and footlights, and swore they would have his blood.  Paganini sought safety in flight.  He was eventually enlightened as to the mistake he had made.

Once, when he was at Naples, Paganini was taken ill, and in his desire to secure lodgings where the conditions would be favourable for his recovery, he made a mistake and soon became worse.  It was said that he was consumptive, and consumption being considered a contagious disease, his landlord put him out in the street, with all his possessions.  Here he was found by Ciandelli, the violoncellist, who, after giving the landlord a practical and emphatic expression of his opinion by means of a stick, conveyed his friend Paganini to a comfortable lodging, where he was carefully attended until restored to health.

In 1817 Paganini was urged by Count Metternich and by Count de Kannitz, the Austrian ambassador to Italy, to visit Vienna, but several times he was prevented from carrying out his plans by illness, and it was not until 1828 that he reached Vienna and gave his first concert.  His success was prodigious.  “He stood before us like a miraculous apparition in the domain of art,” wrote one of the critics.  The public seemed to be intoxicated.  Hats, dresses, shoes, everything bore his name.  His portrait was to be found everywhere, he was decorated and presented with medals and honours.

He continued his tour through Germany, being received everywhere with the utmost enthusiasm, and he visited England, after a sojourn in Paris, in 1831.