At the end of 1906 Elgar was again plagued by ill-health. In December he and Alice left England for two months in Italy, spending time in Naples, Capri and Rome. In Capri he went to have his hair cut. The barber was playing a mandoline, so Elgar took up a violin, then a guitarist arrived, and the three played together. He wrote down the trio but left it unfinished. Another visit to the States (2 March to 27 April) was primarily to conduct. In New York he gave the American premiere of The Kingdom, then went on to Chicago and Pittsburgh.

In about 1906 Elgar came to know Sidney Colvin (1845– 1927) and his wife Frances. Colvin was Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, biographer of Keats and Landor, editor of Stevenson

1907–08 The Wand of Youth Suites, Op. 1a and 1b Elgar's greatest music offers nobility, strong tensions, and profound spiritual experiences. But in it too can be found shy withdrawals to an inward, tender world. The Wand of Youth Suites belong to that world, and also to the playful, fanciful side of his nature. They were published in 1907 and 1908, but he designated them Opus 1. That is explained by the subtitle, ‘Music to a child's play’. That child was Elgar himself, and the play was made up by him and his brothers and sisters. The stage was a dingle close to the cottage where he was born. He made of little Broadheath an image of pastoral innocence. Even after the family moved to Worcester, he was sent back to play on Broadheath common; and as an old man he delighted to drive close friends to see his birthplace. When he was sixtyfour he wrote: ‘I am still at heart the dreamy child who used to be found in the reeds by Severn side with a sheet of paper trying to fix the sounds & longing for something very great – source, texture & all else unknown. I am still looking for this – in strange company sometimes – but as a child & as a young man & as a mature man, no single person was ever kind to me.’