LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA PRESENTED BY JOHN & ANNA GILLESPIE \S ON THE RIVIERAS, AND IN PIEDMOM AND LOMBARDY . ^CITIES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ITALY, BY AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE ;THOR OF "WALKS IN ROME," "DAYS NEAR ROME,'' ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES I ON THE RIVIERAS, AND IN PIEDMONT AND I.OMBARDY LONDON DALDY, ISBISTER & CO 56, LUDGATE HILL 1876 The Right of Translation is Reserved.] JOHN CHILDS AND SON, PRINTERS. TO H. R. H. PRINCE LEOPOLD THESE VOLUMES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED PREFACE. TN 1875 almost all the places described in these volumes were carefully revisited, in order to make the information they contain, especially the accounts of the Italian picture-galleries, as correct as possible up to the present time. But in giving to others what has been at once the companion and employment of many years, I am only too conscious of the imperfec- tions of my work of how much better descriptions might be given, of the endless amount which remains unsaid. Bearing Italy ever in my heart, I can only hope that others, better fitted, will be led to drink at the great fountain which it is impossible to exhaust, though those who have once been refreshed by it, will always long to return. The book is called " Cities of Northern and Central Italy" because almost all the interest of these dis- tricts is confined to the towns, but it also treats of vi PREFACE. the whole country lying between the Alps and that which is described in " Days near Rome." The Illustrations, with very few exceptions, are from my own sketches taken on the spot, and trans- ferred to wood by the kindness and skill of Mr. T. Sulman. AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE. Holmhurst, J^an., 1876. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY i x CHAPTER I. THE RIVIERA DI PONENTE I CHAPTER II. GENOA 29 CHAPTER III. THE RIVIERA DI LEVANTE CARRARA AND MASSA ... 58 CHAPTER IV, TURIN 74 CHAPTER V. THE WA1.DENSES 96 CHAPTER VI. THE VAL D'AOSTA loS CHAPTER VII. VERCELLI AND NOVARA 114 CHAPTER VIII. MILAN 121 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. PACK PAVIA .166 CHAPTER X. MONZA AND COMO '79 CHAPTER XI. THE ITALIAN LAKES I9 1 CHAPTER XII. BERGAMO AND THE LAGO D'lSEO 2l6 CHAPTER XIII. CREMONA 2 3 CHAPTER XIV. BRESCIA 241 CHAPTER XV. THE LAGO DI GARDA 2$$ CHAPTER XVI. VERONA 2 62 CHAPTER XVII. MANTUA 3 2 CHAPTER XVIII. VICENZA . 3 21 CHAPTER XIX. PADUA AND THE EUGANEAN HILLS 335 CHAPTER XX. BASSANO AND THE FRIULIAN ALPS 3^7 INTRODUCTORY. THE old days of Italian travel are already beginning to pass out of recollection the happy old days, when with slow-trotting horses and jangling bells, we lived for weeks in our vetturino carriage as in a house, and made ourselves thoroughly comfortable there, halting at midday for luncheon, with pleasant hours for wandering over unknown towns, and gathering flowers, and making discoveries in the churches and convents near our resting-place. All that we saw then remains impressed upon our recollection as a series of beautiful pictures set in a frame-work of the home-like associations of a quiet life which was gilded by all that Italian loveliness alone can bestow of its own tender beauty. The arrangements of vetturino travel warded off the little rubs and collisions and discomforts which are inevitable now, and the mind was left perfectly free to drink in the sur- rounding enjoyment. The slow approach to each long- heard of but unseen city, gradually leading up, as the sur- roundings of all cities do, to its own peculiar characteristics, gave a very different feeling towards it to that which is produced by rushing into a railway station with an im. pending struggle for luggage and places in an omnibus which, in fact, is probably no feeling at all. While, in the , VOL. I. a x ITALIAN CITIES. many hours spent in plodding over the weary surface of a featureless country, we had time for so studying the marvel- lous story of the place we were about to visit, that when we saw it, it was engraved for ever on the brain, with its past associations and its present beauties combined. Still, there is much to be grateful for in the convenience of modern travel, and indeed many who could not otherwise explore Italy at all, are now, by its network of railways, en- abled to do so. Almost every Italian town is now connected by rail with its neighbours, and therefore, in these volumes, the traveller will be supposed to follow the principal rail- ways from one city to another, and to make excursions from each. The interest of Northern and Central Italy is almost entirely confined to its towns. The only parts of the country which are beautiful, are just those lake and moun- tain districts near the Alps and Apennines where railways cannot easily penetrate, and so, in point of scenery, nothing need be lost, though the chief disadvantage of Italian rail- ways for foreigners lies in the temptation they offer for hurrying straight through from one of the larger towns to another, and for passing over the smaller cities, and, still more, places like Spezia and Massa-Ducale, while the re- splendent loveliness of that especial neighbourhood should call for a halt. The journey to Italy is now absolutely without difficulties, and, if travellers take that way, which is the nearest, they will find the redoubted tunnel of the Mont Cenis so like other tunnels, that all descriptions of " sensations " in going through it must be purely imaginary. But the most desir- able approach is that by the Cornice road along the Riviera di Ponente. Then, after the dreary wind-stricken plains of INTRODUCTORY. xi Central France, and the stony arid hills of Provence, one enters Italy at Mentone by a portal like the gates of Paradise, and is plunged at once into the land of the citron and myrtle, of palms and aloes and cyclamen. Of course one must not expect that all Italy will be like these Riviera roads, and one is, as far as scenery goes, receiving the best first, but then it is charming to feel the whole of one's ideal realised at the very outset. Except in the country near the Italian lakes, in the Alps of Friuli, at Spezia and Massa, and in the great valleys of Tuscany and Umbria, there is not much beauty of scenery to be found afterwards. It is through the above-mentioned valleys however, that the principal railway from Florence to Rome passes, and if one were to select a single day's journey as the most interesting in the world, this must be chosen. There is scarcely a minute in the day in which one can afford to leave the window of the railway carriage, scarcely a place one passes through in which one does not long to linger, and which would not amply repay a careful examination. First, we have the rich Arno valley, with its visions of old convents, and castles with serrated towers, standing on the crests of hillsides covered with a wealth of olives and peach-trees, and themselves shut in by ravines of hoary snow-tipped moun- tains ; of villages and towns of quaint houses, all arches and balconies, with projecting tiled roofs stained golden with lichen, and with masses of still more golden Indian corn hanging from the railings of their outside staircases. Then, we have a strange volcanic district of umber-coloured uplands, tossed and rent into every possible contortion by some forgotten eruption. Then Arezzo and Cortona rise on their embattled heights, and Thrasymene stretches out its a 2 xii ITALIAN CITIES. waste of reedy apple-green waters, melting into the softest of blue distances : Perugia watches the valley from its hillside ; the convent of Assisi on its mighty tiers of arches strides for- ward towards the plain ; Trevi clambers up a hill so steep, that every house rises just above the roof of its neighbour, with a clear view towards the sky ; the tiny temple of the Clitumnus looks down upon its limpid rivulet; the huge castle and cathedral of beautiful Spoleto are backed by the ilex-clothed mountain of San Luca ; a fissure in the brown hill behind Terni marks the site of the famous waterfall ; and all this beauty comes to a climax at Narni, where the river Nar forces itself through a cleft in the huge rocks be- neath the mediaeval city, and is spanned by the mighty arches of the bridge of Augustus. Beyond this we enter the Campagna, grim and desolate, with buffaloes feeding amid its withered vegetation, and, as the malaria-bearing vapours of evening rise, and daylight dies out in a red streak behind an awful solemn dome, the very sight of which must send a thrill through the hearts of all who recognise it, the train passes through a rift in a gigantic wall, hisses under the shadow of a dim temple which we are told is Minerva- Medica, and, on the platform of an immense modern station, the porters call out ROME. This is, perhaps, the most interesting day, but it is a type of many days of Italian travel, and all these places should be, not passed through, but sojourned in, and after being introduced to the places themselves, one should make acquaintance with their surroundings which are almost as important. Not to be disappointed in Italy as in every thing else, it is necessary not to expect too much, and hurried travellers INTRO D UCTOR Y. xiii generally will be disappointed, for it is in the beauty of her details that Italy surpasses all other countries, and details take time to find out and appreciate. Compare most of her buildings in their entirety with similar buildings in Eng- land, much more in France and Germany, and they will be found very inferior. There is no castle in Italy of the im- portance of Raby or Alnwick ; and, with the sole exception of Caprarola, there is no private palace so fine as Hatfield, Burleigh, or Longleat. There is no ruin half so beautiful as Tintern or Rievaux. There is no cathedral so stately as Durham, Lincoln, or Salisbury ; for Milan, with its contemp- tible exterior, cannot enter the lists at all; S. Mark's is more a mosque than a . church ; Siena is but a glorious fragment; and Orvieto, with all its celestial external beauty, is only redeemed by its frescoes from mediocrity within. But when we once leave general forms to consider details, what a labyrinth of glory is opened to us, where, instead of the rugged outlines and expressionless features of our mediaeval architects and painters, we have the delicate workmanship of a Nino or Giovanni Pisano, or the inspiration of a Fra Angelico or an Orcagna. In almost every alley of every quiet country town, the past lives still in some lovely statuette, some exquisite wreath of sculptured foliage, or some slight but delicate fresco, a variety of beauty which no English architect or sculptor has ever dreamed of, and which to English art in all ages would have been simply unattainable. Most beautiful of all, perhaps, are the tombs, for the Italians of the Middle Ages never failed to enshrine their dead in all that was loveliest and best. There are no monuments in the world more touching than those of Gaston de Foix at Milan, Medea Colleoni at Bergamo, xiv ITALIAN CITIES, Barbara Ordelaffi at Forli, and Guidarello Guidarelli at Ravenna. Those who would carry away the pleasantest recollections of Italy should also certainly not sight-see every day. The motto of Clough ' Each day has got its sight to see, Each day should put to profit be.' is very moral and edifying, but most unpleasant to carry out At least certainly the sight-seeing days will become all the more profitable from having interludes, when it is not necessary to give oneself a stiff neck over staring at frescoed ceilings, and to addle one's brain by walking through miles of pictures and hundreds of churches, without giving oneself time to enjoy them. Oh no, by all means digest what you have seen ; take a fresh breath, think a little what it has all been about, and then begin again. Another thing which is necessary most necessary to the pleasure of Italian travel, is not to go forth in a spirit of antagonism to the inhabitants, and with the impression that life in Italy is to be a prolonged struggle against extor- tion and incivility. Except in the old kingdom of Naples (where the characteristics are entirely different) there is no country where it is so little necessary even to look forward to such things as possible. A traveller will be cheated oftener in a week's tour in England than in a year's residence in Italy. During six whole winters spent at Rome, and years of travel in all the other parts of Italy, the author cannot recall a single act or word of an Italian not Neapolitan of which he can justly complain ; but, on the contrary, has an overflowing recollection of the disinterested courtesy, and the unselfish and often most undeserved kind- INTRODUCTORY. XT ness with which he has universally been treated. There is scarcely an Italian nobleman, whose house, with all it contains, would not be placed at the disposition of a wayfarer who found himself in an out-of-the-way place where there was no inn or where the inn was unbearable ; there is scarcely a shopkeeper, who would not send his boy to show you the way to a church, one, two, or even three streets distant : there is scarcely a carriage which would not be stopped to offer you a lift, if they saw you looked tired by the wayside : scarcely a woman who would not give you a chair (expecting nothing) if you were standing drawing near her house : not a beggar who would not receive " Cara mia, scusatemi " as an all-sufficient negative, and who, if a kindly smile were added, would not send you away with a benediction in her heart as well as on her lips. Nothing can be obtained from an Italian by compulsion. A friendly look and cheery word will win almost anything, but Italians will not be driven, and the browbeating manner, which is so common with English and Americans, even the commonest facchino regards and speaks of as mere vulgar insolence, and treats accordingly. Travellers, however, are beginning, though only beginning, to learn that difference of caste in Italy does not give an opening for the discourtesies in which they are wont to indulge to those they consider their inferiors in the north, and they are beginning to see that Italian dukes and marquises are quite as courteous and thoughtful for their vigneroli, or their pecorai, as for their equals ; and that the Italian character is so constituted that a certain amount of friendly familiarity on the part of the superior never leads to disrespect in the inferior. Unfortunately they do not always stay long enough to find this xvi ITALIAN CITIES. out, and the bad impression one set of travellers leaves, another pays the penalty of. The horrible ill-breeding of our countrymen never struck me more than one day at Porlezza. A clean, pleasing Italian woman had arranged a pretty little caffe near the landing-place. The Venetian blinds kept out the burning sun ; the deal tables were laid with snowy linen ; the brick floor was scoured till not a speck of dust remained. The diligences arrived, and a crowd of English and American women rushed in while waiting for the boat, thought they would have some lemonade, then thought they would not, shook out the dust from their clothes, brushed themselves with the padrona's brushes, laid down their dirty travelling bags on all the clean table- cloths, chattered and scolded for half an hour, declaimed upon the miseries of Italian travel, ordered nothing, and paid for nothing; and, when the steamer arrived, flounced out without even a syllable of thanks or recognition. No wonder that the woman said her own pigs would have behaved better. It was quite true. Yet it was by no means a singular incident. With every year which an Englishman passes in Italy, a new veil of the suspicion with which he entered it will be swept away, only it is a pity that his enjoyment should be marred at the beginning. Foreigners will find that (though the Sardinians and Milanese have, it must be allowed, very dirty habits), Italian men are generally as courteous, brave, and high-minded, as they are almost universally handsome ; that the women are as kind and modest as they are utterly without affectation ; and that, though the bugbears of Protestant story books have certainly existed, the parish priests, and even the monks, as a general rule, are most INTRO D UCTOR Y. xvii devoted single-minded Christians, living amongst and for the people under their care. Cases of ecclesiastical im- morality are exceedingly rare, quite as rare, if we may judge by our newspapers, as in Protestant countries ; and, if care- fully inquired into, it will be found that most of the sensational stories told are taken out of Boccaccio ! Of course, much must naturally remain which one of a different faith may deeply regret ; but Englishmen are apt, and chiefly on religious subjects, to accept old prejudices as facts, and to judge without knowledge. Especially is it impossible for " Protestants " to assert, as they so often do, the point where simple reverence for a Cross and Him who hung upon it becomes " Idolatry," while there are few indeed who inherit the spirit with which Sir Thomas Browne wrote, " I can dispense with my hat at the sight of a cross, but not with a thought of my Redeemer." " Brigands," which north of Rome is only a fine name for robbers, are much rarer in Italy than in England, so rare indeed, that any case of a foreigner being attacked never fails to make a sensation which would be highly gratifying to the feelings of any injured foreigner if it were accorded to him in London. The few cases of murder in Italy are almost always the result of jealousy in love, and it has often been comical to see how, at Leghorn, where the galley slaves bear the cause of their condemnation inscribed upon their vest, the assassino per amore is tolerably sure of a good deal of interest and sympathy, which is often very substantially shewn indeed, such crimes never inspire much horror, and the place where " questo poveretto ha ammazzato quella poveretta " is very touchingly pointed out to strangers. In regard to hotel life, it cannot be too much urged, for xviii ITALIAN CITIES. the real comfort of travellers as well as for their credit with the natives, that the vulgar habits of bargaining, far too frequently inculcated by hand-books, are greatly to be depre- cated, and only lead to suspicion and resentment. Italians are not a nation of cheats, and cases of overcharge at inns are most unusual, except at great Anglicised hotels, where they have been gradually brought about through the perqui- site-money demanded by couriers. When a large party are travelling together, an arrangement may be asked for on entering a large hotel, by which a considerable reduction may be obtained upon the rooms. Three francs for a good room in a good hotel is a fair price ; in the northern towns, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, &c., it is seldom more than two francs or two francs and a half. But in the smaller hotels, or for a single person, it is wiser never to bargain, but, if a charge appears too high on seeing the bill, civilly to mention it, when, if there is no especial reason for it, it is almost certain to be cheerfully with- drawn. But the difference of prices in bills cannot always fairly be laid to the charge of the hotel keepers ; they are rather owing to the different prices in the towns, or to the local taxes on comestibles, which would be equally felt if the traveller was residing in the place in his own house. For instance, at Piacenza, where everything is most cheap and abundant, prices are absurdly low, whereas as at Genoa (only a few hours distant by rail) they are naturally much higher, as the local taxes are very high, and milk, butter, &c., have to be brought from Milan, and other things from a great distance. Travellers, who are at all particular, may fancy themselves cut off from much of interest in the smaller places by want . , INTRODUCTORY. xix of comfortable accommodation. Such persons will do well, where there are many excursions to be made, to select centres like the Grand Hotel at Turin; the Universe at Lucca ; or the Hotel Brufani at Perugia, and to make them from thence. In the very small towns, however, such as Volterra, Borgo S. Sepolcro, and Assisi, the accommoda- tion is often far better than in many of the large cities, for instance, than in Siena, where a good hotel is greatly needed. In the Lombard towns, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, &c., the best inns are good and very equal, and those who stay at any of these places as much as four days will do well to conform to the universal Italian custom, and payflenswne (all included) of six francs a day. Those who have travelled in Italy many years ago will ob- serve how greatly the character of the country has changed since its small courts have been swept away. With the differ ences of costume and of feeling, the old proverbs and stories and customs are gradually dying out. Travellers will view these changes with different eyes. That Venice and Milan should have thrown off the hated yoke of Austria and united themselves to the country to which they always wished to belong, no one can fail to rejoice, and the cursory observer may be induced by the English press, or by the statements of the native mezzo ceto, who are almost entirely in its favour, to believe that the wish for a united Italy was universal. Those who stay longer, and who make a real acquaintance with the people, will find that in most of the central states the feeling of the aristocracy and of the contadini is almost universally against the present state of things. Not only are they ground down by taxes, which in some of the states, especially in Tuscany, were almost unknown before, but the so-called xx ITALIAN CITIES. liberal rule is really one of tyranny and force. The people of Ravenna were forced to the polling-booth at the point of the bayonet. When it was suspected (falsely suspected) that Count Saffi and various other illustrious Italians would influence the elections at Forli, they were arrested and im- prisoned, with all the hardships and privations of malefac- tors, first in the castle of Spoleto, and then*in that of Perugia, for several months, and eventually were released without any compensation except the avowal that it had been all a mistake, after the election had taken place. Pisa and Lucca, which were perhaps especially favoured under the grand- ducal rule, are probably the cities which are most discon- tented under the present state of things. Houses there which were taxed 50 francs under the old government are now taxed 560 francs. The abolition of the religious institutions has also been grievously felt throughout the country, and there are few even of the friends of Italian unity who have not had personal reason to experience its injustice. When " Days near Rome" appeared, one of the Reviews regretted that its author should not rejoice that Italians were no longer called upon " to support swarms of idlers in vestments, and hordes of sturdy beggars in rags." This is exactly what Italians, with regard to the old ecclesiastical institutions, were not called upon to do. The convents and monasteries were richly endowed ; they had no need of being supported. It was, on the contrary, rather they who supported the needy, the sick, the helpless, and the blind amongst the people, who received their daily dole of bread and soup from the convent charities. When the marriage portions of the nuns were stolen by the Government, there was scarcely any family INTRODUCTORY. xxi of the upper classes throughout Central Italy which did not suffer ; for almost all had a sister, aunt, or cousin " in reli- gion," upon whom a portion of i,ooo/., 5,ooo/., or io,ooo/., had been bestowed, and who was thrown back helpless upon their hands, her fortune confiscated, and with an irregularly paid pension of a few pence a day, quite insufficient for the most miserable subsistence. The English press is slow to see the injustice of these things when it affects other nations ; it is strange that it should not see it as affecting Englishmen, as in the case of the large tract of land. which was purchased by the Rev. E. Douglass upon the Esquiline, and which was confiscated by the Government on the plea that it had been used for religious purposes. Those who declaim so loudly upon the advantages of Italian unity are often unaware of the extreme difference which exists between the people and the language in the North and South of Italy that a Venetian would not in the least be able to understand a Neapolitan and vice versct. This difference often comes out when the absurd red-tapeism of the Government is put into action. For instance, when the heat makes it impossible for the troops in Naples and Palermo to support their winter clothing, the soldiers shiver- ing in the icy streets of Parma and Piacenza are put into brown holland, because throughout " United Italy " the same order must take effect ! Where the natives have suffered, foreigners have reaped many advantages from the union in the absence of weari- some custom-houses and requests for passports, and, even more in the ease afforded by the universal coinage, though it has made things more expensive, as a franc (ioi>, 6f f]8i] oftoiot;, so, my children, I wish that if ever you come to Genoa, you may think the Mediterranean to be more than any common sea, and may be unable to look upon it without a deep stirring of delight. " -Dr. Arnold's Letters. Near the little striped Romanesque Church of S. Giacomo the steep Salita di S. Maria in Castello leads to the church of that name, also striped of black and white marble, and said to occupy the site of a temple of Diana, of which the twelve granite pillars separating the nave from the aisles are relics. The third chapel on the right is ancient, and con- tains a very striking picture by Ludovico Brea of the Virgin in glory, with a group of saints beneath, and an interesting predella of the Entombment. The lower part of the chapel is decorated with excellent azulejos. In the choir are tombs of the Giustiniani. A Gothic stone pulpit projecting from the wall of the chapel on the left of the high altar, and the flat grave-stones, with incised portraits of ancient Genoese citizens, should be observed. In the first chapel on the left is an ancient sarcophagus, and above it a very curious panel- picture of the Virgin and saints. Turning left, below the church, we reach the small Piazza Embriari, with an inscription which tells that "Round this piazza the Embriaci had their home, a family renowned 54 ITALIAN CITIES. in the wars of the cross and in their own country. Behind, rises intact the giant height of their ancient tower." Not far distant is another inscription of 1360, commemorating the destruction of the palace of the Raggio family, on that site, to punish their conspiring against the State (a similar inscription near the Church of S. Maria in Via Lata com- memorates the site of the Fieschi palace). Close by is the Church of S. Donate, with an octagonal bell-tower of the twelfth century. Hence the Stradone di S. Agostino leads to the beautiful but ruined front of that church, of the fourteenth century : the campanile is inlaid with coloured tiles. Be- hind the church is the Piazza di Pontoria, with a picturesque chicken-market. Hence the broad paved Via de Ponte di Carignano leads across that extraordinary bridge to the church, which is such a prominent feature in all distant views of the town. In winter the bridge is a sunny and delightful walk, and from it you look down on the immensely high, many-storied, many-windowed houses of this crowded quarter ; painted pink, blue, white, and yellow ; with gardens of flowers on their roofs ; with clothes suspended in mid-air from house to house. In the deep streets below are figures moving like ants, in an obscurity which seems almost black compared with the light above ; and beyond all, is the deep blue sea, with the port, the light-house, the shipping, and the lovely chains of pink mountains fading into an amber sky. The Church of S. Maria di Carignano was built in 1552, entirely at the expense of the Sauli family. " Voici a quel evenement cette eglise, 1'une des plus belles de Genes, doit son existence. ' ' Le Marquis de Sauli, 1'un des hommes les plus riches et les plus probes de Genes, avait plusieurs palais dans la ville, et un entre autres S. MARIA DI CARIGNANO. 55 qu'il habitait de preference et qui etait situe sur 1'emplacement meme oii s'eleve aujourdhui 1'eglise de Carignan. Comme il n'avait point de chapelle a luij il avait 1'habitude d'aller entendre la messe dans celle de Santa Maria in Via Lata, qui appartenait a la famille Fiesque. Un jour, Fiesque fit hater 1'heure de 1'office, de sorte que le marquis de Sauli arriva quand il etait fini. La premiere fois qu'il rencontra son elegant voisin, il s'en plaignit a lui en riant. " Mon cher marquis, lui dit Fiesque, quand on veut aller a la messe, on a une chapelle a soi. "Le Marquis de Sauli fit Jeter has son palais, et fit clever a la place 1'eglise de Sainte Marie de Carignan. " Dumas. "As an example of how bad it is possible for a design to be, without having any faults which it is easy to take hold of, we may take the much- praised church of the Carignano at Genoa. It was built by Galeasso Alassi, one of the most celebrated architects of Italy, the friend of Michael Angelo and Sangallo, and the architect to whom Genoa owes its architectural splendour, as much as Vicenza owes hers to Palladio, or the city of London to Wren. " The church is not large, being only 165 feet square, and the dome 46 feet in internal diameter. It has four towers at the four angles, and when seen at a distance these five principal features of the roof group pleas- ingly together. But the great window in the tympanum, and the two smaller windows on each side, are most unpleasing ; neither of them has any real connection with the design, and yet they are the principal features of the whole ; and the prominence given to pilasters and panels instead is most unmeaning. If we add to this, that the details are all of the coarsest and vulgarest kind, the materials plaster and bad stone, and the colours introduced crude and inharmonious, it will be understood how low architectural taste had sunk when and where it was built. Its situation, it is true, is very grand, and it groups in consequence well with the city it crowns ; but all this only makes more apparent the fault of the architect, who misapplied so grand an opportunity in so discreditable a manner. " Fergusson. Under the cupola are great statues of S. John and S. Bartholomew by David, and S. Sebastian and the Blessed Alessandro Sauli by Puget. The pictures are good speci- mens of second-class artists. Beginning from the right, we see : Domenico Kola. S. Peter and S. John healing the palsied man. Carlo Maratta. Martyrdom of S. Biagio. 56 ITALIAN CITIES. Girolamo Piola. Virgin ("miraculous") and saints. Vanni da Siena. The last Sacrament of S. Mary of Egypt. Fiasdla. Alessandro Sauli in the plague of Corsica. A very fine picture. Cambiaso. The Deposition. Procaccini. The Virgin with S. Francis and S. Carlo Borromeo. Guercino. S. Francis receiving the stigmata. In the sacristy, is the gem of the church an Albert Durer, brought from an older church of the Sauli family, represent- ing S. Fabiano, S. Sebastian, S. J. Baptist, and S. Antonio, with the Annunciation, and a Pieta. Behind the church, on the left, the broad Via Galeazzo Alessi, and a shady rampart looking towards the mountains (which continues to Acqua Sola), leads to the Church of S. Stefano, with a stumpy brick Romanesque tower, a striped marble front, and a beautiful small cloister. Over the high altar is a picture of the Martyrdom of S. Stephen, supposed to be the joint-work of Raphael and Giulio Romano, given to the Republic of Genoa by Leo X. It was taken to Paris by Napoleon, and, while there, was retouched by Girodet. From the west front of S. Stefano, the Via della Ponte degli Archi leads to the Vico di Pontecello, at the entrance of which is a curious relief, relating to the capture of the Porto Pisano by Conrad Doria, in 1260. Hence, passing under the magnificent lofty old gate, called Porta di S. An- drea, we again reach (right) the Piazza Nuova. The visitor to Genoa will be constantly struck by the immensity and magnificence of the old decaying villas and palaces, with which, not only the city itself, but its outskirts and all the surrounding villages, are filled. This perhaps is owing to the fact that the sumptuary laws of the republic, FROM GENOA TO TURIN. 57 which forbade fetes, velvet and brocaded dresses, and diamonds, did not extend to buildings, into which channel therefore the national extravagance of the people was diverted. The luxury of building is nowhere more manifest than in the suburb of Albaro, which abounds in mouldering colonnades, painted walls, and decaying terraces. Here, beautifully placed above the sea-shore, is a ruined church, dedicated to S. John the Baptist, because here his relics were first received upon their arrival at Genoa. The Campo Santo of Genoa is beautifully situated, and deserves a visit. An excursion may be made to the villas at Pegli (see chap i.), about half-an-hour by rail, 90 c. (a carriage 12 frs.). An order for the Villa should be asked for from the porter of the Palazzo Pallavicini Durazzo. Porto Fino (see chap, iii.) may also be visited in the day from Genoa, as also many other places on both Rivieras. The Railway from Genoa to Turin (18 frs. 30 c. ; 12 frs. 80 c. ; 9 frs. 150.), passes through the Apennines by a tunnel and the valley of the Scrivia, and then across the plains of Aless- andria and Asti. The journey occupies about five hours. CHAPTER III. THE RIVIERA DI LEV ANTE CARRARA AND MASSA. (The new railway from Genoa to Pisa, I7frs. 650. ; I3frs. 20 c. ; 9frs. 75 c., allows the traveller to accomplish the journey in six hours, but at great sacrifice of the beautiful scenery and quiet enjoyment with which it was formerly attended. He may, however, compensate himself by giving the time thus gained to spending a few days between Spezia and Massa Ducale, which are both delightful centres for excursions of perfectly ideal loveliness.) THE first station of any importance is Nervi (Pension, II Stabilimento Inglese}, a place which is much fre- quented by English invalids in winter. From the railway and from the dusty high-road it appears most unattractive, but there are charming orange groves between the houses and the sea, with beautiful views towards Porto Fino. Still, to those who are in good health, Nervi will, at best, be a beautiful prison, as there are no walks, and its gardens are hemmed in on all sides by the mountains. Camogli (stat.) may be made the subject of a pleasant excursion from Genoa. "Camogli, seen from the road above, is like a tiny model on the margin of the dimpled water, shining in the sun. Descended into, by the winding mule-tracks, it is a perfect miniature of a primitive sea-faring town ; the saltest, roughest, most piratical little place that ever was seen. Great rusty iron rings and mooring chains, capstans, and fragments of old masts and spars, choke up the way ; hardy rough-weather boats, and seamen's clothing, flutter in the little harbour, or are drawn out on the sunny stones to dry ; on the parapet of the rude pier a few amphibi- RUT A AND PORTO-FINO. 59 ous-looking fellows lie asleep, with their legs dangling over the wall, as though earth and water were all one to them, and if they slipped in, they would float away, dozing comfortably among the fishes ; the church is bright with trophies of the sea, and votive offerings, in commemora- tion of escape from storm and shipwreck. The dwellings not immedi- ately abutting on the harbour are approached by blind low archways, and by crooked steps, as if in darkness and in difficulty of access they should be like holds of ships, or inconvenient cabins under water ; and everywhere there is a smell of fish, and sea- weed, and old rope." Dickens. Behind the town, rise on a hill the grounds of an old villa, overgrown with a wild luxuriance of cypress, oak, ilex, myrtle, and laburnum. From the shade of some old pine tree at the top you look down on one side over precipitous cliffs to the sea, and on the other through the woods to the village of Ruta, embedded on the green mountain-side. Far down, close to the shore, is a ruined chapel. (Ruta, which in vetturino-days was the first stage from Genoa, is situated almost on the highest part of the mountain-side, which, further on, where it runs into the sea, forms the peninsula of Porto Fino. There are two toler- able inns here, and, close to the higher of them, is the mouth of a short tunnel for the high-road, which, as it were, forms an entrance to the sunny gardens of the south, and whence you look over a swelling luxuriance of peaches and almonds, carpeted with melons, and garlanded with vines, to Rapallo, Chiavari, and Sestri, lying in brilliant whiteness by the side of the deep-blue water, and thence to the mountains, at whose point the marble rocks of Porto Venere form the entrance of the lovely gulf of Spezia. The view towards Genoa also is most striking in the sunset, mountains and city and lighthouse and sea alike bathed with crimson as the sun goes down behind the horizon of waters. 60 ITALIAN CITIES. A charming excursion may be made from Ruta, when the sun is not too hot, along the ridges of the promontory. Deep down below, in one of its clefts, is the Convent of San Fruttuoso, lying among its palm trees by the sea-shore, the place where the Dorias are now brought by sea for burial, and where their strange sarcophagus-tombs may be seen in the crypt. The spot had a melancholy interest some years ago, from the burning of a fine ship which had only left Genoa a few hours before. Two heroic peasant women put off in a small boat to save the crew, and one of them was lost in the attempt. Porto Fino is an interesting little town (about three miles from Ruta), situated in a tiny bay near the end of the promontory. The houses are supported by open arcades, the church is gaily painted, a fine umbrella- pine shades the neighbouring rocks, and the little port is crowded with picturesque fishing-boats. All the men in the town are fishermen, with tall red beretti on their heads, and the women are lace-makers, who sit at their pillows all day under the shady arcades beneath the houses. An enchant- ing terrace-walk of a mile, through the ilex-woods overhang- ing the sea, leads round the point of the bay from Porto Fino to the little cove of Piccolo Paggi, where a yellow castle on a rock forms a picturesque foreground to the purple mountains. Hence one may take a boat to Santa Margherita, half-an-hour's row distant. Perhaps the finest point in the whole promontory is seen by going this way ; the desecrated Convent of Cervaro or Sylvano, on a rock surrounded by gigantic aloes and palm trees, which is the place where Francis the First was confined before he was conveyed to Catalonia.) S. Margherita (stat.) is beyond the tunnel by which the SESTRI DI LEV ANTE. 6 1 railway passes under the ridge of Ruta. Here there is a picturesque old castle in the sea. Rapallo (stat.) is famous for the manufacture of lace. It has a graceful campanile. In the Church of Madonna di Montallegro, there is a great festa from July i to 3, with a pretty illumination at night. Chiavari (stat.) (Inn. Posta) is a large place, and is said to be that whence most of the Italian organ-boys are sent to England. In the Church of S. Francesco is a picture, at- tributed to Velasquez, of S. Francis causing water to flow from the rock of Lavernia by his prayers. The approach by road to Sestri is most beautiful. The mountains have grand and varied forms, the gaily-painted churches and villages rise amid luxuriant olives and cypresses, and magnificent aloes fringe the rocks by the way-side. Approach to Sestri. Sestri di Levante (stat), the Roman Segeste (Inns. Europa , 62 ITALIAN CITIES. Albergo della Strada Ferratd), is a charming spot, and quite worthy of a halt. There is a ruined chapel of black and white marble in a cove of the sea under the wooded pro- montory, and artists will find beautiful subjects in the ascent behind the town, looking towards Genoa. (Immediately behind Sestri the post-road ascends, till it reaches the summit of the Pass of Bracco, whence there is a grand view over billow upon billow of hill, ending in the noble forms of the pink, hazy, jagged mountains of Camara. Hence the road descends by Matarana and Borghetto till it reaches the wooded heights behind Spezia. Pass of Bracco. " Coming upon Spezia from the Genoa road, down the zig-zags which descend the olive-terraced hills, nothing more beautiful can be imagined than the first sight of the bay. The sea is of a light azure blue, streaked with white lines of calm. On it are riding at anchor an abundance of vessels, from the stately man-of-war to the tiniest fishing-boat, all reflected in the waveless surface. Across the bay rise, one above another, lines of wooded hills, the lower ranges studded with glittering buildings ; the higher, melting away from brown and green, and the still lingering yellow tints of autumn, into tenderest purple ; and all surmounted, far, far above, in the blue sky, by a splendid jagged line of snowy Apen- nines, glowing with the warmest tints of the rose. Nor is the inland view from the shore unworthy of a sea-prospect so beautiful. Vast hills keep guard around this arsenal of Italy, terraced to the very summit with the grey olive. Seven different glens, each dark with recesses of shade and buttresses of rock, divide off one hill from another ; and thick-sprinkled on every knoll of vantage, gleam out villages with LA SPEZfA. 63 their slender steeples through the sunny haze. East of the town, and overhanging its suburbs, rises the dark ruin of its ancient castle, buttressed with wild ravines of yellow rock, fringed with ilex and myrtle." Dean Alford.) By the railway one sees none of these things. There are 47 tunnels between Genoa and Spezia, and between Sestri and Spezia one has only an occasional flash of blue sea, with its white foam and jagged rocks ; indeed, where it is not in a tunnel, the railway is almost in the sea, overhanging it on the face of the precipice. The stations are mere fishing- villages, and the train seldom stops at more than one of them Levanto where, in one of the churches, there is a good picture, by Andrea del Castagno. La Spezia (stat.) (Inns. Croce di Malta, good, with beauti- ful view ; Citta di Milano, where Garibaldi resided in cap- tivity after the battle of Aspromonte ; Albergo Nazionale) was, a few years ago, one of the most beautiful places in Italy, and though the charm of the place itself is much destroyed since 1861, when it was made the harbour for Italian ships of war, it remains a centre for some of the most interesting excursions on this lovely coast. The views of the Carrara mountains are exquisite. There is a little public garden, with an avenue of oleanders. Above the town, under the olive-clad mountains, is an ancient castle of the Visconti : their badge, the viper, may still be seen upon it. The Gulf of Spezia, broken into a succession of little bays, and studded with picturesque villages, is wonderfully beauti- ful. It is seven miles long, by three broad. In ancient times it was called the Gulf of Luna, being the port for the great town of Luna, which Pliny calls "the first city of Etruria."* Strabo accurately describes the harbour as one of * Pliny, iii. 5, s. 8. 64 ITALIAN CITIES. the finest and largest in the world, containing within itself many minor ports, and surrounded by high mountains, with deep water close to shore.* The advantages of the port were afterwards evident to the Romans, who, long before the subjection of the mountain tribes, were accustomed to make the Lunae Portus the station for their fleets, destined either for Spain or Sardinia.! It is celebrated by Ennius, as quoted by Persius : " Mihi mine Ligus ora Intepet, hybernatque meum mare, qua latus ingens Dant scopuli, et multa littus se valle receptat. 'Lunai portum, est operae, cognoscite cives.' Cor jubet hoc Enni. " Persius, vi. 9. and by other Latin poets : " Tune quos a niveis exegit Luna metallis, Insignis portu ; quo non spatiosior alter Innumeras cepisse rates, et claudere pontum." Sil. Ital. viii. 483. " Advehimur celeri candentia moenia lapsu, Nominis est auctor sole corusca soror Indigenis superat ridentia lilia saxis, Et Isevi radiat picta nitore silex. Dives marmoribus tellus, quae luce coloris Provocat intactas luxuriosa nives. " Rutilitis Itin. ii. 63. It was intended by Napoleon I. to make the bay of Spezia the Mediterranean harbour of his Empire, but this scheme was prevented by the outcries about the injury which would then be done to Toulon. (It is a drive of about eight miles (carriage 10 frs., a boat with one rower costs the same), along the western shore of the gulf to Porto Venere. The road passes above the * Strabo, v. p. 222. t Livy, xxxiv. 8 ; xxxix. 21, 32. PORTO VENERE, 65 bays of Gala di Mare, Fezzano, Panigaglia, Delle Grazie, Varignano, and La Castagna, and skirts a succession of picturesque villages, which have each their own little bay and shipping, and their old churches standing in groves of tall cypresses, or their ruined watch-towers. At the mouth of the gulf is the Island of Pa/maria, three miles in circum- ference, famous in ancient times for its marble quarries, and now containing a fortress for the imprisonment of brigands. It has two attendant islets, Tino and Tinetto, on the former of which are the ruins of a convent. > f Gate of Porto Venere. Wonderfully picturesque is the little harbour of Porto Venere, where the tall, many-coloured houses come sheer down into the deep-blue water. Here, by a strange eastern- looking gate-way, one enters the narrow street, which ends on open rocks, where, at the extreme point of the pro- montory, a broken stair ascends to the ruined Church of S. VOL. i. 5 66 ITALIAN CITIES. Pietro, of black and white marble, built by the Pisans in 1118, marking the site of the temple of Venus, which gave the place its name. The ruined windows look down, on one side upon the still bay with its background of marble moun- tains, and the many villages reflected in its smooth surface ; and, on the other, upon the precipices to the north, whose colouring is all the more gorgeous from the peculiar marble Portor of black, veined with yellow, which abounds here. A second excursion should be made to Lerici, at the southern point of the gulf. The road runs inland for some Lenci. distance, but there is a noble view before arriving at the Pisan castle, with its high machicolated towers, fringed with golden lichen, and the town and harbour nestling beneath, while, across the still reaches of the gulf, glow the rocks of Porto Venere and Palmaria. Over the castle gate was the boastful patois inscription : Scopa boca al Zeno se Crepacuore al Porto Venerese Streppa borsello al Lucchese, LERICI. 67 carried off in triumph in 1256 by the Genoese, who left lines of their own upon one of the towers. Close to Lerici, between it and Sant' Arenzo, is the beau- tifully-situated villa of Casa Magni, once a Jesuit convent. Hither Shelley came to reside with his wife, and their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, April 26, 1822. Here, as he was walking in the moonlight on the terrace in front of the house, he beheld the omen of " a naked child, which rose from the sea, and clapped its hands in joy, smiling at him." Then, in the night, he saw " a cloaked figure which came to his bedside and beckoned him to follow. He did so, and when they came to the sitting-room, the figure lifted its hood, dis- closed Shelley's own features, and, saying ' Siete soddis- fatto,' it vanished." Still, Shelley continued in high spirits, though he said that this was in itself ominous of evil to him, as " the only warning he found infallible was his feeling peculiarly joyous, then he was certain that some disaster was about to ensue." On July i, he went to Leghorn with his friend Williams to see Leigh Hunt. On the 8th they set sail from Leghorn to return to Lerici. A sudden squall came on, after which his boat was never seen again. Terrible days of suspense ensued for the wives, and, on the 22nd, two corpses were found, that of Shelley near Viareggio, that of Williams near the tower of Migliarino at Bocca Lerici, three miles distant. A volume of Sophocles was in one of Shelley's pockets ; Keats' last book, lent him by Leigh Hunt, and doubled back at the " Eve of S. Agnes," in the other " as if hastily thrust away, when Shelley, absorbed in reading, was suddenly aroused by the bursting squall." Three weeks later their sailor-boy, Charles Vivian, was found, four 68 ITALIAN CITIES. miles off. The schooner in which they were lost was like- wise found in September; she had not capsized, but had been swamped in a heavy sea.* ' ' The corpses were in the first instance buried in the sand, and quick- lime was thrown in. But such a process, as a final means of disposing of them, would have been contrary to the Tuscan law, which required any object thus cast ashore to be burned, as a precaution against plague ; and (Captain John) Trelawny, seconded by Mr. Dawkins, the English consul at Florence, obtained permission to superintend the burning, and carry it out in a manner consonant to the feelings of the survivors. This process was executed with the body of Williams on the I5th of August on the 1 6th with Shelley's. A furnace was provided of iron bars and strong sheet-iron, with fuel, and frankincense, wine, salt, and oil, the accompaniments of a Greek cremation : the volume of Keats was burned along with the body. Byron and Leigh Hunt, with the health-officer, and a guard of soldiers, attended the poet's obsequies. It was a glorious day, and a splendid prospect the cruel and calm sea before, the Apennines behind. A curlew wheeled close to the pyre, screaming, and would not be driven away : the flame arose golden and towering. ' The only portions of the corpse which were not consumed,' says Trelawny, 'were some fragments of bones, the jaw, and the skull; but what surprised us all was that the heart remained entire. In snatch- ing this relic from the fiery furnace, my hand was severely burnt.' The ashes were coffered, and soon afterwards buried in the Protestant ceme- tery at Rome." RossettPs Memoir. Leaving Spezia and the coast, the railway reaches Arcola, with a fine old castle, and soon after crosses the river Magra, which was once the boundary between Liguria and Etruria, and afterwards between the territories of Tus- cany and Genoa. "Macra che per cammin corto Lo Genovese parte dal Toscano. Dante, Par. ix. 89. Sarzana (stat.) (Inns. New York, Lunigiana), lying * See Memoir, by William Michael Rossetti. SARZANA, LUNA. 69 tow in the plain, was the birth-place of Pope Nicholas V. (Tommaso Parentucelli, 1447 ^455). His statue adorns the fa9ade of the Cathedral, an Italian Gothic building of 1355 1470 ; and in the Cappella di S. Tommaso is the grave of his mother, Andreola dei Calandrini. In the Church of S. Francesco is the tomb of the Pisan Giovanni Balducci, 1322. East of the town is the fortress of Sarzanello, built by Castruccio Castracani, Lord of Lucca, for the defence of the adjoining territory against the Malaspinas. The family of Buonaparte (a name of partisanship, as Malaparte of the Gherardescas). is descended from that of Cadolingi, settled in this neighbourhood, where a Buona- parte existed in 1264; and hence they migrated to Corsica. The ancient name of Sarzana was Luna Nova, from its having superseded the ancient Lima. An excursion may be made to this celebrated site, which is situated on the left bank of the Magra, near its mouth. This was the most northern city of Etruria, but had fallen into the hands of the Ligurians, before we hear of them in connection with Roman history. It was colonized by the Romans in B. c. 177. It had, however, fallen into complete decay before the time of Lucan, who speaks of it as deserted " Arruns incoluit desertse moenia Lunse ; " but it continued to be famous for its white marble, of which the Pantheon, the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, and other monuments at Rome were built, as were probably the " Can- dentia moenia " of Luna itself, which Rutilius speaks of. It is strange that, being five miles distant from the Gulf ot Spezia, it should have given a name to that harbour. " About three miles from Sarzana, on the high-road to Lucca and Pisa, the traveller will have on his right a strip of low, grassy land, in- 70 ITALIAN CITIES. tervening between him and the sea. Here stood the ancient city. There is little enough to see. Beyond a few crumbling tombs, and a fragment or two of Roman ruin, nothing remains of Luna. The fairy-scene, de- scribed by Rutilius, so appropriate to the spot which bore the name of the virgin-queen of heaven ' the fair white walls ' shaming with their brightness the untrodden snow the smooth, many-tinted rocks, overrun with ' laughing lilies ' if not the pure creation of the poet, have now vanished from the sight. Vestiges of an amphitheatre, of a semi-circular building which may be a theatre, of a circus, a piscina, and fragments of columns, pedestals for statues, blocks of pavement, and inscriptions, are all that Luna has now to show." Dennis, Continuing the railway, we reach Avenza (stat.) on the left bank of the Carrion e, formerly the Aventia a town fortified by Castruccio Castracani, in 1322. Hence there is a branch-line leading, in 12 min. (55 c-; 4 c.; 30 c.), to (Carrara (Locanda Nazionale, terrible mosquitos here), a very ugly town, the capital of the marble- works, 400 mines with 6000 workmen are in operation. The works may be visited by ascending the right bank of the Torano and pass- ing through the village of that name (Guide 3 frs.). The hours of labour are from 5 A. M. to 3 P. M. ; a horn sounds when the rock is about to be blasted. The town is one series of sculptors' studios, in which the greater part of the population is employed. A statue (1861), of the Arch-duchess Maria Beatrice, adorns the piazza. Several of the churches are well worth notice, especially S. Andrea, which was built in the i3th century, under the lordship of Pisa, in the semi-gothic style. S. Giacomo is of the renaissance. The Madonna delle Grazie is rich in costly marbles. The only Carrarese sculptors of note have been Alberto Maffioli in the 15th, and Danese Cattaneo in the i6th MASSA DUG ALE. 71 century. The latter was the intimate friend of Torquato Tasso, who speaks of him in his " Rinaldo " as being equally illustrious as poet and sculptor, while Bernardo Tasso, in the " Armadigi," places him on the mountain of glory, and calls him " Spirto alto ed egregio E poeta, e scultor di somrao pregio. ") The outline of the mountains, with their jagged precipices, becomes unspeakably grand after leaving Avenza, but the views reach a climax of poetic loveliness at Massa, where a noble castle crowns the rich olive-clad height above the town, while beyond it, the hills, dotted with convents and Massa Ducale. villas, and radiant with vegetation, divide, to admit, like a fairy vision, the exquisitely-delicate peaks of the marble mountains. 72 ITALIAN CITIES. Massa Ducale (Albergo Qtiattro Nazione, good) contains the immense Palace of Elisa Bacciochi, sister of Napoleon I., Duchess of Massa Carrara. She pulled down the old cathedral to improve her view, and only one door of it remains, inserted in the modern building. The walks through the lanes and vineyards near Massa, watered by running streams, are exceedingly lovely. Artists should make a point of staying here. The old castle of Montignoso, which belonged to the Lombard Agilulf, is passed on the left before reaching the station of Querceta. Pietra Santa (stat.) (Inn. Unions) is another exquisitely attractive point in this land of beauty. In summer, nothing can exceed its soft loveliness, the richness of the plain, with its Indian corn and vines, the luxuriance of the olive-covered At Pietra Santa hills, and the noble forms of the mountain back-ground. In the midst rises the old walled town, which has stood many SERRAVEZZA, VIAREGGIO. 73 sieges. Its perfectly mediaeval piazza contains a machi- colated Town Hall of 1346, and two fine old Gothic churches, while the battlemented walls rise behind. S. Martino is of the i4th century, but restored internally in the i6th. The red campanile is of 1380. The octangular Baptistery has bronzes by Donatella. The pulpit and holy- water basons are by Stagi, who was born here. S. Agostino is Gothic, of the i4th century, with an unfinished fasacle. It contains a number of curious monuments. In the ist chapel on the right a picture by Taddeo Zacchia, 1519. A delightful excursion (carriage 6 frs.) may be made from hence to the marble-quarries of Serravezza, in which the first breach was made by Michael Angelo, in 1517, on a commission from Leo X. It is a lovely drive, through a valley of indescribable richness, waving with Indian corn, and with vines dancing in festoons from one peach tree to another, while behind is a most noble range of mountains, purple below, while above, the peaks gleam snowy-white against a deep blue sky. In the narrow gorge beyond the valley, are Silver-Mines, beautifully situated. In the moun- tains above Serravezza the rocks often take such strange forms, as to recall the descriptions of the beasts in the Apocalypse. Viareggio (Albergo del Commercio), much-frequented from Florence and Pisa, is a dull sea-place, but it has exquisite views of the mountains. Hence the railway passes through the pine-forests, almost till it reaches the noble group of buildings, which watch over the campo-santo of Pisa. TURIN. (Carriages, with I horse, the course I fr. ; the 1st hour, ij fr., (at night 2 frs. ), each half-hour afterwards, 75 c. Each piece of luggage 20 c. With 2 horses, f fr. more either by course or hour. Hotels. Europa, most excellent, with the most charming salle-a- rnanger on the continent, and very well situated in the Piazza del Castello. Londra, Piazza Castello. Trombetta, formerly Feder, 6 Via S. Francesco di Paola. Close to the station is the Grand Hotel de Turin, which is most thoroughly excellent, clean, and comfortable. It is most convenient for those who only remain one night in Turin, or for the excursion to S. Ambrogio. It should not be confused with the Grand Hotel Suisse close by. Restaurant. Caffe del Cambio, Piazza del Carignano. Banker. Negra, 18 Via del Arsenale. English Church. 15 Via Pio Quinto services n A.M., 3. 30 P.M. Eglise Vaudoise. Corso del Re. Services, 9 A. M., Italian; II A.M. French, with sermon ; 3 P.M. Italian, with sermon. For Photographs of the Pictures in the Pinacoteca, Maggi, 6 Via del Po. TURIN (Torino) is said to owe its foundation to the Ligurian tribe of the Taurini, and afterwards to have received a Roman colony, Julia Augusta Taurinorum. It was ruled by its own Dukes in the middle ages, and came to the House of Savoy in the middle of the eleventh century, by the marriage of Adelaida, daughter of its last duke, Manfred, with Otho of Savoy. This family, justly popular in their own country, which is deeply indebted to them, have ever THE HOUSE OF SAVOY. 75 since continued (until the late unhappy disturbances in the south of Italy) to hold their court here. The first sovereign was Emanuele Filiberto, 1553, after which the succession was Carlo Emanuele I., 1580. Vittorio Amadeo I., 1630. Francesco Giacinto, 1637. Carlo Emanuele II., 1638. Vittorio Amadeo II., 1675. Carlo Emanuele III., 1730. Vittorio Amadeo III., 1773. Carlo Emanuele IV., 1796. Vittorio Emanuele, 1802. Carlo Felice, 1821. The last of these princes died without male issue, when, in accordance with the right of succession settled at the Con- gress of Vienna, the crown passed to the House of Carignan (founded by Prince Tommaso Francesco, son of Carlo Eman- uele I.) in the person of Carlo Alberto, who, being defeated by the Austrians at Novara, March 23, 1849, abdicated at the monastery of Laghetto, and died at Oporto. He was succeeded by his son, Vittorio Emanuele II. To this line of (in their lawful kingdom) thoroughly national and constitutional monarchs, Turin, which is now one of the most prosperous cities in Europe, is indebted for everything it possesses. The town is regularly built, like an American city, long straight streets traversing it from end to end, and each at right angles with its neighbour. Many of the streets are lined with colonnades which form a plea- sant shade from the burning Lombard sun in summer, while those near the palace are the favourite evening lounge of the upper classes, and are crowded after sunset with smartly dressed officers and civilians. Exposed to bitter Alpine winds, Turin is piteously cold in winter. It does not con- tain much which deserves the special attention of strangers, 76 ITALIAN CITIES. beyond the Pinacoteca and the Armoury, yet the vicinity of the Po, the beautiful wooded hills on the further bank, and the charming walks of the Public Garden near II Valentino, render Turin far from unpleasant as a resting-place for a few days in summer. The streets, in spite of their regularity, have a picturesqueness of their own from the richness with which the palaces are decorated, and, generally ending in arcades, remind one pleasantly of the background of many Venetian pictures. No one who has strength for the ascent should omit to make Turin head-quarters for the glorious excursion to the Sagro di S. Michele. Immediately opposite the station is the Piazza Carlo Felice, adorned with a statue of Massimo Azeglio by Balzico. On the pedestal are inscribed the remarkable words of his will (July 2, 1857) " Rimanga la mia memoria nel cuore degli uomini onesti e dei veri Italiani, e sara questo il maggior onore che le si possa rendere e che io sappia imaginare." Hence the Via di Roma leads into the heart of the town, passing through the Piazza S. Carlo, surrounded by open colonnades filled with book-stalls, where collectors may often find treasures. In the centre of the square is a fine eques- trian statue by Marochetti, erected, 1858, to Emanuele Fili- berto " vindici et statori gentis suae." The Via di Roma ends in the Piazza di Castello, in the centre of which stands the old castle of Turin, the Palazzo Madama, formerly inhabited by the Queen Mother, having high tiled roofs crowded with chimneys, rich fragments ot terra-cotta cornice, and four clumsy brick towers, two built up in a later fa9ade, the others very quaint, and perforated with holes. It is always crowded by birds, like the old PALAZZO REALE, TURIN. 77 buildings at Venice, and gives quite a charm and character of the Middle Ages to a comparatively featureless town. The handsome modern palace, and the tower of the cathedral, are seen behind it. There is nothing especial to be seen in the Palazzo Ma- dama. The Palazzo Reale, which contains public offices and the Sala del Senate, is entered by a door on the left of the central portal, whence a staircase leads to the great hall. On the first landing is the equestrian statue of Vittorio Amadeo I., commonly known as "II Cavallo di Marmo," by Adriano Frisio : the king is represented as awkwardly riding over some captives. In the Great Hall, Sala della Gitardia, is a great picture of the battle of St. Quentin by Palma Giovane. Here servants are waiting (fee i franc) who will show the other state rooms. They are handsome, with rich ceilings, and are adorned by modern pictures. In the Sala di Consiglio, where the marriage contracts of the Princesses Clotilda and Pia were signed, are portraits of all " the religious " of the house of Savoy, including Boniface, Archbishop of Can- terbury. The rooms formerly appropriated to Queen Maria Teresa, and the Gallery, are no longer shown, being oc- cupied by the family of the Duke d'Aosta. (From the left of the Great Hall, except in the very early morning, the Chapel of the Santo Sudario must be entered.) The Armoiiry is in the wing of the palace, and is entered by the first door in the arcade to the right when facing the palace. A ticket of admission (free) is obtained on the staircase. The armour is not numbered; historical specimens are : 78 ITALIAN CITIES. In the 1st Compartment : The sword of Napoleon I. , and the crown offered to Victor Emanuel by Naples and Turin. In the 2nd Compartment : The four first equestrian suits belonged to the still existing but ruined family of Martinengo da Brescia. The fourth is absolutely magni- ficent. The fourth equestrian suit on the right belonged to the family of Rotta da Bergamo, under the Venetian Republic. The last suit on foot in the next division was that of the Marchesc Parella di S. Martino. The next suit is gigantic, and is supposed to have belonged to a Grimaldi of Monaco. Near this, in a case, is the scimitar of Constantine Paleologus, last Greek Emperor of Constantinople. Last on right, is the figure of Prince Eugene of Savoy bearing his cuirass and sword : near it is his shield. Returning, on left, is the suit of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, 1557, worn at the Battle of S. Quentin. The cuirass of Carlo Emanuele III. worn at the Battle of Guastalla. The cuirass of Prince Tommaso. Shields taken at the battle of Pavia. Saracenic armour. Between the 3rd and 4th Martinengo, the suit of Count Lodroni of the Tyrol. Behind the Palace is a small Garden, entered under the same arcade as the Armoury, and open to the public on Sundays and Thursdays, from 1 1 to 3. To the left of the Palace is the Cathedral, originally founded in 602, but now an unimportant building of the fifteenth century, with a few very indifferent pictures. Behind the high altar, raised by a flight of steps, is the domed Chapel of the Santo Sudario, the master-piece of Guarini-, built in 1648, to receive the shroud in which our Saviour is supposed to have been wrapped by Joseph of Arimathea. Similar shrouds exist at Rome, at Besan9on, and at Cadouin in Perigord. The present relic is preserved in an altar CHURCHES OF TURIN. 79 beneath the cupola. The chapel is lined with black marble, which has a singular effect. Surrounding it are monuments of the house of Savoy. Emanuele Filiberto. Marchesi. Principe Tommaso di Carignano. Gaggini. Carlo Emanuele II. (1675)- Fraccaroli. Atnadeo VIII. (1451). Cacciatori. Maria Adelaida (1855), wife of Vittorio Emanuele II. Revelli. From the Via Porta Palatina, which runs almost in front of the Cathedral (turning left), an opening on the right leads to the Piazza di Citta, which contains the Palazzo del Municipio. In the middle of the square is the bronze statue of " II Conte Verde " Amadeus VI. of Savoy (1334 83), by Pelagio Pelagi. At the entrance of the Piazza, on the right, is the Church of Coitus Domini, built by Vitozzi in 1617. It commemorates the miraculous refusal of a con- secrated wafer to be carried off in 1453, by a soldier who was stealing it for the sake of the pyx in which it was en- shrined. The Via della Corte d'Appello on the right of the Palazzo del Municipio, leads into the Piazza Savota, a little to the right of which is the Church of La Consolata, built in the 1 7th century by Guarini, but retaining a tower of the middle ages. It contains a so-called miraculous picture of " La Madonna delle Grazie," surrounded with ex-votos. Returning to the Piazza del Castello by the Via Dora Grossa, we find, immediately on the left, unmarked by any portico, but with a fantastic ribbed dome, visible at a little distance above the houses, the Church of S. Lorenzo, built by Guarini for Emanuele Filiberto as a thank-offering for the victory of S. Quentin. The Via delle Scienze, which opens from the piazza on the So ITALIAN CITIES. right, leads immediately to Piazza Carignano. On the left is the fantastic Palazzo Carignano, one of the most extrava- gant works of Guarini. In the square stands the statue of the modern Italian philosopher Gioberti, a native of Turin (1801 48), by Albertoni. On the right is the Accademia. The Accademia delle Scienze is open daily from 10 to 4. On the ground-floor are the Museum of Antiquities and the Egyptian Museum (with the halls above) ; on the first floor is the Museum of Natural History, containing the skeleton of a Megatherium ; on the second floor is the Pinacoteca. The Galleries have no catalogues. The Egyptian Museum is a very fine collection, compris- ing grand statues of : Thothmes III. (basalt), B.C. 1591, and of his son Amenophes (granite), B.C. 1565, and of his son Setes II. (a gigantic figure), said to be the persecutor of Moses. * Rameses II., "Sesostris" (basalt), B.C. 1300. The most beautiful of all known Egyptian statues. The Greek and Roman Museum contains : Statue of Augustus from Susa. Bust of Antinous. Statue of Bacchus. Bust of Juno from Alba Pompeja, supposed to have been used by the priests for oracles. Sleeping Cupid (the arm and foot modern). Hercules sleeping on the lion's skin. Hercules with the serpents. Bronze statuette of Minerva, found at Stradella. Bronze statuette of a Fawn (one leg missing). * Head of Caligula in bronze very beautiful. The Pinacoteca has a very interesting and too little known collection of pictures, arranged in fifteen well-lighted walls. The most important pictures are Sala I. Pictures connected with the House of Savoy. PINACOTECA, TURIN. 81 4. Giacomo Flamingo. Prince Eugene. 15. Giacomo Argenta de Ferrara. Boy in a white dress, with a dwarf. *26. Vandyke. Two children with a bird. 27. Giacomo Argenta di Ferrara. Portrait of Emanuele Filiberto, detto Testa di Ferro. 30. Vandyke. Principe Giacinto di Savoia a most charming picture of an ugly child, sitting in its little chair, holding a bird. Sala II. Piedmontese Painters, of great importance in art, and many of them most beautiful. 33> 34> 36, 37, 39, 40. Macrino d 1 Alba (1496-1506). Pictures of , Saints. 35- Presbyter Giovanni Canavesi. Altar-piece in 16 compartments. 41. Gandolfmo (1493). Altar-piece in 10 compartments. *42. Defendente Deferrari di Chivasso. Altar-piece in many divisions, the central compartment most beautiful, of the Madonna with angels at her feet. 43. Gerolamo Giovenone (1514). Madonna and Child with saints, and the donor with her children a very interesting picture. 44. Defendente Deferrari. Marriage of S. Catharine. 44, bis. Gandolfino. Madonna and Child with angels. 47, bis. Giov. Giovenone. Madonna and Child with four saints. *49. Gaudenzio Ferrari. S. Peter and a kneeling donor glorious in colour. 50, bis. Macrino d'' Alba. Virgin and Child in glory, with saints and angels below. 5 2 > S3> 57> 58. Gaudenzio Ferrari di Valduggia. Four small pictures. 54. Gaudenzio Ferrari. The Deposition. 54, bis. Gaudenzio Ferrari. Virgin and Child throned, with saints the background most richly and carefully painted. 56. Bernardino Lanini de Vercelli. The Deposition. 59. Ottaviano Cane da Trino (1541). Virgin and Child throned, with S. J. Baptist and S. Antonio. Feeble, compared with the works of Gaudenzio and Macrino. Sala III. Continuation of last hall, in later date. 60, bis. Bern. Lanini. Virgin and Child with saints. 62. Id. (1564). Virgin and Child with SS. J. Baptist, Nicholas, Lucia, and James. VOL. I. 6 82 ITALIAN CITIES. 63. Pietro Grammorseo da Casale Monferraio (1523). Virgin and Child with SS. J. Baptist and Lucia. 64. Cane da Trino (1543). Marriage of S. Catherine. Sala IV. Continuation, but inferior. 65. Guglielmo Caccia. "II Moncalvo." The Bearing of the Cross. Sala V. General Italian School, i^th to \6th century. 93. Angelica da Fiesole ? Madonna and Child. 94, 96. Id. Two angels undoubted and beautiful specimens of the Master. 97. Ant. Pollajuolo. Raphael and Tobias. 98. Sandra Botticelli. Tobias and three angels. 100. Spinetto Aretino. Siege of Jerusalem. 101. Francesco Francia. The Entombment. 103. Lorenzo da Credi. Madonna and Child. 106. Bugiardini. Holy Family. in. "Scuola Lombarda." Holy Family a lovely picture 1 14. Gian Pietrino. SS. Catherine and Peter Martyr. *H7- Girolamo S. Croce. S. Jerome a grand landscape. * 1 1 8. Gir. Savoldo. Adoration of the Infant Jesus the figure of the Virgin most beautiful and touching in its humility. 121. M. A. Franciabigio. The Annunciation. 122. Franc. Penni (1518). The Entombment a copy of the Bor- ghese Raffaelle. 127. Bronzino. Lady in a crimson dress. 128. Id. Portrait of Cosimo de' Medici. 130. Paris Bordone. A woman with a basket of cherries. Sala VI. 133. Rinaldo Mantovano. Assumption. 140. Ant. Badile (the master of Paul Veronese}. Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple a very instructive picture. 148. Bassano. Portrait. 157. Paul Veronese. The visit of the Queen of Sheba A most glorious picture, equally magnificent in effect, colour, and de- tail. The dress of the queen alone is a most wonderful study. The high-lights are nowhere more concentrated by the master than in this composition. Sala VII. i yth and i8th centuries. PINACOTECA, TURIN. 83 170. G. Bait. Crespl. SS. Francis and Carlo Borromeo praying before a statue of the Virgin. 182. Paul Veronese. The Finding of Moses. From the Palazzo Durazzo at Genoa. Sala VIII. Chiefly copies by Constantin. 196. Luca della Robbia. Holy Family. Sala IX. Flower-pieces. Sala X. Italian School, i6//z to i8/A centuries. 234. Paul Veronese. Mary at the feet of Christ. The dog in the foreground is wonderful. 236. Guido Rent. A Group of Children. 237, 238. Caspar Poussin. Landscapes. 239. Guercino. S. Francesca Romana the head of the saint very grand. 241. Eliz. Sirani. Death of Abel. 242. Guercino. Ecce Homo. 243. Bassano. The Rape of the Sabines. 244. Orazw Lomi. Annunciation. 249. Aurelio Lomi (Pisano). Adoration of the Magi. 251. Bernardo Strozzi. The Blind Homer. 254. Domenichino. Three Children, supposed to represent Architec- ture, Astronomy, and Agriculture. Sala XI. 260, 264, 271, 274. Francesco Albani. The Four Elements (as Venus Juno Galatea Cybele) painted for Cardinal Mau- rice of Savoy. 262. Guercino. The Return of the Prodigal Son magnificent in light and shadow. 263. F. Albani. Salmacis and Hermaphroditus. 276. Carlo Dolce. Madonna. 283, 288. Canaletto. Views of old Turin good specimens of a bad master. Sala XII. German and Dutch Schools. "338. Vandyke. Children of Charles I. of England. 351. Id. Clara Eugenia Isabella, daughter of Philip II. of Spain. Sala XIII. Cape d'Opere. 84 ITALIAN CITIES. 355. A. Mantegna. Madonna and Child with saints the head of the Virgin very grand, full of foreboding of the future, the rest inferior. 356. Lorenzo di Credi. Madonna and Child. 357. Guercino. Madonna and Child. 358. y. Memling. The whole story of the Passion, wonderfully in- terwoven in one picture. 359. P. Christophsen. Virgin and Child. *3^3- Vandyke. Prince Thomas of the Savoy on a white horse one of the noblest portraits in existence. 369. Sandro Botticelli. The Triumph of Chastity a very curious and interesting picture. 371. Gaudenzio Ferrari. Crucifixion. *373- Raffaelle. Madonna della Tenda a lovely replica of the pic- ture at Munich. 374. Sandro Botticelli. Madonna and Child. *375- Donatella. Virgin and Child a marble relief. 376. // Sodoma. Lucrezia. *377- P au l Potter. Cows. 384. Vandyke. Holy Family. 385. G. Honthorst. Samson and the Philistines. 386. Holbein. Portrait of Erasmus. 392. Velasquez. Philip IV. Sala XIV. German and Dutch. 415. Mytens. Portrait of Charles I. of England, standing at the end of an arched corridor. 450. Rembrandt. A Rabbi. Sala XV. French School. 481. Borgognone. Battle Scene. Behind the Palazzo Carignano is the Piazza Carlo Alberto, with an equestrian statue of Charles Albert, by Marochetti. The broad Via del Po, on the left of which is the Uni- versity, with an admirable Library, leads to the river, by the wide Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. This is our first sight of the Po, which will meet us so often again in our Italian wander- ings. It rises on Monte Viso and flows to the Adriatic, PUBLIC GARDEN, TURIN. 85 being navigable for nearly 250 miles. Many are the classical allusions to it : " Proluit insano contorquens vortice silvas Fluviorum rex Eridanus, camposque per omnes Cum stabulis armenta tulit." Virgil, Georg. i. 481. " Et gemina auratus taurino cornua vultu Eridanus : quo non alius per pinguia culta In mare purpureum violentior effluit amnis. " Georg. iv. 371-* On the opposite side of the river is the Church of the Gran Madre di Dio, built by Carlo Felice in (ludicrously bad) imitation of the Pantheon at Rome. From the Capu- chin Convent which occupies the wooded hill above, there is an exquisite view, far beyond the town which lies at its feet, into the Alpine ranges. The Avenue along the river-side is delightful, and leads to one of the most beautiful Public Gardens in Europe, not to I Cappuccini, Turin. From the Public Garden. mere dressed walks, but to glades of elms and chestnuts, with wide and green lawns undulating to the water-side, and lovely views up the still reaches of the river, fringed with tufted foliage which is reflected in its water; or into bosky * See also Lucan, ii. 408 ; vi. 273. 86 ITALIAN CITIES. valleys of the hills on the opposite bank, with old turretted villas and convents rising on the different heights and look- ing down into the luxuriance of wood and vineyard which intersects them. Beyond all rises the Superga on its blue height, and pleasure-boats with white sails or striped awn- ings give constant life to the scene. At the end of the gardens, where they melt into the open hayfields completely in the country, though so close to the town the grand old Palace of II Valentino rises from the river bank. It was built in the old French style by a French princess, Christine, wife of Vittorio Amadeo I. and daughter of Henri IV. and Marie de' Medici. Of rich red stone, II Valentino, Turin. with high-pitched roofs, tall chimneys, and heavy cornices, it resembles some of the best chateaux of the Loire, and, with its richly verdant surroundings, forms a beautiful subject for a picture. Altogether, though those who have not seen these gardens in spring condemn Turin as an ugly featureless city, those who have enjoyed their freshness, especially in May, when the white and crimson chestnuts are all in bloom, will carry away the impression of scenes of perfect Italian loveliness. LA SUPERGA. 87 One may also visit the Villa della Regina, near the bridge over the Po, built by Cardinal Maurice of Savoy, after he had renounced his Orders in order to marry his niece, daughter of Vittorio Amadeo I. The most popular excursion is that to La Superga, the building which crowns the highest summit of the hills near the town. An omnibus (20 c.) starts every hour from 25 Via del Po, for the Madonna del Pilone, a village in the valley, about i| mile from the town. Hence donkeys (i fr.) may be taken, or it is a stiff walk of i| hour, to the Superga. The high road must be followed to the turn on the right beyond the next village, whence the Stradone della Superga winds up the hill. There is a grand view from the platform at the top towards the immense snowy barrier, which hems in the valley of the Po with an endless variety of outline. Turin, with its palaces and churches, is seen at the foot of the envineyarded hills on the left. Beyond it rises the great peak of Monte Viso : but the most beautiful point is where the valley of Susa, half-shrouded in purple mist, opens beneath the white ranges of the Mont Cenis. When the army of Louis XIV. was blockading Turin, King Vittorio Amadeo II., standing on this height with Prince Eugene, vowed a church to the Virgin, " if the Lord of Hosts would deliver him and his people out of the hands of their enemies." The French were totally defeated in the battle of Turin, Sept. 7, 1706, and Juvarawas then employed to build the great Church of La Superga, which was begun in 1717 and finished in 1731. The Church is ill- proportioned externally, and is swallowed up by its own dome. The interior is dull, cold, pompous 83 ITALIAN CITIES. and splendid. The pillars are of coloured marble; three great marble reliefs represent the Annunciation, the Nativity, and " La Madonna del Ex-voto." In the vaults beneath, all the later monarchs of the house of Savoy are buried, with the exception of Carlo Felice, who rests at Haute Combe on the Lac de Bourget. Like the popes, the last king always occupies a temporary position here a colossal tomb at the centre of the cross till his successor comes to turn him out. Vittorio Amadeo II., Carlo Emanuele III., Vittorio Amadeo III., and Carlo Emanuele IV., have monuments here, surrounding that of the great Carlo Alberto, who died at Oporto, July 28, 1849. " Here a king may fitly lie, Who, bursting that heroic heart of his At lost Novara, that he could not die, (Though thrice into the cannon's eyes for this He plunged his shuddering steed, and felt the sky Reel back between the fire-shocks, ) stripped away The ancestral ermine ere the smoke had cleared, And, naked to the soul, that none might say His kingship covered what was base and bleared With treason, went out straight an exile, yea, An exiled patriot. . . . And now that he is dead, Admitting it is proved and manifest That he was worthy, with a discrowned head, To measure heights with patriots, let them stand Beside the man in his Oporto shroud, And each vouchsafe to take him by the hand, And kiss him on the cheek, and say aloud, ' Thou, too, hast suffered for our native land ! My brother, thou art one of us ! be proud. ' " E. Barrett-Browning. Near each king rest his wives, one above another, as in the berths of a ship. One great chamber is devoted to the IL SAGRO DI S. MICHELE. 89 babies of the House of Savoy ! The reigning sovereign annually visits the graves of his ancestors on the 8th of September (the Nativity of the Virgin). A pleasant object for a drive of about 6 miles, is the old palace at Moncalieri (the ist station on the Alessandria line), built by Vittorio Amadeo I., and exceedingly handsome. Stupinigi (5 m.) is a handsome palace, built as a hunting- lodge by Juvara for Carlo Emanuele III. The most important expedition to be made from Turin is that to the extraordinary convent called // Sagro di San Michele, which occupies the summit of the mountain overhanging the town of Sant' Ambrogio (on the way to Susa), to which it is best to proceed by railway. Avigliana (stat.) is the birth-place of the House of Savoy. Sanf Ambrogio (stat.) is a most picturesque little town. Its rugged street, full of country-people and donkeys, presents one succession of pictures, with its buttressed walls, Roman- esque arches, overhanging roofs supported by heavy beams, and window-sills bright with carnations and chains of golden Indian corn; and beyond and over all rises the brown mountain side, with blue mist in its rifts, crowned by the vast pile of the Sagro, half convent and half castle. A steep mountain way ^donkeys may be obtained) winds up behind the curious old church, through rocks and frag- ments of chestnut forest. Near the summit, it passes the little village of S. Pietro, and then emerges upon a terrace on the top of the rocks, whence there is the most glorious view, into a wilderness of snowy mountain-ranges. The Sagro itself, a huge mass of building, rises in the fore- 90 ITALIAN CITIES. ground, at the top of an almost perpendicular precipice, where it was built as a penance in the loth century, by a certain Hugo de Montboissier, on a spot where Bishop Amisone had already been directed to found an oratory, by fire which descended from heaven and marked out its site. II Sagro di San Michele. The most conspicuous portion externally is the apse of the church, which has a Romanesque arcade. Great flights of steps form the approach to a round-headed door facing the precipice, whence a tremendous staircase, supported by a single colossal pillar, ascends to the monastery, the walls being partly formed by the rock itself, which projects in huge masses through the masonry.* At the top of the first stair- case a beautiful round arch with marble pillars, very richly Some works describe this staircase as having been lined with dried corpses, which were decorated with flowers by the peasants, but this has never been heard of &t the Sagro itself. LE CHI US A. 91 sculptured, opens upon a second ascent leading to the Church, which is exceedingly curious, with many fragments of ancient sculpture, and a fine Gothic tomb of Guglielmo di Savoia, who was abbot here. A door on the left forms the entrance to a little platform overhanging the rock called // Salto della Bella Alda, from an imprudent dam- sel, who, having leapt once from the top in safety under the protection of the Virgin, attempted to do it again, and perished in the attempt. Here is the entrance to the vaults filled with modern tombs, to which Carlo Alberto caused a number of the earlier sovereigns of the House of Savoy to be removed from the church of S. Giovanni at Turin. It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the views upon which the Monastery looks down. It con- tains several pictures of the surrounding scenery, by Massimo cTAzeglio, who was, however, but a poor artist. Prince Eu- gene, who never married, was a titular abbot of S. Michele. There were formerly 300 Benedictine monks here, now the monastery is a centre for the Missionary Preachers under the direction of the Rettore Carlo Caccia. A separate excursion on this line of railway should be made from Turin to Susa. A little beyond S. Ambrogio, on the left, may be seen the remains of walls on the side of the mountain. The place is called Le Chiusa, and the walls are relics of the famous fortifications erected in A. D. 772 by the Lombard king Desiderius, against his enemies from the north, and which he deemed impregnable. Charlemagne did not attack them, but was guided round the mountains by a Lombard spy (one Martin, a deacon, afterwards Arch- bishop of Ravenna), and, falling upon the Lombards from 92 ITALIAN CITIES the rear, totally defeated them. On this story is founded the " Adelchi," Manzoni's best play, carefully studied on the spot. Susa, the ancient Segusio, is a wonderfully picturesque place, filled with mediaeval towers and gateways, and with the river Dora rushing through its midst. The most con- spicuous building is the Cathedral of S. Justus, which has a noble campanile of the nth century, a fine grey marble font, and a gilt statue of the famous Countess Adelaida of Susa, through whom the House of Savoy acquired its Italian territory. In the sacristy is a silver cross, said to have been given by Charlemagne. On a rising ground, behind the cathedral, is the beautiful marble Arch of Augustus, adorned with Corinthian columns, and reliefs representing sacrifices of rams and swine. It was erected, in honour of the Emperor, about B. c. 8, by Julius Cottius, son of King Donnus. Above the town is the ruined fortress of La Brunetta, destroyed by the French in 1798. At the top of the Monte di Roccia Melone, above Susa, at a height of 11,139 f ee t> is a chapel, romantically founded by the crusader Bonifazio d'Asti, who was taken prisoner by the Saracens and vowed this shrine to the Virgin if he were ever set free : his fetters hang in the chapel. A pilgrimage is made here annually on the feast of the Assump- tion. A little to the east of Susa, close under the Alps, is the site (it is little more now) of the famous Monas- tery of Novalesa, founded in 739, where Charlemagne once spent his Lent. In its prosperity, Novalesa used to send out in harvest-time the plaustrum dominicale, a great car, VILLASTELLONE, CARMAGNOLA. 93 supporting a pole with a bell hanging to it, which returned, heading all the waggons, bringing back the supplies of corn and wine from the monastic farms. It was a rule in the country-side, that no fairs should begin till the plaustrum of Novalesa had been seen to pass. A railway leads in 3 hours from Turin to Cuneo for the passage of the Col di Tenda. It passes 20 kil. Villastellone (stat), 6 m. west of which is Carig- nano, a well-built town, with handsome churches. S. Giovanni was built by Count Alfieri : in S. Maria delle Grazie is the tomb of Bianca Palaeologus, daughter of William IV., Marquis of Monserrat, and wife of Duke Charles I. of Savoy, before whom Bayard contended in a tournament. In 1650 the title of Prince of Carignano was taken by Tommaso, the youngest son of Duke Charles Emmanuel I., and from him the present royal family are descended. Carignano is still one of the royal titles. 29 kil. Carmagnola (stat.) was once, as the border-town of the Marquisate of Saluzzo, defended by a strong castle, a fragment of which remains as the tower of the Church of S. Filippo. In the cloister of 6". Agostino, is the tomb of James Turnbull, a Scottish condottiere, 1496. This town is the birth- place of Francesco Bussone, Count of Carmagnola, who was born here, in 1389, as the son of a peasant, and served in boyhood as a cowherd. He fought as general for Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, for whom he reconquered a great part of Lombardy. From this service he passed into that of Venice, in which he took Brescia, and gained (1427) the battle of Maclodio ; but, by the jealousy of the Senate, after having been allured back to Venice by a vote 94 ITALIAN CITIES. of thanks and confidence, he was imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded "between the columns," Mays, 1432. His life is the subject of a tragedy by Manzoni. The name of Carmagnoia is known throughout the world from the "Dansons la Carmagnole, Vive le son des Car- magnoles," of the great revolution, the name having been given to the Savoyard boys, who were amongst the first revolutionary recruits, and many of whom came from hence. 38 kil. Reuamigi (ptiA.). The Castle, restored by Palagi, was the favourite residence of Charles Albert. Trissino (1,510) sang the beauty of the women of Racconigi : "E quei di Scarnafesso e Racconigi, Ch' han bellissime donne." 45 kil. Cavallermaggiore (stat.). (Hence there is a branch-line to Savona, passing through Bra, which has a handsome Church of S. Chiara, built by Vettone in 1742. The town is united by an avenue to the Sanctuary of S. Maria del Fieri, where it is said that on Dec. 29, 1336, an appearance of the Virgin was the means of rescuing a young girl from murder, in a copse of wild sloes, which have ever since blossomed three times annually. The Castle of Pollenzo, two miles from this, marks the Roman Pollentia.) 52 kil. Savigliano (stat.), (Inn. Corona), on the river Macra. A triumphal arch here commemorates the marriage of Carlo Emanuele II. with the Infanta, Donna Caterina. In the churches are many pictures by Giovanni Molineri (called " II Carraccino," from his imitation of the Carracci), born here in 1577. (There is a branch-line from hence in one \ hour to Saluzzo. Its old castle was the residence of the sovereign CERTOSA DI PESIA, COL DI TEND A. 95 Marquises of Saluzzo, who became extinct in 1548. In the Church of S. Bernardo are the tombs of the Counts Delia Torre. Saluzzo was in 1789 the birth-place of the poet and political martyr, Silvio Pellico, to whom a statue was erected in 1863.) 88 kil. Cuneo (stat.), (Inn. Posta; Londra), usually spoken of as Coni, so called from the wedge of land upon which the town was erected, in the i2th century, under pro- tection of the Abbot of S. Dalmazzo, by peasants who rebelled against the tyrannies of the surrounding barons. (About nine miles S. E. from Cuneo, in the Val Pe'sio, a pleasant situation amid woods and mountains, always green and fresh, is the Certosa di Pesia, now a pension, much frequented by English who pass the summer in Italy. 20 miles S. W. from Cuneo, in the Val di Gesso, are the Baths of Valdieri resorted to for the cure of wounds in a very fine natural situation.) There is a diligence from Cuneo to Nice, in 22 hours, by the road, made in 1591, over the pass of the Col di Tenda (5883 feet). The French frontier is passed at Limone. At S. Dalmas di Tenda is a pension (6 frs.), most beautifully situated. The defile of the Roya, with the picturesque villages of Saorgio, Ghiandola, Broglio, and Sospello (Hotel Carenco), is well worth seeing. The unprotected ledges of the pass are, in places, very alarming. CHAPTER V. THE WALDENSES. PROTESTANTS will be interested in an excursion to Waldensian Valleys ( Vallees Vaudoises), which are situated about thirty miles S. W. of Turin, and occupy a dis- trict of about twenty-two miles by eighteen, under the Alps which bound the French frontier. Here, in spite of the most cruel persecutions, the inhabitants have preserved their own form of faith unchanged for 600 years. The name of the Waldenses is sometimes derived from the Latin word Vallis, but more generally from Peter Waldo, a rich bourgeois of Lyons, who became, as it were, the S. Francis of heresy ; while his disciples, who received the name of the Poor Men of Lyons, " resembled the Minorites, the lowest of the low." At a meeting which was assembled for devotional purposes, Waldo had seen a man fall dead, struck by lightning, and thenceforward religion was his one thought. Ignorant himself, he employed a poor scholar to translate the Gospels and some of the other books of Scripture, and in these he instructed his disciples. He sent them forth by two and two to preach the Gospel. They sought the support of Alexander III., but were harshly repulsed and censured by the Pope, and treated with the utmost obloquy and contempt by the clergy. The severity they met with caused their entire alienation from the Roman ORIGIN OF THE IVALDENSES. 97 Catholic Church. They denied that the priestly office had any intrinsic virtue, and maintained that a layman of pure life and manners might administer all religious rites. They condemned the vices of wicked popes. They rejected all the Sacraments, except Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; and they denied all sanctity in the water of baptism, and transubstantiation in the Eucharist. They renounced prayers for the dead, purgatory, and indulgences. They enjoined, to the extreme, a pure and virtuous life. Above all, they read the Gospels, preached, and prayed in the vulgar tongue. The followers of Peter Waldo are believed to have been the first teachers of these Alpine villages. The Waldensian Church occupies thirteen parishes situated in three valleys ; S. Jean, La Tour, Villar, Bobbi, and Angrogna, in the valley of Luzerne ; S. Germain and Pramol in the valley of Perouse ; Pomaret, Maneille, Massel, Rodares, Prali, and Prarustaing, in the valley of S. Martin, altogether a popula- tion of 24,000. The English term " Lollard " came from Peter Lollard, a Waldensian pastor in the middle of the thirteenth century. The Protestant villages were situated in the dominions of the Duke of Savoy, from whom, early in the i5th century, they suffered their first persecution, when the inhabitants of the village of Prajelas were massacred or banished. In 1487, Pope Innocent VIII. issued a Bull calling upon " all authorities, spiritual and temporal, to unite in the extermina- tion of the Vaudois." At this time 18,000 regular troops were sent against the valleys, when the inhabitants found their only protection in the mountain-fastnesses by which they were surrounded. When the Reformation in Germany took place, Pastor Martin of Luzerne travelled thither, and VOL. i. 7 98 ITALIAN CITIES. brought back the writings of the Reformers, and, in the Synod of Angrogna (Sept. 12, 1532), the division of the Waldensian from the Catholic Church was formally ratified. This led to a fresh persecution, in 1532, from Charles, Duke of Savoy. In 1560, Emanuel Philibert of Savoy sent a fresh army against the Waldenses ; they concealed their helpless in caves, and defended their valleys by ambushes. Their chief stronghold was the ravine of the Pra del Tor, which was attacked by the army of Savoy, under the Count de la Trinite, for four whole days ; at the end of which he was repulsed with great loss, numbers of his soldiers being precipitated from the rocks into the river. After this, the Duke of Savoy perceived that he was only ruining both his army and his treasury to please the Inquisitors, and, accept- ing the mediation of his duchess Margaretta, he made a treaty with the Vaudois, in terms which allowed them the free exercise of their religion. Nevertheless, they were perpetually tormented by his successors, till, in 1655, by " the bloody order of Gastaldo," more than a thousand families were banished in the depth of winter into the Alpine recesses, where a great portion perished of cold and starvation. The valleys were then entered by the Marchese di Pianezza at the head of 1 5,000 men, who, aware of the desperate resistance he should meet with if he encountered the Vaudois on their own ground, pretended a wish for con- ciliation, and requested that, in token of obedience to the temporal power, they would receive companies of troops in their different villages. Their compliance was followed by the most cruel massacres. 14,000 Waldensians were im- prisoned, of whom 18,000 died in thirteen days of hunger and suffering; only 3000 saw the light again, and these SUFFERINGS OF THE WALDENSES. 99 were banished. Such atrocities aroused the indignation of all the Protestant powers. Cromwell ordered a general fast, had the narrative of the Waldensian sufferings printed and distributed through England and Wales, and himself headed a subscription for them with 362000 from the privy purse. A sum of ^38,241 was raised for them. The British Ambassador, sent by Cromwell to the Duke of Savoy and received in the presence of his mother, Madame Royale, daughter of Henry IV., gave expression to the feeling of England. " Audivit enim Protector (quod nemo celsitudinis vestrse regalis voluntate factum esse dixerit) miserrimos illos, partim ab vestris copiis esse crudeliter occisos, partim vi expulsos, domoque patriaque exturba- tos, adeoque sine lare, sine tecto, inopes, omnique ope destitutes, per asperrima loca atque inhospita, montesque nivibus coopertos, cum suis conjugibus ac liberis vagari. Quid enim per hosce dies, quod genus crudelitatis inausum illis militibus, aut prasteritum fuit ? Fumantia, passim tecta, et laceri artus, et cruenta humus ! Virgines, post stupra, differto lapillis ac ruderibus utero, setate ac morbo clinici, in lectulis combusti ? Infantum alii saxis allisi, alii jugulati, quorum cerebrum ab interfectoribus, immanitate plusquam Cyclopasa, coactum ac devoratum. " It is this persecution of the Waldensian Church which is immortalized in the sonnet of Milton : " Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold ; Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones, Forget not : in thy book record their groans, Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold Slain by the bloody Piedmontese that roll'd Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans The vales redoubled to the hills, and they To heaven. Their martyr'd blood and ashes sow O'er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway The triple tyrant ; that from these may grow ioo ITALIAN CITIES. A hundred-fold, who, having learn'd thy way, Early may fly the Babylonian woe." For a time, the threats of Cromwell produced a certain degree of toleration for the Vaudois, but, on Jan. 31, 1686, Vittorio Amadeo II. published a decree that every Protestant church and chapel should be razed to the ground, and that every Protestant should renounce his faith within fifteen days, upon pain of banishment. The whole population con- sisted of 15,000, and of these only 2500 were capable of bearing arms. " Death rather than the Mass " was, however, the general answer. The French General Catinet asked from the Duke of Savoy " the honour of striking the first blow at the heretics," and, in the words of Henri Arnaud, " had the honour of being well beaten." But prolonged re- sistance against overwhelming numbers was useless, and the Waldensians submitted, upon a promise that they should then experience the mercy of the sovereign, which was kept by his throwing the whole Protestant population into prison. Here the greater part perished of hunger and fever, and, after six months, the sentence of the survivors was remitted to perpetual banishment. They were forced to cross the Alps in the depth of winter, hundreds perishing amid the snows, and they took refuge in the Protestant cantons of Switzerland. After three years the survivors, 800 in number, under the command of Henri Arnaud, determined to regain their native villages or perish in the attempt. They crossed the Alps, and so bravely maintained their position in the defiles above Angrogna, that at last the Duke of Savoy was induced to reinstate them, upon condition of their fighting for him against Louis XIV. Of this " La glorieuse rentree des Vaudois dans leurs vallees " Henri Arnaud has left a detailed account. DOCTRINE OF THE WALDENSES. 101 For the generalship of the guerilla warfare in which the Vaudois were engaged, Arnaud was eminently fitted, and his personal bravery greatly contributed to their success. In battle he used to say " I know not what the occasion may require of me ; but while I advance, follow me, and, if I fall, avenge me." It is, however, only fair to Roman Catholics to say that the return of the Vaudois was attended by the most horrible massacres on their part, and that they avenged their past sufferings by doing their best to exterminate the inoffensive Catholic population which had taken their place in the valleys. As they were unable to provide for prisoners, none were taken, and no quarter was given to age or sex. Vittorio Amadeo had afterwards so much reason to be satisfied with his Waldensian troops, that they were brigaded by themselves, were commanded by their own officers, and had a distinguished place in every action; and when Amadeo himself was forced to fly, it was with a Waldensian family in the village of Rora that he took refuge. After their return, the Waldenses exemplifying their doctrine that " the great end of Christian teaching is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned," drew up, at a Synod in the Valley of Prajelas above Pinerolo, their " Rule of Conduct " : How people should conduct themselves with strangers 1. Love not the world. 2. Avoid bad company. 3. If possible, live in peace with all men. 4. Strive not in law. 5. Revenge not yourselves. 6. Love your enemy. 7. Be willing to suffer toils, calumny, threats, rejection of men, wrongs, and all torments, for truth's sake. 8. Possess your souls in patience. 9. Enter not into the yoke with the unfaithful. 102 ITALIAN CITIES. 10. Hold no communication with bad works, nor by any means what savours of idolatry, nor with services inducing to it, nor with anything of the sort. How the faithful ought to keep their bodies under sub- jection : 1. Serve not the mortal desires of the flesh. 2. Watch over your members, lest they be members of iniquity. 3. Rule your affections. 4. Submit the body to the soul. 5. Mortify your members. 6. Avoid idleness. 7. Be sober and temperate, in eating and drinking, in your words, and the cares of this world. 8. Do works of charity. 9. Live by faith and moral practice. 10. Control your desires. 11. Mortify the works of the flesh. 12. Devote yourselves to religion in due season. 13. Confer with one another on the will of God. 14. Diligently examine your consciences. 15. Cleanse, amend, and pacify your minds. It was in consequence of examining these canons that Bucer declared that it must be allowed that the Vaudois had truly preserved among them the discipline of Christ's church, an opinion assented to by Luther, CEcolampadius, and Melancthon. The latter, in a letter written to the Vaudois, A. D. 1557, had thus expressed himself : " I cannot in truth object to the severe discipline and practice prevailing among you ; would to God it were a little more severe among us." The pastors of the Vaudois were diligently taught and rigidly examined. When approved of by the synod, they were ordained, with imposition of hands, by the moderator Their pastoral duties were explained and enforced, on these occasions, in a sermon, also by the moderator. Their wants PINEROLO, LA TOUR. 103 were supplied from the gratuitous offerings of their flocks, paid publicly to the synod.* ' ' The functions of the ancient Waldensian moderator were the same as those of the Protestant and Romish bishops. If the synod had a more general, the moderator had a more direct, authority. Though elected by the synod (as were all bishops in the primitive agesj he was not amenable to it ; but, on the contrary, was, as now, its president, and his office was for life. He only could confer holy orders, by the imposition of hands ; and he only had authority to visit the churches, inquire into the doctrine and practice of their pastors, examine at his dis- cretion the whole economy of the Church, and reform such abuses as he nvpht discover. Thus did the moderators, as overseers, take heed unto the flock." H. Dyke Acland. The Waldensian Valleys may be reached in i \ hour from Turin by taking the train to Pinerolo (3 frs. 55 c. ; 2 frs. 55 c. ; i fr. 70 c.). There is an omnibus from Pinerolo to La Tour. Pinerolo (Inns. Grande Couronne, Verna Nova) is a plea- santly-situated provincial town on the little river Lemina. Hence it is i hour's drive to La Tour (Torre Luserna), (Inns. Ours, Lion d'Or), which may be considered the capital of the Vaudois, but is only a large country village, with a clear stream running down its street. Above rises the fine crag of Castelluzzo, and beyond it, Mont Vanderlin. The primitive aspect of the people, and their good manners, make them very attractive. All take off their hats and give a kindly greeting to strangers, and they appear to be of a different class to the usual Italian population. There is now a handsome Protestant Church here ; a College for the edu- cation of young men for the Waldensian ministry ; a Hos- * See " Morland's History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piedmont," and "The Waldenses " of W. S. Gilly. 104 ITALIAN CITIES. pital ; and an Orphanage, where lace-making and straw- plaiting are admirably taught, and where specimens of the children's work may be purchased. Three excursions, which will give the best idea of the Vaudois valleys, may be made on foot, or on donkeys, from La Tour, in the day. Villar. I. (It is possible to drive, but the road is very bad) To Villar, a most picturesque village, with a vine-shaded street, and a glorious background of mountain-peaks. Beyond this, about 2\ hours from La Tour, is Bobbi, or Bobbio, another excessively picturesque village, nearer to the foot of the mountains. It has been twice destroyed by inundation, and is now defended by the Breakwater of the Felice, built by a grant from Oliver Cromwell. In the war of 1799, the in- habitants of Bobbio were conspicuous for the humanity with which they treated the wounded French soldiers who were left behind ; and, when their resources failed, carried PR A DEL TOR. 105 them on their shoulders across the frontier, and set them down in their own country. A wild mountain-path leads from Bobbio to the ruined fortress of Mirabouc* and beyond it (3^ hours from Bobbio) to the Bergerie de Pra. II. It takes about z\ hours from La Tour to the Pra del Tor. It is a pleasant ascent, by the village of Angrogna, to this grand defile. In each village there are two churches, for the two religions. The inscriptions on those of the last village we pass are characteristic. On one is " Allons a la Montagne de 1'Eternel et a la maison du Dieu de Jacob, et il nous montrera de ses voies, et nous marcherons dans ses sen tiers." On the portal of the opposite church is " Ave Maria Mater Gratiae." Pra del Tor. The defile of Pra del Tor is as sacred ground to the Wal- densian people. Here, most of all, they fought, suffered, * The fact that this fortress was taken by the French, was used to inflame the popuhr feeling against the Vaudois, though not a Protestant was there when it .surrendered. io6 ITALIAN CITIES. and conquered for their faith, for, in the words of Leger * " L'eternel Dieu, qui avoit destine ce paiis-la pour en faire particulierement le theatre de ses merveilles, et 1'asyle de son arche, 1'a naturellement et merveilleusement fortifie." Here, when the Count de la Trinite invaded the pass in 1560, he was repulsed with shouts of "Viva Gesu Cristo," and two colonels, eight captains, and four hundred of his men perished. The Rocks of Roccialla are pointed out, whence the Vaudois showered down stones upon their enemies ; the narrow pathway, where they formed their easy barricade ; the clear river Angrogna, rushing amid the rocks in a succession of waterfalls, into which so many of their assailants were thrown ; the stone from which, in 1686, " the French General " was hurled into the whirlpool beneath. At the end of the gorge is the Pra itself, not a meadow, but a rocky wilderness, with a few poor cottages. Waldensian Cottage, Pra del Tor. III. By Luzerne, to Rora, the smallest and most southern of the Protestant parishes, situated beneath the crags of Sea Bianca. Here Vittorio Amadeo II. (the persecutor of the Histoire des Eglises Vaudoises. CASTELUZZO. 107 Waldensians) took refuge with the family of Durand, and when he escaped, owing to their magnanimity, rewarded them by granting their family for ever the privilege of using their garden as a burial-ground ! Only hardy mountaineers will attempt to visit, in the crag called " Le brie Casteluzzo,"* the famous Cavern of VanJelin, or Casteluzzo, in which from 400 to 500 fugitives could take refuge at a time. It is a kind of open gallery on the face of the cliff, into which people had to be let down by ropes, as into a mine. There are traces of a fountain there. It was explored by Dr. Gilly in 1829. (From Pinerolo there is a road by Fenestrelles and Pra- gelas to Brianc,on.) * From Bricca, a steep, craggy place. CHAPTER VI. THE VAL D'AOSTA. ONLY 3 hours from Turin, by a branch line from Chi- vasso (3 frs. 65 c.; 2 frs. 55 c. ; i fr. 85 c.), is the pleasant town of Ivrea (Inns. Europa, Untverso), on the Dora Baltea (Doire), with a fine machicolated castle. (Diligence to Aosta 8 frs. ; a carriage with 2 horses, 30 frs. ; a very large vetturino-carriage for much luggage, 60 frs. An arrangement may be made with a small one-horse carriage for the whole excursion, at 12 frs. a day.) The road to Aosta passes under the old castle of Af ant- alto to (12 miles) Ponte S. Martina (Inn. Porta Rosso), a very good halting-place, where there is a picturesque old Roman bridge, over the Lys (Lesa), to sketch. Hence the road ascends to Donnaz, where there is a Roman tunnel through the rock, and on to Fort Bard (1019 feet), which for eight days checked the advance of the French army under Buonaparte in 1800 (before the battle of Marengo), being garrisoned by only 400 Austrians. Passing the entrance (left) of the Val di Campnrciero, and the village of Arnaz, we reach (7^ m.) Vernex (Inns. Poste, Couronne), with an old castle. Here French becomes the language of common intercourse. A little beyond this, we enter a narrow gulley in the AOSTA. 109 rocks under the ruined castle of S. Germain, called the defile of Montjovet The views are now most beautiful. The Doire tosses deep below. After passing the bridge called Pont dcs Salassins (Sarrasins) we reach 9 m. Chatillon (Inns. Hotel Royal, Lion d'Or\ and pro- ceed by many small villages, and through a country rich in vineyards, beyond which "the mountains Lift through perpetual snows their lofty and luminous summits,"* To (15 m.) Aosta. (Inns. H. du Mont Blanc with a beau- tiful view, kept by Jean .Tairraz, very clean and good. Couronne, in the town.) Aosta occupies the site of the city which was built for the Arch of Augustus, Aosta. permanent subjection of the Salassi, and to which Augustus gave the name of Augusta Praetoria. It speedily rose to prosperity, and became the capital of the whole surrounding region. Pliny speaks of it as the extreme point of Italy towards the north. Longfellow's Evangeliite. i io ITALIAN CITIES. The town is entered by a noble Triumphal Arch of Augustus (Arco della Trinita), the effect of which, how- ever, is rather spoilt by the tiled roof with which it is covered. To the right are the remains of a small Roman Bridge of one arch, and of a ruin, shown as the amphi- theatre, but in reality the straight wall of a Theatre. Spanning the street further on, is a double Gate, with three arches in each facade. In the centre of the town is a large Piazza. The Cathe- dral is the Minster of SS. Gratus and Jocundus. " One can have little doubt in assigning a date of the eleventh cen- tury to the twin-towers of the cathedral church, the minster of S. Gra- tus and S. Jocundus. They must have been new when Anselm was born beneath their shadow. The northern tower is untouched, a mag- nificent example of the stern grandeur of this early style, which in England we see only in smaller and ruder examples. Of the southern tower, the upper part must have been rebuilt at the end of the twelfth or beginning of the thirteenth century, but with a certain adapta- tion to the earlier work, the midwall shaft being still used. The towers flank the apse, but so great is the width of the church between them that they hardly seem to belong to the same building. The church itself is plain, and much disfigured, but its massive square piers are most likely original. On the north side is an apsidal chapel of the fourteenth century, which would look in place either in Germany or England, and a cloister, bearing date 1636, of debased style certainly, but which might well have passed for a century older. The choir has a splendid mosaic pavement of about the fourteenth century, and a noble set of stalls ; below it is a Romanesque crypt, in which classical capitals have been used up again. The treasury has also shrines and vestments to show, and a consular diptych of the time of Honorius." Freeman. The Church of S. Urse contains the tomb of Duke Thomas of Savoy, of 1232. It has a detached tower, and a beautiful Romanesque cloister, with the history of Esau and Jacob and other Scriptural subjects upon the capitals. COURMAYEUR. MI There are many picturesque points upon the old walls. The name of the Tour Bramafan (Cri de la faim) records the death of Marie de Bragance, wife of Count Rene of Chalons, who was imprisoned there by the jealousy of her husband in the fifteenth century, and left to die of starv- ation. A little further, abutting upon the city wall, is a square tower called Tour de la Frayeur, from the ghost story of a white woman holding a lamp, who is said to be seen emerg- ing from it on dark nights. It is also called the Tour de Lepreux, and is the scene of the pretty story of " Le Lepreux de la cite d'Aoste," by Xavier le Maistre. (From Aosta an excursion may be made to the Great S. Bernard. It is about 5^ hours to the Hospice.) A carriage from Aosta to Courmayeur costs for 2 people 12 frs., or for 3 people 15 frs. Places in the Corriere to S. Didier 2/ frs. The road to Courmayeur leads through a number of villages sadly afflicted with goitres and cretinism. At Fort Roc the road passes through a defile above the Doire, and hence there is a grand view of Mont Blanc. It is also well seen from the Baths of S. Didier (Hotel de la Rose). Courmayeur (Hotel du Mont Blanc, good ; Hotel Royal) is a picturesque Italian village, with the most glorious view, and delightful walks through meadows in which you can " scarce see the grass for flowers." This is the starting-point for the excursion to Chamounix by the Col de la Seigne, the Col de Bonhomme, and the Col de Voza. " There is a terrace upon the roof of the inn at Courmayeur where one may spend hours in silent watches, when all the world has gone to sleep 1 1 2 ITALIAN CITIES. beneath. The Mont Chetif and the Mont de la Saxe form a gigantic portal not unworthy of the pile that lies beyond. For Mont Blanc re- sembles a vast cathedral ; its connclfss spires are scattered over a mass Courmayeur. like that of the Duomo at Milan, rising into one tower at the end. By night the glaciers glitter in the steady moon ; domes, pinnacles, and buttresses stand clear of clouds. Needles of every height and most fan- tastic shapes rise from the central ridge, some solitary like sharp arrows shot against the sky, some clustering into sheaves. On every horn of snow and bank of grassy hill stars sparkle, rising, setting, rolling round through the long silent night. Moonlight simplifies and softens the COURMAYEUR. 113 landscape. Colours become scarcely distinguishable, and forms, de- prived of half their detail, gain in majesty and size. The mountains seem greater far by night than day higher heights and deeper depths, more snowy pyramids, more beetling crags, softer meadows, and darker pines. The whole valley is hushed, but for the torrent and chirping grasshopper, and the striking of the village clocks. The black tower and the houses of Courmayeur in the foreground gleam beneath the moon until she reaches the edge of the Cramont, and then sinks quietly away, once more to reappear among the pines, then finally to leave the valley dark beneath the shadow of the mountain's bulk. Meanwhile the heights of snow still glitter in the steady light : they, too, will soon be dark, until the dawn breaks, tinging them with rose." J. A. Symonds. vol.. i. CHAPTER VII. VERCELLI AND NOVARA. VERCELLI is reached in less than two hours by rail from Turin. The line passes through a luxuriant country, bounded, on the left, by the Alps. The only places of importance the railway passes through are Chivasso, which was the residence of the sovereign Marquises of Mont- ferrat and Santhia, whence there is a branch-line to the manufacturing-town of Biella, six miles from which is the sanctuary of La Madonna d'Oropa, with an image, said to have been carved by S. Luke, and brought from Syria by S. Eusebio. Vercelli, in a low marshy situation, presents many curious architectural features, and is well worth visiting between the trains. All those who are interested in Lombard art must certainly stop here, as here alone can the works of the great artist, Gaudenzio Ferrari, be seen in their perfection. Close to the station is the noble Church of S. Andrea, which is of great beauty externally both as to colour and form. It was begun in 1219. The west front is gabled, and has three portals, with a rose window and two arcades above. The material is stone, but the inside of the arches is brick, giving much colour. The central tower is of brick, double, and octangular. On the south side is a detached campanile. Over one of the side doors is a representation VERCELLI. 115 of the dedication of the church by its founder, who was the Cardinal Guala de' Bicchieri, the devoted ally of our King John, and papal legate in England during his reign and that of Henry III. The Lombard exterior suggests something different to the graceful early-pointed arches of the interior. The mixture of brick and stone is most effective, but the church is spoilt by wretched painting, and worse stained glass. The only tomb (in the 2nd chapel in the right transept) is that of Tomaso Gallo, first abbot, and architect of the church, ob. 1246, with a relief of his presentation to the Virgin, by Dionysius the Areopagite. The adjoining Hospital was also founded and endowed by Cardinal Guala. It has a fine cloister, now used as a garden. Behind S. Andrea is the Cathedral, which has an old brick campanile, but which otherwise is the work of Pelle- grino Tibaldi, of the i6th century. It has a handsome portico. Opening out of the transepts are the chapels of S. Eusebio, first bishop of Vercelli, and S. Amadeo di Savoia. The shrine of the latter was decorated with silver by Carlo Felice, in 1823. In the Cathedral Library is preserved the famous manu- script of the Gospels written in the 4th century by the first bishop, S. Eusebio, and bound in silver by order of King Berengarius. The manuscript is of the greatest importance, and is believed to be the most authentic copy of the " Itala " of S. Augustine. The order in which the Gospels are written is S. Matthew, S. John, S. Luke (" Lucanus "), and S. Mark. The silver cover is very curious as a work of art. It represents the Saviour presenting the Gospels to the world. n6 ITALIAN CITIES. By his side stands " Eusebius Episcopus." The inscription 4 .'I.- . tells : " Prsesul hoc Eusebius scripsit, solvitque verustas; Rex Berengarius reparavit idem." From the Cathedral, passing on the right the Church of S. Bernardino, and crossing the Corso, we reach (about \ mile) the Church of S. Cristoforo, which contains the prin- cipal works of Gaudenzio Ferrari, who was born in 1484 at Valduggia, near Novara, and died at Milan in 1550. He was a pupil of Luini, and his pictures nearly resemble the works of that master. Lomazzo ranks him amongst the seven greatest painters in the world. " Gaudenzio must be pronounced a very great painter, and one who approached nearest of any of Raffaelle's assistants to Pierino and Giulio Romano. He appears truly unequalled in his expression of the divine majesty, the mysteries of religion, and all the feelings of piety of which he himself offered a notable example, having received the title of Eximie Pius in one of the Novarese assemblies. He was excellent in strong expressions ; not that he aimed at exhibiting highly-wrought muscular powers, but his attitudes were, as Vasari entitles them, wild, that is, equally bold and terrible where his subjects admitted them. " The warm and lively colouring of Ferrari is so superior to that of the Milanese artists of his day, that there is no difficulty in recognizing it in the churches where he painted ; the eye of the spectator is directly attracted towards it. If we may so say, he represented the minds even better than the forms of his subjects. He particularly studied this branch of the art, and we seldom see more marked attitudes or more expressive countenances. Where he adds landscape or architecture to his figures, the former chiefly consists of very fanciful views of cliffs and rocks, which are calculated to charm by their novelty ; while his edifices are constructed on principles of the best perspective." Lanzi. The frescoes in S. Cristofero are in honour of the Virgir and the Magdalen. They begin in the Left Transept : 1. The Birth of the Virgin. 2. The Marriage (the Presentation seen in the background) VERCELLI. 117 3. The Nativity. 4. The Adoration of the Magi. (Between these S. Catherine of Siena and S. Nicholas presenting two members of the Liguara family.) 5. The Assumption. Most spectators will feel that the conception of this picture is far grander than that of Titian. The Virgin in a light-coloured robe with extended hands and long golden hair, floats upwards, her feet resting on the back of a cherub, while other cherubs circle round her and hold a crown over her head. In the Right Transept are : 1. The Crucifixion. Angels of wondrous beauty float around the cross. In the corner on the right is represented Padre Angelo Corradi, one of two brothers at whose expense the frescoes were executed. The Magdalen is the most conspicuous figure. 2. The Conversion of the Magdalen. 3. The Magdalen wiping the feet of our Lord. 4. The Preaching of the Magdalen at Marseilles. 5. The Assumption of the Magdalen. The Altar-piece represents the Virgin and Child surrounded by saints. S. Christopher has a tree in his hand as a staff; there are two monks in white robes, and, in the foreground, two lovely children, besides S. John, who is holding a Lamb. In the Sacristy is a Nativity, with monks behind. Other churches in Vercelli have works of Ferrari, but of less importance. (There is a branch-line from Vercelli to Valenza on the line between Alessandria and Pavia. It passes through Casale, the capital of the Duchy of Montferrat, with an in- teresting Romanesque Cathedral, consecrated in 1107. In the Church of S. Domenico, a Renaissance building of 1513, is the grave of Benvenuto da S. Giorgio the historian, 1527. Of the Marquises of Montferrat was Guglielmo the great imperialist, taken prisoner in the war with Alessandria, who died in an iron cage.* His daughter Jolante married the * Dante, Pai. vii. 133. 1 1 8 ITALIAN CITIES. Emperor Andronicus Palaeologus, and the Marquises of Montferrat were continued by her second son Theodore. The male line became extinct in 1533.) Half an hour's rail takes us from Vercelli to Novara (fnns, Tre Re. Italia), which a few years ago was an old city with heavy arcades like Padua, but is now a modern town like Turin. From the railway Novara has an imposing appearance, the lofty white dome which is seen from thence being that of the Basilica of S. Gauclenzio. Novara is a good sleeping-place, and an evening walk on the ramparts is agreeable, but its sights may easily be seen in two hours. From the railway we must ascend the hill to the Statue of Cavour by Dint (1863.) A little to the right is the Basilica of S. Gaudenzio, built 1547 by Pellegrino Tibaldi, and a magnificent edifice of its kind. S. Gaudenzio, the patron and bishop of Novara, rests beneath the heavy high altar. The church contains : Left, 2nd Chapel. La Madonna del Mezzo one of the finest works of Gaudenzio Ferrari. An altar-piece intended for the high altar, and executed in 1515. It is in six compartments. The Virgin and Child are attended by S. Ambrose and S. Gaudentius. The other divisions repre- sent S. Peter and S. J. Baptist ; S. Paul and S. Agibius ; the Annun- ciation ; and the Nativity. Right, 1st Chapel. Moncalvo. A Deposition. Right, yd Chapel. Gaudenzio Ferrari. Crucifix. Returning to his statue, we should now follow the Via Cavour, on the right of which is a monument to Charles Albert, recalling his abdication in consequence of the victory gained over the Piedmontese at Novara by the Austrians March 23, 1849. NOVARA. 119 On the left is the Church of S. Pietro del Rosario, with pictures by G. C. Procaccini in the 4th Chapel on the right. The Church is only interesting at the place where, in 1304, the papal anathema was pronounced against the heresy of the fanatical reformer Fra Dolcino, who, having long de- fended himself with his followers on Mount Zerbal above Triverio, was put to a cruel death at Vercelli by order of Clement V. Dante represents Mahomet as desiring that Fra Dolcino may be warned of his danger : ' ' Or di'a fra Dolcin dunque, che s'armi, Tu, che forse vedrai il sole in breve, (S'egli non vuol qui tosto seguitarmi) Si di vivanda, che strette di neve Non rechi la vittoria al Noarese, Ch' altrimenti acquistar non saralieve." Inferno, xxviii. 55. The street opposite this church leads to the old market, on the left of which is the Cathedral, entirely modernized (1860 70), and containing nothing of interest, unless an angel, by Thorwaldsen, at the high-altar, can be called so. Some frescoes, by Luini (once in the chapel of S. Giuseppe), have been removed to the Sacristy. They are : The Adoration of the MagL The Massacre of the Innocents. The Virgin (Mater-Dolorosa), with S. Catherine and other saints. Here also are two panel pictures by Gaudenzio Ferrari The Holy Family. The Adoration of the Magi. A " Last Supper " is attributed to Cesare da Sesto. The Cloisters are of great size, and contain fragments 01 ancient fresco and sculpture, and two Roman pillars, of the same character as those in the Baptistry. 120 ITALIAN CITIES. At the west end of the cathedral is a pillared atrium, on the other side of which is the circular Baptistry, surrounded by fluted Corinthian columns, relics of some Roman edifice, with a font for immersion in the centre ; also a Roman relic, and bearing an inscription to " Umbrena Appolla." In the chapels between the pillars, with frescoed backgrounds, are sculptured groups from the Passion, by Gaudenzto Fer- rari and his pupils. Some are very coarsely executed and cause almost a shock, from the real hair and beards of the figures, but the first group, of " the Agony in the Garden," is exceedingly beautiful the suffering Saviour, the comforting angel, and the intense sleep of the disciples, being so power- fully pourtrayed as quite to take possession of the spectator. The man who offers the sponge in the Crucifixion scene is also a very fine figure. 121 CHAPTER VIII. MILAN. "NT OTHING of much importance, except Vercelli and 1. N Novara, is passed between Turin and Milan (16 frs. 95 c. ; ii frs. 95 c. ; 8 frs. 55 c.). The journey occupies 3^ hours. {Hotels. Hotel Cavour, Piazza. Cavour ; Hotel de la Ville, Corso Vittorio Emanuele ; Hotel de Milan, Corso del Giardino ; Albergo Reale, Via del Pesce ; Hotel Gran Bretagna, Via Torino very good and very reasonable in charges. Excellent Restaurants may be found in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Omnibuses from the station to the Cathedral square, 25 c. ; to the hotels, 50 c. ; from any of the gates to the Cathedral square, 10 c. Carriages by day cost 75 c. , by night I fr. 25,0. for the course or by the half-hour ; for each succeeding half-hour, they are 7$ c. and I fr. ; each piece of luggage is charged 25 c.) Banker. Ulrich, 21, Via Bigli. Milan, as Mediolanum, situated in a plain midway between the rivers Ticinus and Addua, was the chief city of -the Insubres in Cisalpine Gaul. In B.C. 222 it was taken by the Romans, and in B.C. 49 received the full Roman franchise and passed into the condition of a Roman munici- pium. Strabo and Pliny both mention it as a considerable city, and it was the native place of the Emperor Didius Julianus, and of Septimius Geta. The Emperor Maximian made the town his permanent residencCj thus raising it to the rank of the capital of northern Italy. But greater importance was conferred upon the town by S. Ambrose, son of the Praefect of Gaul, and himself Praetor of Upper Italy, who, elected Bishop of Milan while yet an unbaptized catechumen, and consecrated in 374, made Milan the intellectual centre of Italy. It was here that he gave the great example of ecclesiastical independence, by refusing ad- mission to his church to the Emperor Theodosius, while he was stained 122 ITALIAN CITIES. with the guilt of murder, though the same Emperor, having done penance for his crimes, afterwards died in his arms. Though the imperial court was transferred to Ravenna in 452, Milan continued to prosper, and, in the time of Theodoric the Great, surpassed Rome in its population and riches. It was plundered by Attila, and again (539) by Uraia, brother of Vitiges the Goth ; yet, though the Lom- bard kings held their court in Pavia, Milan, as the seat of the Arch- bishopric, appears to have retained the rank of the capital of Liguria. Strongly Guelfic, Milan, having tyrannized over the neighbouring town of Lodi, came in for a terrible siege from the Emperor Frederic Barbarossa, and having been forced by famine to capitulate, March I, 1162, was destroyed by the imperialists ; but the town was soon rebuilt- by the famous Lombard League, and the Milanese avenged their losses by the victory of Legnano, gained desperately righting around their carroccio, in 1176. The Emperor Henry VII. was crowned at Milan with the Iron Crown of Monza in 1312. Soon after, the chief power was conferred by the citizens upon Matteo Visconti, whose grandson Azzo was made imperial vicar by the Emperor Louis the Bavarian. The great alliances and the ability of the house of Visconti afterwards so extended their power that all Lombardy and Piedmont were under their rule. In the I4th century lived Bernabo Visconti, so celebrated for his cruelties, who was imprisoned and pels' ned by his nephew, Giovanni- Galeazzo, Count of Virtu. This was the first of the Visconti to obtain the title of Duke of Milan. Having already gained the sovereignty, not only of all the principal Lombard towns, but of Bologna, Siena, Pisa, Perugia, Assisi, and Spoleto, he was about to march to Florence to be crowned King of Italy, when he died, in 1402. It was under this Giovanni-Galeazzo that the greatest public works of- the Visconti were accomplished. He spent the most enormous sums in order to turn away the Mincio from Mantua and the Brenta from Padua, and so render those towns defenceless. He founded the Certosa of Pavia, and the Cathedral of Milan, and finished the palace of Pavia, then of the utmost magnificence. After the death of Gian-Galeazzo many of the towns he had governed deserted from the rule of his son, Gian-Maria Visconti, who was a cruel tyrant and was murdered in 1412. His successor, Filippo Maria, was even more hated. He beheaded his first wife, Beatrice di Tenda, and lived in such constant fear of assassination that he trusted no one, alien- ated the Count of Carmagnola, first his faithful general, and then, under Venice, his most formidable enemy, and shut himself up in the castle of Milan, scarcely ever visiting the town ; he died, however, a natural death, in 1447, leaving no sons. SIGHTS OF MILAN. 123 Bianca, the daughter and heiress of Filippo-Maria, had married the Condottiere Francesco Sforza, son of that famous Condottiere Giaco- muzzo Attendolo, who, beginning life as a poor peasant of Cotignola, obtained the name of Sforza, because he always carried everything by force. Francesco ruled in Milan with great mildness and wisdom, and died in 1466. His son, Galeazzo-Maria, who was equally passionate and vicious, was murdered, and was succeeded by his brother, Ludovico il Moro, in whose reign the arts flourished at Milan under Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante. He fought against France, was taken prisoner in 1500, and died in prison. His son succeeded in expelling the French from Milan in 1512, but, being defeated at Marignano in 1515, was obliged to give up Milan in exchange for an annuity. His younger brother, Francesco, received the dukedom again in 1529 from Charles V., after his victory over the French. Upon his death, in 1535, Charles V. gave Milan as a fief to his own son Philip II. of Spain, and the Spanish rule con- tinued till 1713, during which the proverb was verified " I ministri del re di Spagna in Sicilia rosicchiavano, a Napoli mangiavano, a Milano divoravano. " In 1710 Milan fell into the hands of Austria, and, after being repeat- edly re-taken by the French, was united to the Austro- Venetian kingdom in 1814. By the peace of Villafranca, in 1859, it was restored to Italy. The greatest architect who worked in Milan was Bramante, from 1479 to 1500. The chief painters employed here were JBorgognone, c. 1500, and Leonardo da Vinci (1452 -1519). Among the pupils of Leonardo were Cesare da Sesto (c. 1520), Glo. Antonio Bdtraffio (c. 1510), Fran- c^sco Melzi (1568), Marco d'Oggione, Andrea Salaino, and the great Ber- nardino Luini, c. 1530. Two whole days at least should be given to Milan, but weeks may be pleasantly devoted to the study of the art- treasures it contains. Those who are only here one day should see (the best) S. Ambrogio, S. Eustorgio, and the Leonardo da Vinci at S. Maria delle Grazie (in this order), S. Maurizio, the Cathedral, and the Brera Gallery. As a residence, Milan is not pleasant, being exceedingly hot in summer and dreadfully cold in winter. The streets are all modern and handsome, but have none of the picturesque beauty of other Lombard towns, and after the cathedral and Chiaravalle have been seen there is little external to admire 124 ITALIAN CITIES. either in the city or its environs. Beautiful views of the Alps, however, may be obtained from the shady walks on the ramparts, or from the top of the Cathedral. " L'aspect franfais de Milan, si fort accru dans ces derniers temps, avait etc deja remarque par Montaigne. II trouvait que ' Milan ressembloit assez a Paris, et avoit beaucoup de rapport avec les villes de France.' La meme ressemblance avait frappe le Tasse lorsqu'il vint passer a Paris deux annees a la suite du cardinal d'Este, et qu'il ecrivit son etrange parallele de 1'Italie et de la France. " Valery. Nurses and peasant-women may still occasionally be seen in the streets with the picturesque national head-dress of silver pins arranged in a circle, like rays of the sun. Black veils, after the manner of Spanish mantillas, are often worn by women of the middle classes. At Milan. The great centre of interest at Milan must always be its glorious Cathedral, built of white marble. It was founded in 1387, by Gian' Galeazzo Viscoftti, on the site of a more ancient building, the original church on this site having been spoken of by S. Ambrose when writing to his sister Marcellina, as MILAX CATHEDRAL. 125 "the great new basilica." Heinrich von Gmunden, who built the Certosa for the same great founder, was the prin- cipal architect, though architects and sculptors from all nations were associated in his work. Since his time the building has been very gradually carried on. The octagonal cupola was erected in 1490 1522, under the O model ; the west end of the nave was finished in 1685 ; the spire in 1772, from designs of Grace; the ugly western facade in 1790. The Roman doors and windows in this fa9ade are portions of a design for a huge Roman portico, by Francesco Ricchino, which was fortunately not carried out. Even as it is, the contrast of these portions of the front with the Gothic work around them, greatly mars the effect of the whole. Great variety of opinions exist as to the beauty of Milan Cathedral, and, as a whole, the general feeling will be, that the often er you see it, the uglier it seems externally. But, as to the exquisite beauty and finish of its Gothic details all will agree, though, in order to appreciate these thoroughly, it will be necessary to ascend to the roof, an effort which is also well worth while on account of the noble view of the Alpine ranges to be obtained from thence. " The Cathedral of Milan has been wonderfully contrived to bury millions of money in ornaments which are never to be seen. Whole quarries of marble have been manufactured here into statues, relievos, niches, and notches ; and high sculpture has been squandered on objects which vanish individually in the mass. Were two or three thousand of those statues removed, the rest would regain their due importance, and the fabric itself become more intelligible. Those figures stand in rows which cross and confound the vertical direction of the architecture ; for here the eye naturally runs up the channelled pillars, the long windows, the lateral spires, the tall thin buttresses, and never can keep in the horizontal line of the Greek entablature." Forsyth. " Upon the whole, the exterior is in no respect more Italian than it is 126 ITALIAN CITIES. German in its style ; it belongs to no school, and has no fellows ; from the beginning it has been an exotic, and to the end of time will pro- bably remain so, without a follower or an imitator in the singular development of which it is the only example ... It has all the appear- ance of having been the work of a stranger who was but imperfectly acquainted with the wants or customs of Italian architecture, working to some extent with the traditions of his own native school before him, but, at the same time, impressed with a strong sense of the necessity under which he lay of doing something quite unlike what he had been taught to consider necessary for buildings in his native land . . . There is a constant endeavour to break up plain surfaces of wall, unlike the predilection for smooth surfaces of walling so usual in thoroughly Italian work, and destructive of the kind of breadth and dignity which this last generally has . . . The architect appears to have been shocked at the necessity under which he lay of sacrificing the steep lines of roof so dear to him in his native land, and to have striven with all his might to provide a substitute for their vertical effect by the vertical lines of his panelled buttresses and walls, by the gabled outline of his parapets, and by the removal of such a mark of horizontalism as the commence- ment of the traceries of his windows even on one line. And his work is a most remarkable standing proof of the failure of such an attempt ; for, despite all these precautions, and I incline to believe in con- sequence of them, the general effect is, after all, entirely depressing and horizontal." Street's Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages. The first appearance of the Interior is most striking the great height of the pillars, their exquisitely-sculptured capitals, the general solemnity, and the rich effect of light which streams in from the upper windows upon the golden pulpits at the entrance of the choir, form a picture to be revisited again and again. Yet even here more intimate acquaintance will serve to dispel many illusions, for the traceried roof is only painted, and but a few of the sculptures have any intrinsic merit. "The solitary blot upon this otherwise noble work is one for which its architect is in no way responsible the cells of the groining are all filled in with painted imitations of elaborate traceries ui brown colour, an abominable device, which never ceases to offend and annoy the eye more and more every time it is observed. The window tracery through- MILAN CATHEDRAL. 127 out is meagre, confused, and unmeaning, and the traceries introduced at mid-height most unsatisfactory ; but the glass with which it is filled, though poor and late in its character, contains much rich colour, and gives the entire building a very grand and warm tone." Street. At the entrance are the two huge granite columns given by S. Carlo from the quarries at Baveno. Turning into the right aisle, we see : \st altar. F. Zucchero. S. Agata. 2nd altar. M. Gherardino. S. Augustine. yd altar. Fiamminghino. Madonna and two Saints. Right transept. The monument of the brothers, Gian' Giacomo and Gabriele de' Medici (erected by their brother, Pope Pius IV.), by Leon Leoni, but said by Vasari to have been designed by Michael Angela ; the figures are in bronze. The splendid altar next to it was a gift of Pius IV., who was uncle of S. Carlo. The tribune of this transept has a statue of S. Giovanni Bono, Archbishop of Milan, ob. 660, by Busca. The elaborate bas-reliefs, which tell his story, are by SimonMa, San Petro, Zarabatta, Bussola, and Brunetti. Then comes the entrance to the subterranean passage to the archbishop's palace. Then a relief of the Presentation of the Virgin (1510), by Bambaj.i. Then the famous statue of St. Bartholemew flayed, with the inscription, "Non me Praxiteles sed Marcus finxit Agrates." Passing the Altar of S. Agnese, we enter the Ambulatory, at the back of the choir, which is itself copiously adorned with bas-reliefs of the I7th century, relating to the life of Christ. On the right is a most beautiful Gothic door, by Porino Grassi, leading to the sacristy ; then a fine statue of Martin V., by Jacopino di Tradate, placed here by Filippo- Maria Visconti, to commemorate his having consecrated the high altar, on his way from Constance to Rome, immediately after his election. Then comes the tomb of Cardinal Marino Caracciolo, Governor of Milan (ob. 1538), m black marble with figures in white marble, by Bambaja. A curious tablet on the wall with a monogram is called the " Chrismon Sancti Ambrogii," and has the inscription : " Circulus hie summi continet nomina regis, Quern sine principio, et sine fine vides, Principium cum fine tibi denotat A CO." Next, passing an inscription to S. Carlo, is the tomb of Ottone Visconti (ob. 1295), Archbishop of Milan. Beyond, is the statue of Pius IV. (1559 65) by the Sicilian, Angela de Manis: the beautiful 128 ITALIAN CITIES. Gothic bracket which supports it is by Brambilla. Here is another rich door leading to the second Sacristy. Now we enter the North Transept, which contains the grand bronze candelabrum, given in 1562 by Giovanni Battista Trivulzio, archpriest of the church. Here are the slab tombs of two Visconti archbishops, and that of Cardinal Federigo Borromeo, nephew of S. Carlo. By the latter tomb travellers will remember with what tenderness and skill the character of Cardinal Federigo is drawn in the delightful pages of the Promessi Sposi. We watch the meekness and love of the saint softening the haughty savageiy of the "unknown," the firmness and zeal of the chief pastor rebuking and inspiriting the pusillanimous Don Abbondio : " He was one of those too rare characters who have devoted with un- changing energy great natural powers, all the resources of immense wealth, all the advantages of an exalted position, to the search after and practice of truth and goodness. His life was like a stream which flashes pure from the rock, and without ever becoming stagnant or stained carries its waters down their long and varied course, and pours them pure into the river. He made truth the sole rule of his thoughts and actions. Thus he learnt that life was not given to be a burden to the many, a holiday to the few, but to all a charge, of which each must one day give account : and from a child he began to think how he might make his own life useful and holy. " It is said that the canonization of his cousin Carlo had so crippled the fortune of his family that they were fain to decline for Federigo so well-deserved but so costly an honour. Entering the Left Aisle we have a picture of S. Ambrose absolving Theodosius, by Barocdo, and the Marriage of the Virgin, by F. Zucchero ; then a crucifix, which S. Carlo carried in procession during the plague of 1576, at an altar which is adorned by modern statues of Martha by Monti, and Mary by Marchesi. Next is a tomb, with a Madonna by Marchesi. Near the entrance is an early mediaeval bas-relief of the Virgin and Child with eight saints, the latter in red Verona marble. Opposite this is the Baptistery, by Pellegrini, a porphyry bason with four columns of macchia-vecchia marble supporting the canopy. The Choir was designed by Pellegrini. The High Altar supports a great tabernacle of gilt-bronze, given by Pius IV., and wrought by the Solavi. Beneath, is the subterranean chapel of S. Carlo. "The subterranean chapel in which the body of San Carlo Borromeo is preserved, presents as striking and as ghastly a contrast, perhaps, as any place can show. The tapers which are lighted down there, flash and gleam on alti-relievi in gold and silver, delicately wrought by skilful GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE. 129 hands, and representing the principal events in the life of the saint. Jewels, and precious metals, shine and sparkle on every side. A windlass slowly removes the front of the altar ; and, within it, in a gorgeous shrine of gold and silver, is seen, through alabaster, the shrivelled mummy of a man ; the pontifical robes with which it is adorned, radiant with diamonds, emeralds, rubies ; every costly and magnificent gem. The shrunken heap of poor earth in the midst of this great glitter, is more pitiful than if it lay upon a dunghill. There is not a ray of imprisoned light in all the flash and fire of jewels, but seems to mock the dusty holes where eyes were, once. Every thread of silk in the rich vestments seems only a provision from the worms that spin, for the behoof of worms that propagate in sepulchres. " Dickens. The Sacristy contains some curious mediaeval vessels and church ornaments. From the Piazza del Duomo is the entrance to the really magnificent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the handsomest and loftiest arcade of shops in the world erected by an English company. When lighted up in the evening and filled with people, walking, or sitting under the Gaffes, it has the effect of a great ball-room. Having seen the cathedral, the other sights of Milan may be visited in three walks, taking the Piazza del Duomo as a centre, viz. : I. The Church of S. Ambrogio, Baths of Hercules, Church of S. Lorenzo, Church of S. Eustorgio, Churches of S. Celso and S. Maria presso S. Celso, Church of S. Nazzaro Maggiore, Ospedale Maggiore, Churches of 8. Giovanni in Conca and S. Satiro. II. Palazzo della Ragione, Loggia degli Ossi, Palazzo della Citta, Bro- letto, Church of S. Maurizio, Palazzo Litta, Church of S. Maria delle Gra2 e, Church of Sepolcro, Ambrosian Library. III. Piazza and Teatro della Scala, Churches of S. Fedele, S. Carlo Borromeo, S. Marco, and S. Sempliciano, Arco della Pace, Cas- tello, Church of S. Maria del Carmine, Brera Gallery. VOL. I. ITALIAN CITIES. I. Turning to the left from the Piazza del Duomo, we follow the Via Torino. An opening on the right shows the Church of S. Giorgio in Palazzo, founded in 750 by Bishop Natalis, but completely rebuilt in 1800. It contains : Gaudenzio Ferrari. S. Jerome. Luini. Ecce Homo very beautiful. The Via del Torchio, and its continuation, the Via Lan- zone, lead (right) to the Church of S. Ambrogio, the most remarkable church in Milan, founded in 387 by St. Ambrose, and dedicated to All Saints. It was at the same time en- riched with the bones of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. It is the church where S. Augustine was baptized, and where the Te Deum was first recited by Ambrose and Augustine, who took up the verses alternately as they advanced to the altar. It was rebuilt by Archbishop Anspertus in the pth century, and, though restored in the iQth century, it remains comparatively unaltered. " It was under the worthiest of the Karlings, Louis, King and Em- peror, that the pile arose in which he lies buried. It seems impossible to withstand the direct evidence which assigns not only the glorious goldsmith's work of the high altar and the soaring baldacchino above it, but the main part of the building itself, to Archbishop Ansbert, in 868. The building has received large changes and additions ; the vault with the pointed arches across the nave, the octagonal dome, the advanced upper story of the west front, seem all to belong to a renovation which began in the twelfth century, most likely after the overthrow of the city by Frederick Barbarossa. But everything leads us to believe that, in the main arcades of the nave, and in the most distinctive feature of the whole building, the cortile, or western cloister, the genuine work of the 9th century still survives. It is the genuine Lombard style, something S. AMBROGIO. 131 utterly unlike the classical forms of Ravenna, Lucca, Pisa. It comes nearer to our Northern Romanesque in its Norman variety, but has throughout an earlier and ruder air. The general look of the building is dark and cavernous ; the proportions are low and broad ; the arcades support a large open triforium, but without a clerestory. As at Pisa, the arcade is continued across the transept arches, and the triforium assumes the form of coupled arches under a containing arch. The compound pier is used throughout both in the church and the cortile, to the exclusion alike of the classical column, of the square piers of the German Romanesque, and of the vast cylindrical piers of the English form of Norman. But there is a heavy squareness and flatness through- out, surpassing anything in Norman work. The capitals are famous for the lavish use of animal forms ; nowhere in Italy is there less imitation of classical forms. The subjects in some of the columns should be no- ticed, as well as those in other parts where animal forms are used. Some are mere plays of fancy, others seem to represent hunting-scenes ; but there is a more remarkable one in the west front, representing a human figure between two lions. The reference to the sports of the amphitheatre is obvious, but its special purport may be doubted. It may, of course, refer to some legend of martyrdom ; but it should not be forgotten that the combats with wild beasts went on at least as late as the reign of Theodoric, though they were looked on with no favouring eye by the Gothic King and his great Minister. Altogether, if one can really believe this church to be in its main features the genuine work of Anspert, we have in it one of the most instructive buildings in all Christendom, and the evidence seems directly in favour of such a belief." Freeman. The exterior of the church is highly picturesque. The atrium is surrounded by open arches, the arcades being filled with ancient inscriptions, altars, and fragments of carving. In the doors are two small panels of cypress wood, removed hither from the Basilica Portiana, now S. Vittore al Corpo, and believed to be part of the identical gates which S. Ambrose closed against the Emperor Theodosius. "When Ambrose was informed of the massacre of Thessalonica, his mind was filled with horror and anguish. The Emperor was deeply affected by the reproaches of his spiritual father, and, after he had be- wailed the mischievous and irreparable consequences of his rash fury, he proceeded, in the accustomed manner, to perform his devotions in 132 ITALIAN CITIES. the great church of Milan. He was stopped in the porch by the arch- bishop ; who, in the tone and language of an ambassador of heaven, declared to his sovereign, that private contrition was not sufficient to atone for a public fault, or to appease the justice of the offended Deity. Theodosius humbly represented, that if he had contracted the guilt of homicide, David, the man after God's own heart, had been guilty, not only of murder, but of adultery. ' You have imitated David in his crime, imitate, then, his repentance,' was the reply of the undaunted Ambrose. The rigorous conditions of peace and pardon were accepted ; and the public penance of the Emperor Theodosius has been recorded as one of the most honourable events in the annals of the Church." Gibbon. The interior of S. Ambrogio is exceedingly simple and beautiful. On either side the nave stands a pillar ; that on the right is surmounted by a curious old cross ; that on the left by a bronze serpent, shown as the brazen serpent of the wilderness, and given as such, in 1001, to Archbishop Arnulphus by the Emperor of the East. In the decorations of the pulpit, is a curious bas-relief, representing an Agape, and, beneath it, an early Christian sarcophagus, called, with- out foundation, the tomb of Stilicho. The Tribune is covered with Byzantine mosaics upon a gold ground, repre- senting the Saviour, with SS. Protasius, Gervasius, Satirus, Marcellina, Candida, and the cities of Milan and Tours, the latter in reference to the story of S. Ambrose having been miraculously present at the death-bed of S. Martin of Tours, without leaving his own episcopal city. The inscriptions are partly in Greek and partly in Latin. They are supposed to have been executed, A. D. 832, by the monk Gaudentius. Beneath, is the ancient episcopal chair of S. Ambrose, in which the archbishops sate in the midst of their eighteen suffragans, whose sees extended from Coire to Genoa. The seats of the other bishops remained till the i6th century. In front of the tribune stands the high altar, beneath a baldac- S. AMBROGIO. 133 chino, on the spot where St. Augustine was baptized by St. Ambrose. Here the coronations with the iron crown took place Berengar, 888; Lothair, 931 ; Otto the Great, 961 ; Henry the Black, 1046; Henry IV., 1081 ; Henry VII. of Luxemburg, 1311 ; Louis of Bavaria, 1327; Charles IV., 1355 ; and Sigismund, 1431. The golden front of the altar was presented by Archbishop Angilbertus II., about 835. "Within this venerable and solemn old church may be seen one of the most extraordinary and best-preserved specimens of Mediaeval Art : it is the golden covering of the high-altar, much older than the famous pala besides selling his great property of Oria for 40,000 crowns, for the benefit of the poor and suffering at that time. Though he constantly exposed his life for others, he failed to take the infection, but died, Nov. 4, 1584, in his 46th year breathing out, in a sort of dying rapture, the words " Ecce Venio." He was canonized in 1610 by Paul V., and is still revered throughout his diocese as "II buon santo." Steamers leave Arona for the ascent of the lake three times daily, calling at all the principal stations. We may notice : Left, Belgirate, where is the large Hotel Borromeo, in a very unattractive situation. Left, Stresa. Hotel des lies Borrome'es, excellent, im- mense, and a very good centre, but the situation is inferior to Baveno. Nearly opposite Stresa is the Isold Bella {Hotel Delfino, very good), the first of the three Borromean Isles, which should certainly be visited, though every succeeding traveller will form a different impression as to its beauties, which are entirely artificial the earth which covers the slate rock having all been brought from a distance. Burnet, for in- 2o8 ITALIAN CITIES. stance, calls it " an enchanted island " and " the finest sum- mer residence in the world." South ey, writing to Landor, says, " Isola Bella is at once the most costly and the most absurd effort of bad taste that has ever been produced by wealth and extravagance," while Saussure describes it " un magnifique caprice, une pensee grandiose, une espece de creation." There are two points to be visited (i fr.) the Palace, and the Gardens. Those who have seen few other palaces, may be amused by walking through the rooms, where the old carved frames are much finer than the pictures, which, for the most part, are mere daubs, and where the real attraction lies in the lovely views of the lake from the windows. Imme- diately beneath the walls, perfect shoals of fish may be seen swimming in the deep clear water. In the chapel are some magnificent tombs of the Borromeo family, removed from the conventual church of S. Francesco at Milan, suppressed in 1848. "Two very important monuments by Omodeo (1447 1520) may be seen in the family chapel of the Borromei. One is that of Giovanni Borromeo, the other that of an unknown member of the family. Both were originally erected in the church of S. Pietro in Gessate at Milan. The knightly statues are dignified and noble, while the bas- reliefs show the usual skill of Omodeo in composition and delicate chisel- ling." Per/tin's Italian Sctilptors. The present owners of the palace are five brothers, Counts Borromeo, who only reside here in the autumn. The Gardens consist of a pyramidal succession of ten terraces, raised one above another, terminating in a square. They all have gravel walks, shaded by orange and lemon trees, and adorned with all the statues and grottoes which were beloved in the i;th century, and to which age has ISOLA MADRE, ISOLA DEI PESO A TORE. 209 given a sort of quaint beauty. The wonders of the vegeta- tion here have been greatly exaggerated. There is a fine camphor tree, but of the camellias, bamboos, and almost all the other plants, better specimens may be seen in the gardens near Penzance, or even at Torquay, and here, nearly everything requires protection in the winter. There is a graceful group of Aleppo pines, and some of the views are charming. It is about 20 min. in a boat from hence to the Isold Madre which contains another palace, but unfinished and uninhabited of which the grounds are more park-like, and where Nature has been allowed to help herself. "On debarque; sur les parois du rebord, des aloes aux feuilles massives, des figuiers d'Inde aux larges raquettes, chauffent au soleil leur vegetation tropicale ; des allees de citronniers tournent le long des murailles, et leurs fruits verts ou jaunes se collent contre les quartiers de roche. Quatre etages d'assises vont ainsi se superposant sous leur parure de plantes precieuses. Au sommet, 1'ile est une touffe de ver- dure qui bombe au-dessus de 1'eau ses massifs de feuillage, lauriers, chenes-verts, platanes, grenadiers, arbres exotiques, glycines en fleur, buissons d'azaleas epanouis. On marche enveloppe de fraicheur et de parfums ; personne, sauf un gardien ; 1'ile est deserte et semble attendre un jeune prince et une jeune fee pour abriter leur fiancailles ; toute tapissee de fins gazons et d'arbres fleuris, elle n'est plus qu'un beau bou- quet matinal, rose, blanc, violet, autour duquel voltigent les abeilles ; ses prairies immaculees sont const ellees de primeveres et d' anemones ; les paons et les faisans y promenent pacitlquement leurs robes d'or- etoilees d'yeux ou vernissees de pourpre, souverains incontestes dans un peuple de petits oiseaux qui sautillent et se repondent." Taine. The third Island, Isola dei Pescatori, is the most picturesque feature in all the views, and contains a crowded knot of fishermen's houses. Lodgings may sometimes be obtained here in summer. The islands may all be visited by boat in one morning, if the visitor is dropped by one steamer at Isola Bella, and goes on by the next to VOL. I. H 210 ITALIAN CITIES. Baveno. (Inn. Hotel Bellevue, excellent, with pleasant garden and lovely views ; La Postal)* This is altogether the best point on the lake for a long halt. There is an English Church here. The walks behind the old church and its painted cloister into the chestnut woods, are delightful. A pleasant excursion may be made by water to the Convent of S. Caterina, overhanging the lake on the opposite shore. (Nearly opposite the Borromean Islands an arm of the lake opens towards the west, admitting a view of Monte Rosa. At the end of this gulf is Gravdlona, whence the Simplon road runs up to Domo d'Ossola (Inn. Posta), a thoroughly Italian town to those just coming from Switzerland, and de- voted with frantic enthusiasm to the worship of S. Filo- mena, a purely imaginary saint of the Catacomb of S. Priscilla, formed out of the discovery of the fragmentary in- scription lumena pax te cum fi near the skeleton of a female figure. On the way to Domo d'Ossola, at Vogogna, a road diverges upon the left to the Val Anzasca, perhaps the most beautiful mountain valley either in Switzerland or Italy. The richest foregrounds of walnuts, chestnuts, and vines, combine with the most glorious view of Monte Rosa. Artists will find their most attractive subjects at Castiglione, at Ponte-Grande, and at Macugnaga, which is 4389 ft. above the sea, and very close beneath the magnificent mass of Monte Rosa. This may be reached in four or five hours from Vogogna. At Ponte Grande and Macugnaga are excellent country inns.) Opposite Baveno is Pension. 10 frs. The charges for carriages, of 8 frs. the ist hour, and 5 frs. every hour afterwards, are quite ludicrously extortionate for Italy, and should be made the subject of constant remonstrance. PALLANZA, LUINO. 211 Left, Pallanza, an ugly town, very hot, and with a view very much inferior to that from Baveno. The Hold Pallanza is a vast new building opposite a small island. Continuing to ascend the lake, we pass Left, Intro. (Inn. Leone cTOro), a large, dull town. The Marchese Pallavicini has a beautiful garden here. Right, Laveno (the steamers only stop here twice daily. Inn. Posta). There is a view from hence of Monte Rosa. Right, Luino (Inns. Simplon, Vittoria). The birth-place (1460) of the painter Bernardo Luini, by whom there is a fresco in the church. The place has no especial beauty. Right, Macagno Inferiore, an exceedingly picturesque village. At the head of the lake is , Left, Locarno (Inns. Corona, Svtzzero). This is the ter- La Madonna del Sasso. 212 ITALIAN CITIES. minus of the S. Gothard railway (buffet at Station). There is nothing to see in the place itself, but good walkers should not fail to ascend the hill behind to the Convent of La Madonna del Sasso, founded in 1487. The convent is not remarkable, but by scrambling round some of the little paths behind it, a point may be reached well-known to our water-colour artists in which it combines with the cliffs and the deep wooded gorges in the foreground, and the mountains and still lake behind, in a manner which is truly enchanting. It is not generally known that Locarno was one of the first places to join the Reformation in Italy. Its inhabitants were required to embrace the Romish faith or submit to banishment, and as they preferred the latter, 200 families were driven from their homes, March 3, 1555, and forced through the ice-laden Alps, to take refuge in the Grisons. The papal nuncio had sent officers to seize the principal lady of Locarno, Barbara di Montalto, on a charge of blaspheming the mass, but she escaped by a secret door leading to the lake, while her pursuers were in the house. The beautiful Lake of Orta, the " Lacus Ubartus," is di- vided from the Lago Maggiore by the Monte Monterone which rises behind Baveno. It is about 6 m. long by \\ m. broad. At the upper end of the lake is the picturesque but dirty town of Omegna ; at the lower end, on the eastern shore, is the charming little town of Orta. (Orta may be reached by carriage (12 frs. with I horse) in about z\ hours from Arona and in about z\ hours, from Baveno, by Gravel- lona. It is a walk of some 7 hours from Baveno to Orta over the Monte Monterone. Travellers coming from Milan or Turin may- take the branch-line of railway from Novara to Gozzano, whence there is an omnibus (l fr. 25 c. ; ORTA. 213 coupe I fr. 50 c. ) by Bolzano, which has a castle of the bishops, and Buccione, which has an old castle to Orta. Diligence from Gozzano to Omegna 2 frs. 50 c. Coupe 3 frs. ) Orta (Inns. Ronchetti and Leone d'Oro, both good and de- lightfully situated) is a delightful little place, full of colour and beauty. The lovely lake laps in close under the windows, and the gardens are smothered in flowers. Close by rises the Sacro Monte, with its ascent by 22 chapels, with groups in terra-cotta, a minature of those at Varallo and Varese. Opposite Orta is the marvellously picturesque Isola di San Giulio, throwing bright reflections upon the water. It con- tains a very curious church with a grand old pulpit, and the grave of S. Giulio, who died here in 379. He is said to have delivered the island from a monstrous serpent, and the vertebrae of a whale are shown in proof of it. Immediately opposite Orta, on the western shore of the lake (20 min.), is Pella, a village where mules (6 frs.) may be obtained for crossing the mountain ridge to Varallo, an excursion of about four hours. The path leads chiefly through woods, and has some good views of Monte Rosa, but the scenery has been rather too enthusiastically praised. Varallo may also be reached by carriage via Gozzano, Borgomanero, and Romagnano (where Chevalier Bayard fell, 1524). Those who come from Milan or Turin would leave the railway at the Borgomanero station on the Novara-Gozzano line. Varallo (Inns. Pasta, Italia) is a most beautiful place, in the romantic valley of the Sesia, which rises near the foot of Monte Rosa, and enters the Po near Vercelli. The town is embosomed in delicious chestnut woods, and has a lofty bridge of three arches, and several old churches, in one of which, S. Gaudenzio, is an altar-piece, by Gaudenzio Ferrari, in six compartments.* On the wall dividing the nave from the * For an account of Gaudenzio Ferrari see chap. vii. 214 ITALIAN CITIES. choir of S. Maria delle Grazie, near the foot of the Sacro Monte, is a series of beautiful frescoes by the same master, executed 1510 1513, illustrating the principal events in the life of our Saviour. Varallo is chiefly visited for the sake of ascending the extraordinary pilgrimage hill of the Sacro Monte, with its 50 chapels. The design of this sanctuary first originated with the monk Bernardino Caimo, who died in 1496. The visits of S. Carlo in 1578 and 1584 afterwards gave zest to the work, and he sent to it Pellegrino Tibaldi by whom the Varallo. outer gate and the chapel of Adam and Eve were built. Many of the terra-cotta groups in the chapels are simply fantastic, others are really beautiful as works of art ; all are wonderfully vivid, and of a nature which lays hold of the imagination of the peasants who visit them, and fixes an impression for ever. Up to the representation of the Agony in the Garden, most of the groups are attributed to Giovanni VARALLO. 215 #w0 containing also parts of earlier and better work and the more striking pile of St. Anastasia, one of those vast churches of pointed arches without appropriate detail which we should welcome at Palermo in the days of King Roger, but which we look on with less respect when we remember that, when they arose, Westminster and Koln and Amiens were already risen or rising." Freeman. For the benefit however of those who can only give one whole day to Verona, we will take the Piazza. S. Anastasia (near which the traveller is almost certain to have selected his hotel) as a centre, and make an excursion from thence which will embrace all the principal objects of interest. The points which even the most cursory pilgrim must not ARTISTS OF VERONA. 267 omit, are : S. Anastasia, the Piazza dei Signori, Piazza delle Erbe,Tomb of the Scaligers, Amphitheatre (S. Bernardino?), S. Zenone, Porta Borsari (S. Eufemia ?), Duomo, the Giusti Gardens quite enchanting towards sunset, the Pinacoteca, and S. Fermo Maggiore. The pictures in the Churches and Gallery would not, with a few exceptions, be of any great importance out of Verona, but are exceedingly interesting here, being almost entirely by native artists. Of these, perhaps the most important have been Liberale da Verona (1451 1536), Girolamo dei Libri (1452 1555), and Francesco Morone (1474 1529) of the earlier period ; and, following them, Carotto (1470 1546), and Cavazzola. The works of Francesco Torbido, called " II Moro," a scholar of Giorgione, of Niccolo Giol- fino, and of Domenico Riccio, called II Brusasorci (1494 1567), also always deserve notice. "In Verona two painters more particularly represent the golden period Gianfrancesco Carotto, pupil of Mantegna, and Paolo Morandi, named Cavazzola, pupil of Francesco Morone ; to whom we may add Giolfino. " Biirckhardt. More than its pictures, we should study in Verona the works of its great architect Michele San Michele (1484 1558) whose palaces and churches are still the chief modern ornaments of the city. " San Michele was a man of a most orderly and upright life, highly honourable in all his actions ; he was of a cheerful disposition, yet grave withal ; a man who feared God, and was so rigidly attentive to his religious duties, that he would on no account have commenced any work in the morning till he had heard mass devoutly, and repeated his prayers. On the first beginning any work of importance, moreover, he would cause the Mass of the Spirito Santo, or that of the Madonna, to be solemnly sung before any other thin;; was attempted. He was of an exceedingly liberal disposition, and so obliging towards his friends, that $68 ITALIAN CITIES. they were as much masters of all he possessed as he was himself." Vasari. The Corso ends in the fascinating little piazza which is closed by the glorious Church of S. Anastasia, one of the most perfectly beautiful Gothic buildings in Italy. It was built by the Dominicans in the i3th century the time of the Scaligers. The fa9ade is still unfinished, but noble in its proportions. "The Church of S. Anastasia looks so beautiful at the end of the narrow street, whose dark shade contrasts with the bright sunshine which plays upon its lofty arched marble doorway and frescoed tympanum, and lights up by some kind of magic the rough brickwork with which the unfinished church has been left so brightly, that, as you gaze, thoughts pass across your mind of portions of some lovely painting or some sweeter dream; you feel as though Fra Angelico might have painted such a door in Paradise, and as though it were too fair to be real. There, however, it is, rich and delicate in colour, shining with all the delicate tints of the marbles of Verona, pure and simple in its softly- shadowed mouldings, beautiful in its proportions, and on a nearer ap- proach revealing through the dark shade of its opening, and over and beyond the people who early and late throng in and out, the vague and misty forms of the solemn interior." Street's Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages. On the left of the church, over a gateway, is the beautiful Tomb of Count Guglielmo de Castelbarco, who died in 1320. "In this case the monument is supported on a large slab of stone corbelled forward and balanced upon the top of a thin wall. Four shafts with sculptured capitals, resting on the angles of this slab, sup- port four trefoiled arches, those at the ends wider than the others, and almost destitute of moulding save that the outer line of the arch has a broad band of delicate sculpture all round it. The arch terminates in a kind of small cross, and above on each side is a very flat pediment, moulded and finished on the under side with one of the favourite Italian arcaded corbel-tables ; the finish is a heavy pyramidal mass of stone rising from behind the pediments. The four bearing-shafts are of white marble, all the rest of the monument of red. Within the four supporting S. ANASTASIA. 269 shafts stands a kind of sarcophagus, supported on the backs of couchant lions, very plain, but ornamented at the angles in very classic fashion and bearing a recumbent effigy." Street. Tomb of the Count of Castelbarco. Within the little court, over the entrance of which rests the Count of Castelbarco, are three other beautiful mediaeval tombs. Close by is the little Gothic Church of S. Pietro Martire, of 1350. The Interior of S. Anastasia is 300 ft. long and 75 ft. wide. The colour is subdued and beautiful. The nave is separ- ated from narrow aisles by six pointed arches. Near the entrance are curious holy-water basons, supported on crouch- ing figures " I Gobbi." They are full of quaint character ; that on the left is by Gabriels Cag/iari, father of Paul Ve- ronese. Right, 1st Chapel. The 1st altar is also the tomb of Giano Fregoso early Renaissance by Danese Cataneo, the Tuscan poet antl sculptor. 270 ITALIAN CITIES. A,th Altar (Pindemonte). Francesco Caroto. S. Martin quite mag- nificent in colour. Right Transept. Gir. dei Libri (also attributed to Fr. Morone). Madonna between SS. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, with the donors a very beautiful picture. " Has strong reminiscences of Mantegna's altar-picture in S. Zeno." Kugler. Right of Choir, 1st Chapel. Tomb of Federigo de Caballis, and above it, in fresco, by an unknown master, an excellent votive picture. 2nd Chapel. Tombs of the Pellegrini Family, and two good frescoes Madonnas enthroned. High Altar. Francesco 7oretlt. S. Peter Martyr. The splendid tomb of Cortesia Serego, 1432, brother-in-law and general of Antonio della Scala. The frescoes are by Pisandlo. Left of Choir. Tomb of the Lavagnoli family, with frescoes probably by Pisanello, 1452 1455. Sacristy (Outside, over door). Falcieri. The Council of Trent curious as almost contemporary. (Inside) Cavazzola. S. Paul and other saints. The Madonna carried up by angels. Cappella del Rosario. In the altar-piece Mastino II. della Scala, and his wife Taddea Carrara, kneel before the Virgin. Left Aisle, 2nd Chapel. Giolfino. The Saviour in glory, with saints below ; S. George, standing in armour, points upwards with one hand, and in the other holds an inscription " Quid bono retribua Dfio." Tomb of Gerardo Bolderio, 1 500. A short distance down the Corso (left, behind the Hotel Torre di Londra) is the Piazza dei Signori, with a statue ot Dante by Zannoni (1865) in the centre, and surrounded by the most interesting mediaeval buildings. The Piazza is entered from the west, on which side are the Palazzo del Consiglio and the remains of the Palaces of Mastino I. and Alberto della Scala. At the south-west corner is the passage towards the Piazza delle Erbe, called II Volto Barbaro, where Mastino I. was assassinated by one Scaramello, above which there is now a statue of Scipione Maffei, the historian of Verona. From the east of the Piazza a street leads to the PIAZZA DEI S1GNORI. 271 Piazza Navona, having on the right the Palazzo della Ragione, on the left the Cortile Tribunale. From the north a passage leads to the Tombs of the Scaligers. The Palazzo del Consiglio, of the isth century, is attri- buted to Fra Giocondo (ob. 1514). The bronze Annuncia- tion in the front is by Giovanni Campagna. The parapet is surmounted by statues of those whom Verona boasts as her citizens : Pliny the younger, Cornelius Nepos, Emilius Macer, L. Vetruvius Cerdo, and Catullus, the especial poet of Verona as Virgil was of Mantua. "Mantua Virgilio gaudet, Verona Catullo." Ovid. Amor. iii. el. 15, I, 7. "Tantum magna suo debet Verona Catullo, Quantum parva suo Mantua Virgilio." Martial, xiv. ep. 195. Modern times are represented by the poet Fracastoro, and the historian Scipione Maffei. Over the entrance are the words " Pro summa fide sumus amor MDXCII " an encomium of Venice upon Verona. In the palace are preserved several pictures illustrative of Veronese history, especially : Titian. The recognition of the Lordship of Venice by Verona on the Piazza S. Marco, 1505 most of the heads probably by Bonifazio. " The Doge is represented on a throne, on each side of which are the Senators in red costume ; on the right, the Sclavonian guard ; on the left, in white silk habiliments, the councillors of Verona, delivering up the banner and keys of their city to the Doge. Above, in the clouds, is the Virgin, with S. Mark, and S. Zeno, the patron saint of Venice and Verona. In some parts of the picture (the figures of the saints, for in- stance) the hand of an inferior artist is easily to be recognized. The portrait-heads are, however, very excellent, and full of life. " Kiigler. The Palazzo della Ragione encloses the court-yard of the Mercato Vecchio, surrounded by Lombard arcades, and 272 ITALIAN CITIES. with "one of the most beautiful Gothic outside staircases imaginable. The magnificent brick Campanile is nearly 300 ft. high. " This wonderfully simple and grand erection rises out of a large pile of buildings, and for a short distance above their roofs is built in alternate courses of brick and a very warm-coloured stone, and then entirely in brick, pierced with only one or two small openings, and ter- minating with a most gloriously simple belfry stage ; the belfry windows, with their arches formed without mouldings and with the sharp edges only of brick and stone used alternately, are divided into three lights by coupled shafts of shining marble ; the shafts, being coupled one behind the other, and thus giving strength with great lightness, are very striking in their effect. They have, too, remarkably large balconies, but without balustrading of any kind. The upper and octangular stage of the campanile is I think comparatively modern, but perhaps rather improves the whole effect." Street's Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages. Passing under the arch at the north of the piazza we reach the Church of S. Maria Antica, the court -chapel of the Scaligers, now only remarkable for its tiny grave-yard surrounded by an exquisite trellis of wrought-iron, which contains their tombs. The Scaligers or Delia Scalas existed in Verona as early as 1035. In 1257 the brothers Bonifazio and Federigo della Scala were beheaded by Eccelino da Romano. Upon the death of Eccelino, Mastino della Scala was chosen as " Capitano del Popolo." After a wise and prosperous rule of 15 years, he was murdered 1277, in the archway called // Volto Barbara, on the other side of the Piazza dei Signori. His tomb is the first which we find here, a plain sarcophagus with a cross ; it once had a canopy which has been removed. Mastino I. was succeeded by his brother Alberto I., ob. 1301, who ruled wisely for 24 years and was greatly beloved. His remains are believed to rest in a sarcophagus which TOMBS OF THE SCALIGERS. 273 stands on the ground, decorated with his figure, riding, with his sword in his hand. He was succeeded by his son Bartolommeo, who also ruled wisely for three years and died in 1304. His was the time of Romeo (dei Montecchi) and Juliet (Giulietta de' Capelli). A nameless sarcophagus is attributed to Bartolommeo. Bartolommeo was succeeded in 1304 by Alboino, who shared the government with his more celebrated brother Francesco, the famous Ghibelline Can Grande (the Great Dog) della Scala. With these two chieftains Dante sought a refuge, and in the Divina Comedia he represents Cacciaguida as foretelling his retreat : " Lo primo tuo rifugio, e il primo ostello Sara la cortesia del gran Lombardo Che in su la Scala porta il santo uccello ; Ch'avra in te si benigno riguardo, Che del fare e del chieder, tra voi due, Fia primo quel che tra gli altri e piu tardo, Con lui vedrai colui che impresso fue Nascendo, si da questa Stella forte, Che notabili fien 1'opere sue. Non se ne sono ancor le genti accorte, Per la novella eta ; che pur nove anni Son queste mote intorno di lui torte. Ma pria che'l Guasco 1'alto Arrigo inganni, Parran faville della sua virtute In non curar d'argento, ne d'affanni. Le sue magnificen/e conosciute Saranno ancora si, che i suoi nemici Non ne potran tener le lingue mute. A lui t'aspetta ed a suoi benefici ; Per lui fia trasmutata molta gente, Cambiando condizion ricchi a mendici." " Can Grande, le plus illustre des Scaliger, faisait de son palais un refuge et un asile pour tous ceux que les revolutions politiques avaient bannis de leur patrie. Soignant les imaginations des proscrits dont il VOL. i. 1 8 274 ITALIAN CITIES. recueillait Pinfortime, il avatt fait representer dans les divers apparte- ments qui leur etaient reserves divers symboles analogues a leur destinee : pour les poetes le> Muses, Mercure pour les artistes, le paradis pour les predicateurs, pour tous 1'inconstante Fortune. " Une court oisie aussi delicate envers le malheur et le talent fait hon- neur & cette famille heroique et barbare, dont 1'histoire est pleine de crimes et de grandes actions, comme celle des autres petits souverains italiens de la meme epoque. Les noms singulierement vulgaires des Scaltger semblent annoncer des moeurs brutales et sauvages. II est curieux de trouver une recherche d'hospitalite pareille chez des princes qui s'appellent Matin premier, Matin second, le Grand Chien (Can Grande). Ces Matins de Verone, comme les Mauvaises-Tetes (Ma- latesta) de Rimini, devancaient glorieusement le role dont on a trop exclusivement fait honneur aux M edicts." Ampere, Voyage Dantesque. Can Grande died in 1329, and his tomb surmounts the entrance to the church. "As early as about the year 1335, the consummate form of the Gothic tomb occurs in the monument of Can Grande della Scala. It is set over the portal of the chapel anciently belonging to the family. The sarcophagus is sculptured with shallow bas-reliefs, representing the principal achievements of the warrior's life, especially the siege of Vicenza and battle of Piacenza ; these sculptures, however, form little more than a chased and roughened groundwork for the fully relieved statues representing the Annunciation, projecting boldly from the front of the sarcophagus. Above, the Lord of Verona is laid in his long robe of civic dignity, wearing the simple bonnet, consisting merely of a fillet bound round the brow, knotted and falling on the shoulder. He is laid as asleep, his arms crossed upon his body, and his sword by his side. Above him, a bold arched canopy is sustained by two projecting shafts, and on the pinnacle of its roof is the statue of the knight on his war- horse : his helmet, dragon-winged and crested with the dog's head, tossed back behind his shoulders, and the broad and blazoned drapery floating back from his horse's breast, so truly drawn by the old work- man from the life, that it seems to wave in the wind, and the knight's spear to shake, and his marble horse to be evermore quickening its pace, and starting with heavier and hastier charge, as the silver clouds float past behind it in the sky. " . . . . Though beautiful, the tomb is so little conspicuous or in- trusive, that it serves only to decorate the portal of the little chapel, and is hardly regarded by the traveller as he enters. When it is examined, TOMBS OF THE SCALIGERS. 275 the history of the acts of the dead is found subdued into dim and minute ornament upon his coffin ; and the principal aim of the monument is to direct the thoughts to his image as it lies in death, and to the expression of his hope of resurrection ; while, as seen by the memory, far away, diminished in the brightness of the sky, there is set the likeness of his armed youth, stately, as it stood of old in the front of battle, and meet to be thus recorded for us, that we may now be able to remember the dignity of the frame, of which those who once looked upon it hardly remembered that it was dust." Ruskin, Stones of Venice^ iii. 72. The successor of Can Grande was his nephew Alberto II., who was succeeded by Mastino II. In his reign Parma, Reggio, Lucca, Bassano, Brescia, Vicenza, Treviso, and eventually Padua, acknowledged the rule of the Scaligers, yet owing to his vanity and to his abandonment of Ghibel- line for Guelphic politics, the decline of his family began with him. He died in 1351, and his tomb occupies one corner of the cemetery. " The tomb which stands beside that of Can Grande, nearest it in the little field of sleep, already shows the traces of erring ambition. It is the tomb of Mastino the second, in whose reign began the decline of his family. It is altogether exquisite as a work of art ; and the evidence of a less wise or noble feeling in its design is found only in this, that the image of a virtue, Fortitude, as belonging to the dead, is placed on the extremity of the sarcophagus, opposite to the Crucifixion. But for this slight circumstance, the monument of Can Mastino would have been as perfect as its decoration is refined. It consisted, like that of Can Grande, of a raised sarcophagus, bearing the recumbent statue, protected by a noble four-square canopy, sculptured with ancient Scripture history. On one side of the sarcophagus is Christ enthroned, with Can Mastino kneeling before Him ; on the other Christ is represented in the mystical form, half-rising from the tomb, meant, I believe, to be at once typical of His passion and resurrection. The lateral panels are occupied by statues of saints. At one extremity of the sarcophagus is the Crucifixion ; at the other, a noble statue of Fortitude, with a lion's skin thrown over her shoulders, its head forming a shield upon her breast, her flowing hair bound with a narrow fillet, and a three-edged sword in her gaunt - leted right hand, drawn back sternly behind her thigh, while, in her left, she bears high the shield of the Scalas. " 276 ITALIAN CITIES. The successor of Mastino II. was Can Grande II., who built the Castel Vecchio and the bridge near it. He died in 1359, but it is scarcely likely that he was murdered by his brother (as stated by many authorities), as that brother was only 1 1 years old at the time. He was however suc- ceeded by his brother Can Signorio, who, on his death-bed in 1375, commanded the execution of another brother, Paolo Alboino, from fear that he might endanger the succession of his own sons. His tomb is by the Milanese sculptor, Boninius a Compigliono, or Da Campione. " This monument is the stateliest and most sumptuous of the three ; it arrests the eye of the stranger, and long detains it, a many-pinnacled pile, surrounded by niches with statues of warrior saints. "It is beautiful, for it still belongs to the noble time, the latter part of the fourteenth century ; but its work is coarser than that of the other, and its pride may well prepare us to learn that it was built for himself, in his own lifetime, by the man whose statue crowns it, Can Signorio della Scala. Now observe, for this is infinitely significant. Can Mas- tino was feeble and wicked, and began the ruin of his house : his sarco- phagus is the first which bears upon it the image of a Virtue, but he lays claim only to Fortitude. Can Signorio was twice a fratricide, the last time when he lay upon his death-bed : his tomb bears upon its gables the images of six virtues, Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, and (I believe) Justice and Fortitude." Raskin. Can Signorio was succeeded by his son Bartolommeo II., who was also murdered, 1381, by his half-brother, Antonio. "After this, the iniquities of the family could no longer be endured, Antonio endeavoured to fasten his own crime on the brothers Mala- spina and others. The accused fled to Milan, and persuaded its Duke, Visconti, to attack Antonio. Antonio was easily defeated, and banished from Verona. His son Guglielmo, and his grandson Brunoro, received the appointment of Vicar Imperial of Verona from the Emperor, but were never able to gain admittance to the city. The virtues of the early Scaligers had raised them to power : the vices of their descendants terminated their reign. The Veronese, disgusted with the Scaligers, voluntarily surrendered themselves to the Venetians in 1405." Gaily Knight. TOMBS OF THE SCAL1GERS. 277 Nothing can be more picturesque than the whole group of monuments, standing as they do, close together, under the open sky, and in the midst of the busy town. " Avant de quitter Verone, j'y ai fait le soir une promenade qui me laissera un long souvenir. Je suis alle contempler le chateau-fort bati par les Scaliger Puis je suis venu de la forteresse des Scaliger vers leur tombeau. Les pyramides de sculptures et de colonnes etaient plongees dans la nuit, tandis que les figures equestres, blanchies par la lune, semblaient planer dans les airs comme le coursier-spectre de Lenore ou comme le cheval blanc de la mort dans 1'Apocalypse. "La tradition sanglante m'est revenue a la memoire en regardant scintiller les etoiles au-dessus de ces cavaliers de marbre ; il m'a semble qu'ils se mettaient en mouvement et que le fratricide poursuivait son frere a travers les airs dans le silence de la nuit. Bientot 1' illusion a cesse, et j'ai senti que tout, dans ce lieu funebre, etait immobile et froid, 1'image des morts comme leur cendre, la pierre de leur armure comme la pierre de leur tombeau." Ampere. "The small burial-ground of Sta Maria 1'Antica is fenced from the busy thoroughfares, which on two sides bound it, by an iron railing of most exquisite design, divided at intervals by piers of stone on whose sum- mits stand gazing upwards as in prayer, or downwards as in warning to those who pass below, a beautiful series of saintly figures. Within, a glorious assemblage of monuments meets the eye one over the entrance doorway, the others either towering up in picturesque confusion above the railing which has been their guardian from all damage for so many centuries, or meekly hiding their humility behind the larger masses of their companions. " The monuments are all to the members of one family the Scali- geri who seem to have risen to power in the thirteenth century, and to have held sway in Verona until almost the end of the fourteenth. In this space of time it was, therefore, that these monuments were erected, and they are consequently of singular interest, not only for the excessive beauty of the group of marble and stone which, in the busiest highway of the city, among tall houses and crowds of people, has made this churchyard, for some five hundred years, the central point of architectural interest, but because they give us dated examples of the last pointed work during nearly the whole time of its prevalence in Verona. In the monument of the first Duke we see the elements of that beauty which, after ascending to perfection in that of another, again descends surely and certainly in the monument of Can Signorio, the largest and most elaborate of all, and, therefore, I am afraid, the most commonly ad- 278 ITALIAN CITIES. mired, but the one which shows most evidence of the rise of the Re- naissance spirit, and the fall of true art. Nor is it, I think, to be for- gotten, as an evidence of the kind'of moral turpitude which so often pre- cedes or accompanies the fall of art, that this Can Signorio first murdered his own brother Can Grande II. that he might obtain his inheritance (?), and then, before he died, erected his own monument, and adorned it with effigies of SS. Quirinus, Valentine, Martin, George, Sigismund, and Louis, together with allegorical figures of the Virtues with whom he of all men had least right to associate himself in death, when in life he had ever despised them ; and the inscription, which records the name of the architect on this monument, does but record the vanity of him who was content thus to pander to the wretched Can Signorio's desire to excuse the memory of his atrocious life by the sight of an immense cenotaph. " The situation of the monuments, rather huddled together, with the old church behind them, the archway into the Piazza dei Signori on the other side, and the beautiful iron grille which surrounds them, the number of saintly and warlike figures, and the confused mass of pinnacle and shaft, half obsc-ired by the railing, do, I verily believe, make the cemetery of Sta Maria 1'Antica one of the most striking spots in the world for the study of Christian art in perfection. What either Cologne Cathedral, or Ratisbon, or the Wiesen Kirche at Soest is to Germany, the Choir of Westminster Abbey or the Chapter House at Southwell to England, Amiens Cathedral or the Saint Chapelle of Paris to France, that is the Cemetery of the Scaligeri in Verona to Italy, the spot, i. e. where at a glance the whole essence of the system of a school of artists may be comprehended, lavished on a small but most stately effort of their genius." Streefs Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages. Recrossing the Piazza dei Signori, let us enter the Piazza delle Erbe, the ancient Forum, now crowded with the huge white umbrellas of the market-women. On the side towards the Corso, in front of the Palazzo Maffei, is a marble Pillar, erected 1524 by the Venetians as a pedestal for the lion of S. Mark, which was thrown down in 1799, when the Venetian republic came to an end. Over the Fountain is a statue of Verona, with a scroll in- scribed " Est justi latrix urbs h?ec et laudis amatrix." This is due to Can Signorio (1368), who also built the tower at THE AMPHITHEATRE. 279 the end of the square and adorned it with the first clock (now removed) which had been seen in Verona. At the corner of the Via Pelleciai is the Casa del Mercanti, built by Alberto della Scala in 1301, and adorned with a statue of the Virgin by Campagna. The small quadrangular canopied space and the Gothic market-cross marks the site of one more ancient, where the newly appointed Capitano del Popolo was pub- licly invested with his office and then addressed the people. The sentences of condemned criminals were delivered from hence. Most of the houses in this piazza were decorated with frescoes by Liberate and other masters, of which many fragments still remain. From the east end of the piazza, the Via Nuova (passing on the left a good Gothic house No. 19) leads to the Piazza Bra (now Vittorio Emanuele !) which contains the famous Amphitheatre, called the Arena (entrance by the 5th arch marked " Ingresso all' Ahfiteatro dell' Arena"). It is believed that the Amphitheatre was built under Dio- cletian. It is 1 06 ft. high, 546 long, 436 wide, and 492 yards in circumference. The interior is wonderfully perfect, and its 45 tiers of seats (18 inches high, 22 wide) have been carefully kept in repair by immemorial custom. The num- bers sculptured on the outer arches to guide the spectators where to present their tickets are still in many cases quite legible. The arcades are let as shops to dealers in all kinds of wares, but the interior is still often used .as an open-air theatre. An inscription commemorates the presence of the Emperor Joseph II. at one of these displays. " In the midst of Verona, in the Piazza di Bra a spirit of old time among the familiar realities of the passing hour is the great Roman Amphitheatre. So well preserved, and carefully maintained, that every row of seats is there, unbroken. Over certain of the arches, the old 280 ITALIAN CITIES. Roman numerals may yet be seen, and there are corridors, and staircases, and subterranean passages for beasts, and winding ways, above-ground and below, as when the fierce thousands hurried in and out, intent upon the bloody shows of the arena. Nestling in some of the shadows and hollow places of the walls, now, are smiths with their forges, and a few small dealers of one kind or other ; and there are green weeds, and leaves, and grass, upon the parapet. But little else is greatly changed." Dickens. Near the Amphitheatre, in the Piazza Bra, is the Palazzo della Guardia, built by Andrea Midano, a pupil of San- micheli. On the other side of the Portone della Bra are the Accademia Filarmonica and the Museo Lapidario, not of much importance. Passing these, we come into the end of the Corso, opposite the Castel Vecchio, built, together with the noble battlemented bridge over the Adige, adjoining it, by Can Grande II. in 1355. The main arch of the bridge is said to be 160 ft. wide, and instead of being in the centre, it is on the side next the castle, and from it the other arches slope away to the north bank, in a strange down-hill kind of way. (The continuation of the Corso leads to the Porta Stuppa or del Palio, one of the noblest works of Sanmichele. " In this gate and the neighbouring Porta Nuova the Venetian Signori may be said, through this architect's genius, to have equalled the buildings of the ancient Romans. The gate of the Palio is of the Doric order, with columns of immense height and girth, and these columns, which are in all eight, are placed in pairs . . . The front is exceedingly wide and is entirely of rustic work, deeply cut, and having, each projection not rough, but polished, the whole enriched moreover with decorations of great beauty ; the passage of the gate retaining the quadrangular form, but of an architecture which is new, fanciful, and very beautiful. On the inner front is a magnificent Doric loggia, and at the summit a Doric cornice richly carved. This was the last marvel performed by Michele San Michele, for he had only just completed the first range of columns, when he finished the course of his life." Vasari.) S. BERNARDINO, S. ZENO. 281 Close to the Castello, the Via S. Bernardino leads (left) to the handsome cloister and brick Church of S. Bernar- dino of 1499. Hence opens the celebrated Cappella Pelle- grini, the master-piece of Sanmichele. It was begun by Margaretta Pellegrini, who died in 1557, before it was com- pleted, recommending her heirs to finish the work, but they, from avaricious motives, took it out of the hands of Sanmicheli, and the details were finished by inferior archi- tects in 1793. However, Carlo Pellegrini carried out the full design of Sanmichele in 1793. " It is a circular building in the manner of our ancient temples of the Corinthian order, the material being that hard white stone, which in Verona, from the sound rendered by it while in the process of working, is called bronzo. . . Sanmicheli has given the circular form to the whole structure, insomuch that the three altars which are within its circle, with their pediments, cornices, &c., all turn in a perfect round, as does the opening space of the door. Above the first range of colums, Sanmicheli also constructed a gallery which is continued entirely round the chapel, the columns and capitals of the same being enriched with exquisite carvings, and every part in effect being decorated with foliage, gro- tesche, and other ornaments, all sculptured with indescribable care and pains. The door, a very beautiful one, has a quadrangular form outside, resembling, as Sanmicheli averred, an antique example which he had seen in some building at Rome." Vasari. Hence, the Vicolo Lunga S. Bernardino leads to the mag- nificent Church of S. Zeno Maggiore or San Zenone. The original building on this site was erected in the gth century by Bishop Rotaldus. The present church was built 1138 1178. Within, it is a simple Latin basilica. The western fagade, in the Lombard style, has a single lofty gable, with a lean-to on either side. There is only one portal, with a canopy resting on pillars supported by lions. Above, is a great round window by one Briolottus, evidently in- 282 ITALIAN CITIES. tended as typical of the wheel of fortune, as is evinced by the outer inscription : En ego fortuna moderor mortalibus una Elevo, depono, bona cunctis, vel mala dono. And the inner : Induo nudatos, denude veste paratos. In me confidit si quis, derisus abibit. The bas-reliefs at the sides of the door are most curious. Below those illustrative of the Old and New Testament, on the left, are two warriors charging one another with lances, and a figure running another through with a sword. On the right is what is called the Chase of King Theodoric " the Dietrich of the Hildebrand-lay and the Helden-buch." The dogs have seized upon the stag, and a demon waits for the huntsman, probably because he was an Arian. " In these sculptures the character and habitual associations of the Lombards may be distinctly read."* Maffei quotes this as the first piece of sculpture in which the horseman rides in stirrups. The ancient bronze doors themselves are covered with reliefs. The beautiful Campanile of S. Zenone is quite detached from the church. Begun by the Abbot Alberic in 1145, it was finished 1178. It is built of alternate courses of brick and marble. "The proportions of S. Zeno are so very grand, and its detail gener- ally so perfect, that I think it may be regarded as, on the whole, the noblest example of its class ; indeed, except the very best Gothic work of the best period, I doubt whether any work of the Middle Ages so much commands respect and admiration as this Lombard work. There is a breadth and simplicity about it, and an expression of such deep thought in the arrangement of materials and in the delicate sculpture, which with * Lindsay's " Christian Art." .S 1 . ZENO. 283 a sparing hand is introduced, that one cannot sufficiently admire the men who planned and executed it. Beyond this, the constructive science was so excellent and so careful, that with ordinary care such a church as San Zenone would seem still likely to last for ages." Street, The Interior, entered by descending 13 steps, is grand in its proportions. The nave is separated from the aisles by alternate piers and columns. The wooden and painted roof is very curious. The choir, which was rebuilt in the i$th century, is approached by a lofty flight of steps, which allows space for the crypt. On the right of the entrance is the ancient font by Briolottus, and opposite it a curious vase for holy-water called " Coppa di San Zenone" On the choir screen are ancient statues of Christ and the Apos- tles, much alike in type, but full of solemn expression. The and altar on the right has a canopy supported by columns banded together, and resting on a lion and a stag. ' ' The interior of S. Zenone preserves the basilica form complete, and is remarkable for the two triumphal arches which span the nave, a third, as usual, admitting to the sanctuary, as well as for the splendour of the crypt, supported by forty-eight slender columns, clustered, round and polygonal, surrounding the tomb, and for the three noble flights of steps, one of them leading down to the crypt, the other two, to the right and left, ascending to the presbytery, the former occupying the breadth of the nave, the latter that of the aisles. " Lindsay's Christian Art. Aloft, in the choir, is seated the African S. Zeno, Bishop of Verona in the 4th century, said to have been martyred under Julian the Apostate, April 12, 380. His curious wooden statue sits in his episcopal chair, with a fish hanging from his rod, referring, not as local tradition says, to his passion for fishing in the Adige, but to the Christian symbol of baptism. Right of the High-Altar is the great picture of Andrea Mantegna. The Madonna and Child throned, between SS. 284 ITALIAN CITIES. Peter, Paul, and John; and SS. John Baptist, Laurence, and Benedict. " Rich architecture, adorned in front with festoons of fruit, surrounds the composition. The Madonna, on whose lap the infant is standing, is un- affected, dignified, and sweet. Some of the saints also have admirable heads, and are grandly draped. A lower series of subjects, which, since carried off by the French, have never been recovered, contained the Mount of Olives, the Crucifixion, and the Ascension." *Kugler. Of the frescoes scattered over the church, the best per- haps is an Annunciation on the triumphal arch, and the Virgin and Child, receiving a whole family, presented by their patron saints, on one of the walls of the presbytery, dated 1490 probably by Stefano da Verona. The Crypt is supported by forty-eight pillars. It contains the stone sarcophagus of S. Zeno and many other tombs of early bishops of Verona. Through the Sacristy one reaches the beautiful brick Cloister. Its arches on the east and west sides are pointed, on the north and south are round. The coupled columns of red marble which support them are banded together at the centre. Amongst the tombs here are those of Giuseppe della Scala, and of Ubertino della Scala, who was Prior of the adjoining monastery. From the northern side of the cloister, the lavatory of the monks pro- jects into the court. On the right, facing the church, in front of a tomb of one of the Vico family, is a stone which is shown as the public Measure of Roman times. In the adjoining cemetery is a curious vault enclosing a sarcophagus ; a worthless modern inscription declares it to be that of King Pepin, who died at Milan, 810. The battlemented tower on the left of the church dates from the pth century, and is believed to have been part of the palace of Pepin. Returning to the Castello by the Rigesta di San Zenone, * Copies of these are now here : the originals are at Paris and Tours. PORT A DEI BORSARI, S. EUFEMIA. 285 we pass on the right the picturesque Oratorio di San Zenone, a charming "artist's bit." Following the Corso, we shall pass several of Sanmicheli's celebrated palaces. Such are, on the left, the Palazzo Canossa, built for Ludovico Canossa, Bishop of Bayeux ; and, on the right, the faade of the Palazzo Bevilacqua. Just beyond the Canossa is the Ionic Palazzo Portalupi, of the i8th century. A little beyond this, the Corso is spanned by the fine double Roman Arch called Porta dei Borsari, which is believed to have been erected under Gallienus, c. 265. " The Greek features are still here, masking the Roman construction; over the actual openings, over the windows above them, we get un- meaning entablatures and pediments, stone pictures, so to speak, of real entablatures and pediments. This gives the front the appearance of a confusion of Greek and Roman ideas Still, with all this, the Porta dei Borsari is a striking object, the more so from the way in which it is hemmed in by modern buildings, which take away somewhat from its effect as a work of architecture. One wonders how it has lived through so many ages. It is almost more striking than the preservation of the gateway itself to see the small inscribed stones, which stand near it, remaining there in the crowded street untouched by the changes of sixteen hundred years. And it must always be remembered that the present gateway is simply one wall of the ancient structure ; the place of its fellow may easily be marked some way back, where a small piece of the wall, which is still to be seen in the adjoining side street, marks the place where the other wall of the gateway spanned the main street." Freeman, To the right of the gate is the House of Giolfino, covered with faded frescoes by him. The next street on the left leads to the Church of S. ufemia, a fine brick building dating from the 1 3th century, but entirely modernized internally. Over the side door is a faded fresco of S. Augustine in glory by Stefano da Zevio, c. 1433, and, near it, a handsome tomb of one of the Verita family, by Sanmichelt. The church contains : 286 ITALIAN CITIES. Right, yd Altar. Brusasorci. Virgin and Child with Saints. (At the end of Right Aisle]. Cappella dei Spolverini. Caroto. " There is a small side-chapel in Santa Euphemia dedicated to St. Raphael. The walls are painted with frescoes from the story of Tobit ; and over the altar is that master-piece of Carotto, representing the three archangels as three graceful spirit-like figures without wings. The altar being dedicated to Raphael, he is here the principal figure ; he alone has the glory encircling his head, and takes precedence of the others ; he stands in the centre leading Tobias, and looking down on him with an air of such saintly and benign protection, that one feels inclined to say or sing in the words of the Litany, ' Sancte Raphael, adolescentium pudicitise defensor, ora pro nobis ! ' Even more divine is the St. Michael who stands on the right, with one hand gathering up the folds of his crimson robe, the other leaning on his great two-handed sword ; but such a head, such a countenance looking out upon us so earnest, power- ful, and serious ! we recognize the Lord of Souls, the Angel of Judg- ment. To the left of Raphael stands Gabriel, the Angel of Redemption ; he holds the lily, and looks up to heaven adoring : this is the least ex- pressive of the three heads, but still beautiful. The colouring in its glowing depth is like that of Giorgione. Vasari tells us, that this pic- ture, painted when Carotto was young (about A. D. 1495) was criticized because the limbs of the angels were too slender ; to which Carotto, famous for his repartee, replied, ' Then they will fly the better ! ' The drawing, however, it must be conceded, is not the best part of the pic- ture." aMttOtft Sacred Art. Left Transept. The fine tomb of Pietro Guarienti, 1404, removed from the centre of the pavement. Left, 1st Chapel. Moretto. The Virgin and Child, with SS. Ono- frio and Anthony. The street at the back of S. Eufemia leads to the Duomo of S. Maria Matricolare, which stands near the Adige be- tween the Ponte Garibaldi and the Ponte Pietra. 3 The Cathedral is said to be founded on the site of a temple of Minerva. The original church on this site was repaired by the Archdeacon Pacifico, as is shown by his epitaph, before 846, which was the year of his death. In 806, when the Bishop's palace near S. Zenone was CATHEDRAL OF VERONA. .. 287 burnt, the episcopal throne was removed hither by Bishop Rotaldus.* The existing cathedral was re-consecrated by Urban III. in 1187. The vaulting, begun in 1402, was not finished till 1514. The magnificent Porch is of the i2th century. Its canopy is supported by pillars resting on noble griffins. The figures of Roland and Oliver at the entrance commemorate a groundless tradition that the church was built by Charle- magne. Roland (on the left) holds his famous sword in- scribed Du-rin-dar-da, but Oliver holds a staff with a ball suspended from it, such as, till lately, was shown as his in the monastery of Roncesvalles. Above the door is a relief once coloured of the Adoration of the Magi, with Faith, Hope, and Charity beneath. The small Southern Porch is also of great beauty. The Interior with its giant-like procession of red Verona columns is singularly beautiful and impressive, f Much of it was re-arranged by Sanmicheli, the choir by Giulio Ro- mano. Right, 2nd Altar. Andrea del Fino. Pieta. The Adoration of the Magi and saints beneath are by Liberali. End of Right Aisle. The beautiful Gothic shrine and tomb of S. Agata, of red and white marble. Choir. Francesco Torbido, called // Moro. The frescoes" of the Life of the Virgin in the semi-dome and on the upper walls. " Not entirely due to Torbido, but executed after designs by Giulio Romano, who was then under Correggio's influence, and was striving to bring the realiza- tion of space of the latter into harmony with his own style in a manner worthy to be observed. " Burckhardt. Left, 1st Chapel. Titian. The Assumption. "The way in which * The first cathedral was S. Stefano, whence the Bishops were expelled by Theo- doric, who was an Arian. They then made S. Pietro in Castello the cathedral, but returned to S. Stefano in 801, and remained there for five yearsi t See Lord Lindsay's Christian Art. 288 ITALIAN CITIES. the single figure of the Virgin is borne up on the clouds without any attendant angels is here very beautiful. " Kiigler. " The Apostles at the empty grave look upwards, full of emotion and adoration, to her who is soaring aloft alone." Burckhardt. In one of the Apostles Titian has portrayed Michele Sanmichele, the Veronese architect, who was a great friend of his. Opposite the Cathedral is the little Gothic chapel of .S. Pietro in Cathedra, with his seated statue. The Baptistery, or Church of S. Giovanni in Fonte, con- tains a huge font of red Verona marble, decorated with rude sculptures from the New Testament history. Through the Cloister we may enter the Biblioteca Capitolare, which was founded by the Archdeacon Pacificus. It contains much that is very curious, especially a Palimpsest of a 4th-century Virgil, under a Commentary on the Book of Job of the 8th century ; and the famous Palimpsest of the " Institutes of Caius," which was known to be the foundation of the " In- stitutes of Justinian," and which was discovered by Niebuhr, in 1816, beneath the Homilies of S. Jerome ! * Among later curiosities preserved here is the baptismal certificate of Prince Charles Edward Stuart *' Roma, Ultima Decemb. 1720." Adjoining the Baptistery, approached by a cloister with quaint capitals, is the Church of S. Elena, which contains some curious tombs, and some pictures by early Veronese masters. Liberali. Madonna and Child. Falconetto. Christ at the Tomb. Moretto. Madonna and Child. The Vescovado (Bishop's Palace) contains a number of imaginary portraits of early bishops by Brusasorci, and a large * These, with all other known Palimpsests, came from the monastery of Bobbio. CAST EL S. PIETRO. 289 Crucifixion by Jacopo Bellini. In the court-yard is a statue by Alessandro Vittoria. The columns of the portico have some curious capitals. Verona, on the Adige. We must now cross the Adige by the Ponte Pietra, from which a flight of steps leads up the hill to the Castel S. Pietro (now a barrack). It occupies the site of the Palace of Theodoric, which was a magnificent building surmounted by an equestrian statue of the Emperor Zeno, of such size that " birds flew in and out of the distended nostrils of the horse, and built their nests in his belly."* Theodoric lived alternately here and at Ravenna, and while here embellished Verona with many noble buildings. In the same palace lived afterwards, Alboin, who founded the Lombard king- dom, and here he forced his miserable wife Rosmunda to drink from the skull of her father whom he had killed with his own hand. Alfieri makes Rosmunda say * Agnelli. Liber Pontificalis, pt. II. ch. ii. The palace is represented on a town seal. VOL. I. 19 290 ITALIAN CITIES. " e di vivande e vino Carco, nol veggio (ahi fera orrida vista !) Bere a sorsi lentissimi nel teschio DelPucciso mio padre ? inde inviarmi D'abborrita bevanda ridondante L' orrida tazza? E negli orecchi sempre Quel sanguinoso derisor suo invito A me non suona? Ampio ei dicea : 'Col padre ' Bevi, Rosmunda ! '" Tragedie, Rosmunda, Here also, in 905, the Emperor Louis III. was seized by the mercenaries of Berengarius, and his eyes were put out. Berengarius himself was assassinated here, and his remains were said to be preserved in a sarcophagus at the foot of the steps leading to the terrace of the new castle. From this and from the further fortress Castel S. Felice, there is a very fine view. Left of the bridge, is the CJmrch of S. Stefano, once the cathedral of Verona. The church dates from the 6th cen- tury, but is modernized. The central tower is octagonal. In the interior a great flight of steps leading to the choir leaves space for the crypt, where many of the early bishops were originally buried. In a chapel on the right of the nave are two modern tombs to five bishops and forty martyrs ! The sarcophagus, once in the crypt, of Placidia, daughter of Valentinian III. and Eudoxia, and wife of Olibrius, Em- peror of the East, with that attributed to the patrician Mar- cian (A. D. 427), are now enclosed in modern altars, for, as the custode explains, " In Verona se venerano questi come santi." Behind the high altar is the bishop's throne. On the left, at the top of the steps, is a curious statue of S. Peter, brought hither by the Austrians from the old church of S. Pietro in Castello : it is proposed to remove this to the Museum. Many curious fragments of frescoes were laid A GIORGIO IN BRAIDA. S. GIOVANNI IN VALLE. 291 bare in 1848, and if the proposed restoration of S. Stefano it carried out by the municipality, much of value will doubt- less be discovered. Among the pictures are : Right Transept. Giovanni Caroto. Virgin and Child, with SS. Peter and Andrew. Left, yd Chapel. Titian. Virgin and Child, with four saints. Beyond S. Stefano is the Church of S. Giorgio in Braida, built 1477 by Sanmicheli. It contains : Over Entrance. Tintoretto. Baptism of Christ. Right, yd Altar. Id. Descent of the Holy Ghost. *4// Altar. Brusasorci. The Three Archangels. High Altar. Paul Veronese. S. George a magnificent work of the master. Left, ^th Altar (under the organ). Romanino Buonvirino, 1540. The Glory of the Virgin, with SS. Cecilia, Agnes, Agatha, and Lucy. *Left, $th Altar. Girolamo del Libri. Madonna under a lemon tree, between SS. Zeno and Lorenzo Giustiniani exceedingly beautiful. Returning past the Ponte Pietra, on the left, under the hill of S. Pietro, is the site of the Roman Theatre. It was already so dilapidated in 895 that King Berengarius issued a decree allowing any one who pleased to carry otf portions of the ruins. Enough however remained in the i6th century, for the painter Caroto to delight in sketching it. Now nothing remains but a few fragments inserted into walls. Built apparently out of the Theatre, and in the time of Berengarius, but quite modernized, is the little Church of S. Siro. An inscription says that the first mass in Verona was said here. (Beyond this, the Via Redentore leads (left) up the hill to the Church of Giovanni in Valle, with a crypt contain- ing two curious early Christian sarcophagi. One is decorated with the usual subjects from the New Testament, to which 292 ITALIAN CITIES. the figures of two monks (perhaps the discoverers) have been added. The other has a husband and wife, between SS. Peter and Paul.) Near the river (right) is the Church of S. Maria in Organo, built on the site of an ancient building called the Organum, of unknown intention. The church was begun 1481 by Sanmichele. The campanile, of 1533, is by Fra Giovanni da Verona. Right Transept. Guercino. S. Francesca Romana. Chapel Right of High Altar. Frescoes by Giolfino. Choir. Pictures by Paolo Farinati. Stall work of wonderful beauty, also a candelabrum in walnut-wood by Fra Giovanni da Verona. Sacristy. A beautiful picture of the Virgin and Child with SS. Ste- fano and Tecla (?) by Girolamo dei Libri (who has introduced his favour- ite lemon-tree). Wood-carving by Fra Giovanni, and frescoes by Morone and others. " The master-pieces of Francesco Morone are in the sacristy of S. Maria in Organo, where the walls and ceiling are rilled with incidents freely adapted from Mantegna's in the Camera degli Sposi at Mantua. The room is quadrangular, and divided into sections with lunettes like Peruzzi's in the Farnesina ; the centre compartment of the ceiling repre- senting a well-opening with a balustrade in perspective from which angels look down, whilst the Saviour in benediction floats in the heaven, the lunettes and the course beneath them containing half-lengths of popes, Olivetan monks, and female saints. This sacristy is one of the grand monuments of local art in the Venetian provinces, second only to Mantegna's creations in the display of perspective and foreshortening, and in the geometrical distribution of the space. There is ground for believing that this beautiful sacristy was finished in the first years of the 1 6th century." Crowe and Cavalcasette. Left, 2nd Altar. Morone. Madonna, with SS. Agostino and Lorenzo Giustiniani. Right, from this church, is the Island in the Adige, united on the other side to the city by the beautiful bridge by Sanmichele called Ponte Nuovo. In the centre of the island is the fine brick Church of S. Tommaso Cantuariense, which contains the tomb of Giovan' Battista Beket Fabriano, GIUSTI GARDENS. SS. NAZZARO E CELSO. 293 who claimed to be of the family of Thomas a Becket. We may also notice : Right, $th Altar. Girolamo dd Libri. SS. Roch, Sebastian, and Giobbe. '"Sacristy. Garofalo. The Virgin and Child with S. John an ex- quisitely lovely picture. The group are seated in a meadow with a beautiful distant landscape, backed by a sunset sky. The Virgin looks down with graceful sweetness upon the children who are playing with the cross of S. John. In the grass, on the right, grows the pink which is like the signature of the master. In a Reliquary are preserved three teeth and the frontal bone of S. Thomas a Becket. Behind the High Altar. UOrbetto (some say by Carotto). Madonna and Child. In front, S. Luke painting the Virgin. Right, S. Thomas of Villanuova and S. John Baptist. Left, S. Thomas a Becket and S. Francis. From the Ponte Acqua Morta, which connects the island with the left bank of the Adige, a street leads to the Palazzo Giusti, behind which are the famous Giusti Gardens, perhaps the most beautiful spot in Verona. The main walk is girded by gigantic cypresses, and above rise terraces, each present- ing a view more beautiful than the last, of Verona, its churches and bridges, and tall campaniles standing out against the soft distances of plain and the blue hills. " The Giusti garden is beautifully situated, and contains monstrous cypresses, pointing like spikes into the air. A tree, whose branches, the oldest as well as the youngest, are striving to reach heaven a tree which will last its three hundred years, is well worthy of veneration. Judging from the time when this garden was laid out, these trees have already attained that venerable age." Goethe. Beyond the Palazzo Giusti, the Via Muro Padre leads to the Church of SS. Nazzaro e Celso, partly designed by San- michele. It is rich in pictures : Right, 2nd Altar. Paolo Farinati. The Annunciation. The fresco 294 ITALIAN CITIES. of Adam and Eve in the lunette above, also by Farinati, is considered the best work of this master. Right Transept. Montagna. Pieta and SS. Biagio and Giuliana. Sacristy. Brusasorci. Madonna with SS. Peter and Paul. The chamber was designed and adorned in fresco by Gio. Maria Falconetto. Choir. Frescoes by Paolo Farinati. Left Transept. The Chapel of S. Biagio covered with frescoes. Those near the altar are by Montagna ; the Annunciation over the entrance by Cavazzola ; the rest by Falconetto. The altar-piece by Fr. Buonsignori represents the Martyrdom of SS. Sebastiano and Biagio. The predella, with scenes from the lives of SS. Biagio, Sebastiano, and Giuliana, is by Gir. dei Libri. On the left is a beautiful Virgin and Child, with saints, by Moceto. Beneath this picture, is the entrance to a passage containing a fresco of the Baptism of Christ, by Cavazzola. Left Aisle, 1st Chapel. Montagna. Two noble pictures of Saints. Behind this church is a private garden (which once be- longed to the monastery) backed by abrupt cliffs, in which is a most interesting caverned Chapel of the earliest Chris- tian Art in the north, adorned with rude frescoes much like those in the Roman catacombs. From the outer cave, a roughly-hewn passage leads into this tiny sanctuary ; both retain their ancient mosaic pavements. Over the centre of the vault is the Saviour in benediction : over the altar, S. Michael between SS. Nazaro and Celso ; on the left is a tomb which has never been opened. The proprietor kindly allows the chapel to be visited on application at the house adjoining the church. " The most ancient pictorial remains in the Venetian territory, I be- lieve to be in a subterraneous part of the nunnery of SS. Nazaro e Celso at Verona. In this, which was formerly the Chapel of the Faithful, are represented several mysteries of our redemption ; some apostles, some holy martyrs, and in particular the transit of righteous souls from this life, assisted by S. Michael the Archangel. Here the symbols, the workman- ship, the attitudes, the drapery of the figures, united with the characters, do not permit us to doubt that the painting must be much earlier than the revival of the arts in Italy." Lanzi. PINACOTECA. 295 Returning by the Via Porta Vescovo and the Strada Vicentina to the river, a little to the left, on the Rigosta Porta Vittoria, is the Palazzo Pompei, one of the earliest works of Sanmichele, used since 1854 as the Museo Civico. On the ground floor is the clock erected by Can-Signorio in the Piazza delle Erbe. On the upper floor is the Pinacoteca, which was entirely re-arranged in 1875, owing to Cav. Ber- nasconi, a former Conservatorio. having bequeathed all his collections to it : they occupy the first three rooms, and in- clude some of the best pictures. (Open daily for a small buono-mano to the Custode.) \st Hall 12. M. A. Caravaggio. Joseph's coat brought to Jacob. 22. Bonifazio. Last Supper. 28. Schidone. Adoration of the Shepherds. 31. Paul Veronese. Baptism of Christ. 34. Perugino. Holy Family and Angels. 52. Titian. Holy Family. 68. Bonifazio. Noah and his sons, 74. Bassano. Adoration of the Shepherds. 2nd Hall. 86. Giovanni Bellini. Presentation in the Temple. 87. Raffaelle. (?) Adoration of the Magi. 138. Fr. Morone. Four pictures of saints. 141. Parmigianino . Holy Family. 151. Fr. Francia. Madonna and Child with saints. 4/A Hall 351. Francesco Carotto. SS. Francis, Antonio, Bernardino, and Chiara. The works of this master (14701546), are rare out of Verona, and should be studied here. " Carotto may be compared to Razzi in the general tendency of his style, and the success with which he followed it up ; like the Veronese painter too, he is less known than he deserves. He was educated in the school of Andrea Mantegna, but has little in common with him ; he inclines much more to the manner of Leonardo, and must 296 ITALIAN CITIES. have derived his peculiar taste from the influence of that master : in his later works, however, there is an evident approach to Raphael's style. The warm and well-blended colouring of this artist forms a peculiar con- trast to the severe style of his drawing." Kilgler. 351. Giolfino. Madonna and Child. 364. Girolamo del Libri. Baptism of Christ. 367. Id. Virgin and Child between S. Sebastian and S. Roch. Paul Veronese. Count Pace Guarienti. $th HalL 393. Girolamo'dei Libri. The Virgin with SS. J. Baptist, Jerome, and Joseph, adoring the Infant Saviour. Two rabbits in the foreground. 375. Id. Madonna throned. S. Raphael presents the young Tobias. 376. Id. Madonna and saints. 392. Id. Madonna and Child, with saints. 6th Hall. 418, 419, 420. Paolo Morando della Cavatzola. The Passion. These and a number of pictures of saints in the last room formed one large altar-piece in the Convent of S. Chiara. " A marvellous transition from the realism of the 1 5th century to the noble free character of the i6th, not to an empty idealism." Burck- hardt. 428. Carlo Crivelli. Madonna and Child. Children present the emblems of the Passion. In the distant landscape the whole story of the Passion is prefigured a very curious picture from the Barbini-Braganzi collection. Signed "opus Raroli Cri- velli Veneti." 431. Francesco Benaglio, 1487. Madonna and Child with two bishops and angels, from S. Silvestro. This may be observed as a specimen of the master, who lived in a weak period of art at Bologna. There are many of his pictures here. 433. Cimabue (?). Thirty small pictures from the life of Christ. 435. Vittore Pisano or Pisanello (ob. 1451). Madonna seated in a garden of flowers with saints and angels. The halo round the Virgin's head is adorned with peacock's feathers, a quail hops upon her robe, and peacocks strut past. A good specimen of Pisanello, whose chief power lay in his birds and quad- rupeds, and who painted in such detail that Guerino says he S. PER MO MAGGIORE. 297 "could represent the sweat on a labourer's brow, or the neighing of his horses. " 438. Jacopo Bellini (father of Giovanni and Gentile). The Cruci- fixion tempera. 446. Giov. Maria Fakonetto. Augustus and the sibyl who foretold the birth of the Saviour. This picture is often attributed to S. Squarcione (probably Turone), 1394 1474. 3^ Hall 220. Paolo Farinati. Victory of the Lombards over Frederick Bar- barossa, 1164. 224. Felice Brusasorci. Victory of the Veronese over the Brescians, We must now cross the bridge opposite the Museo the Ponte delle Navi, which in 1757, when the then bridge was destroyed by a flood, was the scene of the valiant deed of the " Brave Man of Pojano," who saved, at the peril of his life, the toll-keeper, his wife, and child, who lived in a cottage on the centre of the bridge. The feat was described ten years after in the poems of Gottfried Burger. A fresco on the neighbouring Casa Cipolla shows the original form of the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is the grand Church of S. Fermo Maggiore, founded as early as 751, though the earliest part of the existing building, the crypt, only dates from 1065. The church is of brick with layers of marble intro- duced. Against the facade is raised the canopied sarco- phagus of Aventino Fracastoro, physician in ordinary of Can Grande. The apse is very picturesque, and the north porch is very fine ; the jambs of its doorway are of black, white, and red marble alternated. The Interior (1313 1332) has a single wide nave with a curious wooden roof. It contains : 298 ITALIAN CITIES. Over the Entrance. Turone. (?) A fresco of the Crucifixion with saints standing round. Right. The pulpit corbelled out of the south wall, and exceedingly picturesque, is by Morani da Modena. * On the sides are heads of pro- phets and others in fresco, and the inscription, " Opus Martini." In the neighbouring chapel is a beautiful tomb of one of the Morani. yd Altar. Francesco Torbido. Madonna and saints. South Transept. Urns of Pietro and Ludovico Alighieri, erected by their brother Francesco, the last male descendant of Dante. His daughter married into the Veronese family of Serego, which, as Serego- Alighieri, still represents the poet. " II n'y a pour 1'imagination qu'un Dante Alighieri; pourtant il y en a eu plusieurs dans la re'alite. La famille du poete se fixa a Verone et s'y maintint pendant deux ou trois generations. Le dernier rejeton de la ligne masculine qui provenait du grand poete a fait clever deux monu- ments a deux fils de Dante. Sur 1'un des tombeaux on lit : 'A Pierre Alighieri Dante III., savant dans le grec et le latin, epoux incomparable :' sur 1'autre: 'A Louis Alighieri, Dante IV., jurisconsulte orne de toutes les vertus.' Malgre ces pompeuses epitaphes, et bien que 1'un des deux freres fut un epoux incomparable, titre auquel son pere n'eut peut- etre ose pretendre, on n'est pas fache de savoir que la famille a fini avec ces savants et qu'on n'est pas expose a rencontrer le signore Dante en- seignant les racines grecques ou les Institutes. Une seule chose me plait dans les inscriptions funeraires que je viens de rapporter, c'est le chiffre place apres le nom illustre ; Dante III., Dante IV. ; on dirait une dyn- astie. ' ' A mpere. Choir. Bronze Crucifix by Battista da Verona. On the outer wall of the choir, a fresco, attributed to Pisanello, introduces the two founders of the church, Fra Daniele Guzman and the Count of Castelbarco. Chapel left of Choir. Liberali. S. Anthony. Chapel opening from North Transept. Tomb of Girolamo and Marc- Antonio della Torre (father and son), decorated with bronzes by Andrea Riccio, the architect of S. Giustina of Padua. The best have been stolen by the French, and are still at the Louvre, those here being copies. Chapel of the Sacrament. Caroto. "The Madonna with S. Anne floats on a cloud above four saints in strong action, who are rather given like portraits than as ideal figures." Burckhardt. Over the side door, in a Gothic arch, is a Crucifixion of the end of the 1 4th century. As colour, this bit of church interior is quite beautiful, and the artist will find no better subject in Italy morning light. ROMEO AND JULIET. 299 Left of principal Entrance. Tomb of the Brenzoni (i5th-cent.) by Giovanni Russi. Over this are frescoes by Pisanello an Annunci- ation, &c. Left, from S. Fermo, the Via Filippini leads to the Garden of the Orfanotrofio (Vicolo delle Franceschine), where is a trough of Verona marble, pointed out as the tomb of Juliet. It may be visited out of pure sentiment. The tomb which was shown here in the last century was all chopped up long ago by relic hunters, and French and English ladies are wearing it in bracelets. In returning (past S. Fermo again) we may observe, in the Via Leone, the picturesque Roman fragment called A no dei Leone, and in the Via S. Sebastiano, formerly Cappello, an Inn called the Osteria del Cappello, which is supposed to be a remnant of the Palace of the Capulets. That these " Cappelletti " were really an illustrious and formidable family, we learn from Dante : "Vieni a veder Montecchi e Capelletti Monaldi e Filippeschi, uom senza cura, Color gia tristi, e costor con sospetti. " Purgatorio, vi. 107. The love-story of Romeo and Juliet which has been popularized throughout all Italy by Verdi, is said to have occurred in 1302, the reign of Bartolommeo della Scala, but only one chronicler, Girolamo della Corte, mentions the story as a historical fact. Many such may have grown out of the contentions of great families who were such close neighbours as the Montecchi and Cappelletti. Shakspeare tells the story in the introductory lines of his tragedy " Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. 300 ITALIAN CITIES. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life ; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do, with their death, bury their parents' strife. " "Les Capuletti et les Montecchi pourraient encore se quereller dans les rues de Verone, et Tybalt y tuer Mercutio ; la decoration n'est pas changee : la tragedie de Shakspeare est merveilleusement exacte. A Verone, comme dans une ville espagnole, il n'y a pas une maison sans balcon, et 1'echelle de soie n'a qu'a choisir. Peu de villes ont mieux conserve le cachet moyen age: les arcades ogivales, les fenetres en trefles, les balcons decoupes, les maisons a piliers, les coins de rue sculftes, les grands hotels aux marteaux de bronze, aux grilles ouvrages, ou 1' entablement couronne de statues brille de details d'architecture que le crayon seul peut rendre, vous reportent aux temps passes, et 1'on est tout etonne de voir circuler dans les rues des gens habilles a la moderne. " Theophik Gautier. The fortifications of Verona must not pass unnoticed. They are of five different periods, i. The walls of Galli- enus, of which only a few vestiges remain some in the Piazza Bra, behind the Amphitheatre. 2. The walls of Theodoric. 3. The walls on the left of the Adige, attri- buted to Charlemagne. 4. The walls of the Scaligers, built in great measure upon those of Theodoric. 5. The walls of Sanmicheli, who was the first to introduce triangular and pentangular bastions. A short distance beyond the Porta Vescovile (near SS. Nazaro and Celso), is the village of 6". Michele, where the famous architect Michele Sanmicheli was born 1484. The Church of La Madonna di Campagna was built from his designs. Its best pictures have been removed to the Pinaco- teca. "Verona, qui te viderit, Et non amarit protinus, Amore perditissimo, SLOVINO DI S. MARCO. 301 Is, credo, se ipsum non amat, Caretque amandi sensibus, Et odit omnes gratias." Cotta. An excursion should be made from Verona for the day to Quinto, where the Church of S. Maria della Stella has a most curious crypt, with a clear stream flowing through it. In the hills beyond this, at the head of the Val Pantena, is the extraordinary natural arch, 150 in span, called Ponte della Veja, over a small cascade. It is said to have served Dante as a model for his bridges in the Inferno. North of this, in the Val Lunella, rises the Monte di Bolca, exceedingly in- teresting to geologists. Lovers of Dante should visit Gargagnano, where he is supposed to have written the Purgatorio, and where he possessed some property. Also, in the valley of the Adige, between Ala and Roveredo (accessible by the railway to Trent and visible from the line), 'the extraordinary chaos of rocks and stones called the Slovino di San Marco, said to have been an avalanche from the mountain-side, which over- whelmed a town on this site in 845, and which is described by Dante to give an idea of one of the barriers of hell : " Era lo loco ove a scender la riva Venimmo, alpestro, e per quel ch'ivi er'anco, Tal, ch'ogni vista ne sarebbe schiva. Qual'e quella ruina che nel fianco Di qua da Trento 1'Adice percosse, O per tremuoto o per sostegno manco ; Che da cima del monte, onde si mosse, Al piano e si la roccia discoscesa, Ch'alcuna via darebbe a chi su fosse." Inf. xii. CHAPTER XVII. MANTUA. It is 22 miles from Verona to Mantua, and the railway journey occu- pies rather more than an hour from the Porta Nuova Station at Verona. I. 4 frs. 40 c. II. 3 frs. 20 c. III. 2 frs. 30 c. We pass : J7ILLAFRANCA Station. Here the treaty of Villa- franca was concluded, July u, 1859, between the Emperors of France and Austria, by which Lombardy was given back to the Italians. The great ruined Castle is of the 1 4th .century. In the old church is a Madonna of Brusasorci. The new church is a copy of the Redentore at Venice. A little to the right is Ctistozza, where Radetzky gained (July 25, 1848) his victory over the Piedmontese, and where (June 25, 1866) the Archduke Albert also defeated the Italians. (It is about i hour's drive (carriage 5 frs.) from hence to Valeggio, a small town situated beneath one of the finest ruined castles in this district, which has five smaller towers grouped around its tall keep. The valley beneath the castle is crossed by a curious low fortified causeway, built by Giov. Galeazzo Visconti in 1393. It is defended by a VALEGG1O. 303 succession of towers now half-buried in shrubs and ivy, and, in the centre, are two larger, more massive towers, guarding the (now broken) bridge over the (here) swift-flowing Mincio. All this sounds like a beautiful artist's subject, but, some- how, it fails in the composition.) "Was the way to Mantua as beautiful, when Romeo was banished thither, I wonder ! Did it wind through pasture land as green, bright with the same glancing streams, and dotted with fresh clumps of graceful trees ! Those purple mountains lay on the horizon, then, for certain ; and the dresses of these peasant girls, who wear a great, knobbed, silver pin through their hair behind, can hardly be much changed. Mantua itself must have broken on him in the prospect, with its towers, and walls, and water, as it does now. He made the same sharp twists and turns, perhaps, over the rumbling drawbridges ; passed through the like long, covered, wooden bridge ; and leaving the marshy water behind, approached the rusty gate of stagnant Mantua. " Dickens. (Inns. Aquila d'Oro, best ; Croce Verde. Carriages. The course 60 c., the hour i| fr., each hour after, I fr. ; for the afternoon to the Palazzo del Te and S. Maria delle Grazie, 5 frs. ) Mantua, of Etruscan origin, became known to the world in very early times, through the verses of Virgil, who acknowledges it as his fatherland, and says that it derives its name from the prophetic nymph Manto, the daughter of Tiresias. " Ille etiam patriis agmen ciet Ocnus ab oris, Fatidicae Mantus et Tusci films amnis, Qui muros matrisque dedit tibi, Mantua, nomen, Mantua, dives avis : sed non genus omnibus unum ; Gens ille triplex, populi sub gente quaterni ; Ipsa caput populis : Tusco de sanguine vires." ^#. x. 198. After the fall of the Western Empire, Mantua fell into the possess- ion of various rulers of Upper Italy. Alboin conquered it in 509. The Exarchate took it from Autharis in 590, in 603 Alboin reunited it to the Lombard kingdom. Charlemagne is said to have fortified the town. The Emperor Otho II. gave it as a fief to Tebaldo, Count of Canossa, and thus it came to his granddaughter the famous Matilda of Tuscany. When Henry IV. entered Italy it fell into his hands, but was reconquered by Matilda after his death. In 1167 it joined the Lombard league and 304 ITALIAN CITIES. was ruled by its own consuls. In 1183 the two great bridges were built, and the 12 mills on the Ponte S. Giorgio were erected. In the thirteenth century a succession of rulers of the Buonacolsi family seized the govern- ment by force ; under Guido, surnamed Bottigella, the building of the afterwards Ducal Palace was begun in 1302. His successor Rinaldo Buonacolsi, being a zealous Ghibelline, obtained from Henry VII. the title of Imperial Vicar, with Mantua as a fief. His exactions in favour of the Emperor led to an insurrection of the people under Luigi Gonzaga, who was chosen Signore in his place, and in 1329 received the title of Imperial Vicar from the Emperor Louis the Bavarian. He was the founder of a dynasty, and of a family whose members intermarried with the principal royal families of Europe. In the time of Luigi Gonzaga, Mantua had 28,000 inhabitants, and an immense jurisdiction. Guido, son of Luigi, was a friend of Petrarch. Mantua continued to prosper under the rule of the Gonzagas. Under Ludovico (1444 1478) called " II Turco " on account of his long beard, S. Andrea was built by the celebrated architect Alberti, the Palazzo Belvidere and the Great Hos- pital were erected, and a printing press established, where Boccaccio's Decameron was published in 1472. Under Luigi Bodomonte, son of Lodovico, the friend and companion of Charles V. , the Museum was founded. The eighth Gonzaga, Gian- Francesco III. (1484 1519) was a great patron of literature, and Bembo, Ariosto, and the father of Tasso, sent their works to his court, which was the most distinguished in Italy after the dissolution of that of Urbino in 1518. His wife, Isabella d'Este, was one of the greatest connoisseurs in art of her time. Of his younger sons, Ercole was cardinal and governor of Monferrat, and in 1559 President of the Council of Trent ; Ferrante was the founder of the line of Guastalla. His successor Federigo (1519 1540) was created first Duke of Mantua, because of his fidelity to Charles VI. , who visited the town in 1530. Federigo was the builder of the Palazzo del Te, and the great patron of Giulio Romano, but in his reign (1528) the plague swept away two-thirds of the population. Under the nth Gonzaga the town increased again to 40,000 in- habitants. He built the costly summer palace. Vincenzo (1589 1612) squandered the treasures of the state in the utmost extravagance. His three sons by Eleonora dei Medici all came to the throne, but left no descendants. The refusal of the Emperor Francis to recognize the next heir Charles, Duke of Nevers, whose cause was espoused by France, led to the " war of the succession of Mantua," in which the town was cruelly plundered by the Imperial troops. In 1631 Charles at length obtained an investiture of Mantua from Ferdinand II., who was in need of his troops. The last Gonzaga was Ferdinand X. (1605 1707), "whose life APPROACH TO MANTUA. 305 was the most foolish and inglorious of modern times." He fled to France during the war of the Spanish succession, and in 1785 the Duchy was united with Austrian Lombardy. The town was taken by the French in 1 797 after a siege of eight months, and retaken in the same year by the Austrians, after three months blockade and four days bombardment. In the peace of Villafranca (1859) it fell to Venice as a river fortress of the first rank, in the celebrated quadrangle of fortresses Peschiera, Mantua, Verona, and Legnano. Mantua became part of the kingdom of Victor Emanuel in 1 866. In art Mantua owed everything to the house of Gonzaga. It did not possess any great artists of its own, but Leon Battista Alberti and Andrea Mantegna (head of the Paduan school of painters) were drawn into the service of Duke Ludovico, and Giulio Romano into that of Duke Fede- rigo. The town is full of the works of Giulio, and it is only in Mantua that one can become really acquainted with him. The death-blow of art in Mantua was given by the death of Giulio (1546), concerning whom Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga wrote to his brother: "We have lost our Giulio Romano, so greatly to my grief that I feel as if I had lost my right hand. To see the good in the evil, I feel that the death of so rare a character will at least cure me of my longing after buildings, plate, pictures, &c. , for I shall never have courage to undertake anything with- out the guiding power of that great genius." The railway to Modena now passes through Mantua, and crosses the lagoon just behind the bridge of the Argine del Mulino, with a station in the modern town. But the romance of the approach is thus totally destroyed, and all good pedestrians who have time before them would do well to leave the train at the old station of 6". Antonio. The ap- proach to the town in this way is most picturesque. The long lines of grey buildings, broken here and there by a tall campanile, rise abruptly from the lagoons which surround it. The fishing vessels flap their red sails close beneath the windows of the houses. In the shallower parts of the marsh masses of reeds rustle and sigh in the wind the very reeds described by Virgil as a characteristic feature of his native place : 306 ITALIAN CITIES. " Hie virides tenera prsetexit arundine ripas Mincius." * Indeed the scenery constantly reminds one of Virgil, especially in the stealthy flow of the winding Mincio : " tardis ingens ubi flexibus errat Mincius." f Georg. iii. 13. Mantua. We pass through the fortifications of the Citadel. Here Andrew Hofer, the brave chief of the Tyrolese insurgents, having been betrayed in his refuge at Passeyr by a priest named Douay, was brought to trial, and, though the majority of his judges voted against it, was shot in obedience to a telegraph from Milan, Feb. 20, 1810. Beyond this we enter the extraordinary covered bridge called Argine del Mulino by a fortified gateway. The bridge divides the part of the Lagoon (left) called Lago di Mezzo from that (right) called Lago Superiore. The water above being on a higher level, turns the wheels of the 12 mills * " Here wanton Mincius winds along the meads, And shades his happy banks with bending reeds." Dryden. t " Where the slow Mincius through the valleys strays." Drydcn. MANTOVA LA GLORIOSA. 307 which join the bridge, and which bear the names of the 1 2 apostles. Near the Porta Mulina is a little mill which was built in the beginning of the i5th century. As you enter Mantua on this side you feel as if you had left the outer world altogether. The bridge is a prepara- tion and the vast lagoon with the wind waving its miles upon miles of bulrushes. But when you tread the deserted and silent streets in the older town, and the five squares of the deserted palace, so solemn in their utterly decaying and mouldering splendour, you feel as if you were dead as if this was some strange intermediate state, in which all things were patiently waiting. All is placid stagnant decay. Nothing looks as if it were ever put into repair. The buildings seem to stand by their own indestructible mightiness and magnitude. Grass grows on the parapets, grass grows on the roofs, grass grows in the streets. All is damp, and mossy, and mouldy. When a human figure comes stealthily round a corner it startles you that anything can be living here besides yourself. And yet, when the sky is blue, and when the long shadows fall crisp and clear on the old brick piazzas, and the vast lagoon glistens like a silver mirror, and the endless arches of the bridge lengthen out their shadows in the still shallow water, Mantua is unspeakably beautiful ! The centre of past life and present death in Mantua is the Piazza S. Pietro, where nearly all that was once most im- portant in Mantova la Gloriosa, stands grouped around a desolate square. On the right (as we stand with our backs towards the town), is the vast Castello di Corte, the palace of the Gonzagas, into which several later palaces have in the lapse of centuries been incorporated. On the left is the 308 ITALIAN CITIES. Duomo, the Palazzo Castiglione, and the tall tower called Torre della Gabbia with the iron cage hanging from it in which criminals used to be exposed for three hours on three successive days. Close to this is the Torre del Zuccaro, and behind soars the graceful dome of S. Andrea. Piazza S. Pietro, Manlua. Of the ancient Duomo di S. Pietro, there is very little remaining except one of the side-walls and the unfinished tower. The church, as it now stands, is the work of Giulio Romano. The pillars are Corinthian, and the wooden roof very richly gilt. The Cappella dell' Incoronata is by L. B. Alberti. The only picture which is even worth notice, is a fresco in the chapel of the Crocefisso, now covered with glass, attributed to Mantegna. At the end of the left aisle PALAZZO DUCALE. 309 is an ancient marble sarcophagus appropriated as the tomb of S. Giovanni Boni, 1248. The Palazzo Ducale, sadly spoilt by recent white-wash (entrance by the 2nd door on the right), was begun in 1302 by Guido Buonacorsi, third sovereign lord of Mantua. The front is of his time, and most of the side towards the Corte di Pallone, but the interior was transformed by Giulio Romano, and has become quite a museum of the precious thoughts, both pictorial and architectural, of that artist and his followers. "Giulio Romano considered it mere amusement to adorn the Palace of Mantua and the great suburban Palazzo del Te. So many chambers with gilded entablatures ; such a variety of beautiful stucco work ; so many stories and capricci finely conceived and connected with one an- other, besides such a diversity of colours adapted to different places and subjects, altogether form a collection of wonders, the honours of which Giulio divided with no other artist. For he himself conceived, composed, and completed these vast undertakings." Lanzi. The Uffirio di Custodia, formerly the Scalcheria, has fres- coes of Giulio Romano, representing the Chase of Diana ; over the chimney-piece is Venus in the Workshop of Vulcan ; on the ceiling, Apollo. The rest of the apartments are shown in the following order : The rooms, with modern decorations, prepared for Maria Louisa, widow of Napoleon I. The Sala del Fiume , with frescoes of the rivers in the Mantovan territory. The Camera del Zodiaco, with paintings of the signs of the Zodiac by Lorenzo Costa, who was a native of Mantua. The Camere degli Arazzi, once hung with tapestries from the designs of Raphael, carried off by the Austrians. The Galleria dei Quadri, filled with indifferent pictures. Two good busts of members of the Pico family. 310 ITALIAN CITIES. The Galleria degli Specchi, a very handsome room decorated by the pupils of Giulio. (On right) The Camere Vicereali, prepared for Prince Eugene Beau- harnois. The Camere Ducale, with splendid ceilings, especially that of the Labyrinth. Room (copied at Ford Castle in England), with the inscription, " Forse che si, forse che no," often repeated, put up by Duke Vincenzo in time of war, when doubtful of his success. The rooms called // Paradiso, prepared for Isabella d'Este, wife of Francis III., Marquis of Mantua. From the end of the Galleria del Specchi we pass, by long corridors, to the older parts of the palace, and enter the Sala del fifarmi, or di Mantegna, with beautiful arabesque designs from his hand, some of them of quite extraordinary loveliness. In the medallions of the ceiling are groups of cherubs. The adjoining Sala di Troja is painted entirely by Giulio Romano himself with scenes from the story of the Trojan war, but they are very unequal in execution, and very inferior to his works at the Palazzo del Te. On leaving the Sala dei Marmi, from a loggia, you look down upon a court designed by Giulio. In the time of the Dukes this was almost entirely enclosed with glass. A number of old rooms succeed, which are in the Castello di Corte, the ancient castle of the Gonzagas, built by Bertolino Novara for Francesco Gonzaga IV. between 1393 and 1406. It is the part of the palace nearest the Ponte S. Giorgio, and looks out over the Lago di Mezzo. These rooms should be especially asked for, otherwise they are not shown. They have magnificent decaying ceilings. The Sala di Primaticrio has lovely decorations from his designs in stucco. In another room is the only perfect fresco of Mantegna, representing some of the first Mantuan captains taking the oath. One room is filled with portraits of the Gonzaga family and of that of Pico, to which they were related. The Gabinettini al Raffaellesco have exquisite arabesques by Giulio Romano; they look down upon the MUSEO. PIAZZA VIRG1LIANA. 311 Corte di Cani, where the Gonzaga dogs were kept. The Sala della Storia Naturale has decorations by Primaticcio. Opposite the Palazzo Ducale are three Palaces. Nearest the cathedral is the Palazzo Bianchi, with a sculptured portal ; then the Gothic Palace of CastigHont, who wrote " II Cortegiano " : nearest to the Torre della Gabbia, the Palazzo Guerrieri. The road which passes round the corner of the Palazzo Ducale by the Castello di Corte, leads to the Ponte S. Giorgio, an immense bridge across the lake, 2500 ft. long, built in 1401. Close to the Palazzo Ducale, in the Contrada della SS. Trinita, is the Museo, containing a number of fragments of ancient sculpture : the best : 198. Torso of Venus. 210. Apollo and a bay tree, round which twists the serpent, the sym- bol of wisdom. 287. Bust of Homer the nose a restoration. In the same building is the Public Library. The Contrada del Vescovado, between the Palazzo Bianchi and the Cathedral, leads to the Piazza called Virgiliana, in honour of Virgil. " Mantua mittenda certavit pube Cremonae: Mantua Musarum domus, atque ad sidera cantu Evecta Andino, et Smyrnaeis semula plectris. " Sil. Ital. viii. 594. The actual birth-place of the poet, however, was a village called Andes in the Mantuan territory,* which is supposed to be identical with Pietola, about 3 miles distant. It is thus extolled by Dante : " E quell' ombragentil per cui si noma Pietola piu die villa Mantovana. " Purg. xviii. * Donatus. Vit. Virg. \. 312 ITALIAN CITIES. Returning through the Piazza S. Pietro, the Via Broletto leads to the Piazza Dante, decorated with a statue of Dante in 1871. Here is a noble gateway of brick and stone mixed (restored 1874), and, on the left, under a beautiful Gothic canopy, a seated figure of Virgil with a book, probably of the 1 4th century. Just beyond is the Piazza delle Erbe, containing the Palazzo della Ragione, built 1 198 1250 : it has a campanile with a Dondi clock. At the angle of the piazza is a house with most admirable terra-cotta ornaments. On the right is the noble Church of S. Andrea, built from designs of Leon Battista Alberti. It was begun in 1732, but not finished till 1781. The cupola was added by Juvara. The fagade is exceedingly simple, with one noble triumphal arch, with deeply recessed portico, and four Corinthian columns sustaining a gabled front. " S. Andrea, the work of Alberti, is interesting in a historical point of view, as being the type of all those churches which, from S. Peter's downwards, have been erected in Italy and in most parts of Europe during the last three centuries. . . . The dimensions of the church are considerable, being 317 ft. long internally, and the nave and transepts are each 53 ft. wide by 95 in height, but owing to the simplicity of the parts it appears even larger than it really is. The great charm, however, is the beauty of its proportions, the ex- treme elegance of every part, and the appropriateness of the modes in which Classical details are used, without the least violence or straining. The exterior never was finished, except the entrance front, and this is worthy of the interior. Nothing in the style is grander than the great central arch, well supported on either side, and crowned by a simple unbroken pediment." Fergusson. The noble brick campanile is a remnant of the basilica of 14721494. " The detail of this is throughout very fine. The tracery is all of a kind of plate-tracery, consisting, that is to say, of cusped circles pierced S. ANDREA. PALAZZO DEL TE. 313 in a tympanum within an enclosing arch ; the shafts between the lights are of polished marble, and coupled one behind the other. " Street. The church contains : Right, 1st Chapel. Giulio Arrivabene. S. Antony admonishing Ezzelino. yd Chapel. A sarcophagus supposed to contain the remains of S. Longinus, the Roman centurion, who stood by the cross and pierced the side of our Saviour. The frescoes are from designs of Giulio Romano. They represent the Crucifixion and the bringing of the miraculous blood of our Saviour to Mantua by S. Longinus. South Transept. Tomb of Bishop Andreasi, 1549, by Prospero de- menti. Tombs of the Donati family, 1581. Apse of Chair. Anselmi. Fresco of the martyrdom of S. Andrew. A kneeling statue of Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga, founder of the church. The frescoes of the cupola are by Campi. North Transept. Tombs of Pietro Strozzi, 1529, and of Count Andreasi, from designs of Giulio Romano. 1st Chapel left of Entrance. Tomb of Andrea Mantegna, ob. 1506, with a bronze bust by Sperandio, erected in 1560, by Andrea, nephew of the artist. Under the bust is inscribed, "Esse parem hunc noris, si non praeponis Apelli. Enese Mantinae, qui simulacra vides." Giovanni Santi places Mantegna at head of painters of his time because of his skill in perspective and fore-shorten- ing. " Perche de tucti i membri de tale arte Lo integro e chiaro corpo lui possede Piu che huom de Italia o dele externe parte. " Hence, following the Via S. Sebastiano, we pass (right) the Church of S. Sebastiano, now desecrated, but a good work of L. B. Alberti of 1460 ; and (right) the Casa di Mantegna, given to him by the Gonzagas. Here is the Porta Pusterla, a little beyond which, in a grove of plane-trees, is the famous Palazzo del Te (sometimes written The, and probably an abbreviation from Theyetto or Taglietto). " Mounted on a horse which was presented to him by the Marquis, 3H ITALIAN CITIES. Giulio Romano rode forth in his company to a spot without the walls, where his Excellency had a place with some stables, called the T, situated in the midst of meadows, and where he kept his breeding stud. Here, the Marquis announced that, without destroying the old walls, he would like to have a small building arranged to which he might some- times resort for amusement. "Giulio availed himself of the old walls, and in the principal space at his disposal, erected the first hall which is seen on entering, with the chambers on each side of it, and as there is no stone in the place, nor any quarries whence it could be excavated, he contented himself with bricks and other substitutes, which he covered with stucco, and out of these materials made columns, bases, capitals, cornices, doors, and windows, all in the most perfect proportion and beautifully decorated. . . All which induced the Marquis to change his purpose, and, from a small beginning, he determined that the whole edifice should be arranged as a great palace. "Giulio thereupon constructed a most beautiful model, the outer walls, as also the interior towards the court-yard, being in the rustic manner. The building is a rectangle with an open court in the centre, which is rather like a meadow or public square, into which four ways open in the form of a cross ; one conducts into a very wide loggia, whence another entrance leads to the gardens, while two others open into various apartments, all of which are decorated with stucco-work and paintings." Vasari. From the ante-chamber on the left we enter : I. Camera del Cavalli. Portraits of the horses of the Marquis Fed erigo Gonzaga, designed by G. Romano, and executed in fresco by his pupils Benedetto Pagni and Rinaldo da Mantova. It was the success of this room which decided the Gonzaga to build a palace instead of a hunting- lodge. II. Camera di Psiche. Wonderfully gay and rich in colour. The walls are covered with the story of Psyche in fresco. In the centre of the vaulting is the marriage of Cupid and Psyche. The lunettes which are in oil are considerably blackened. Some of the scenes are ex- ceedingly erotic. The whole are by Rinaldo de Mantova and Benedetto da Peseta from designs of G. Romano. " Here, with very few graceful groups, we find an almost total indif- ference to beautiful and noble forms, as well as to pure colouring ; and these faults cannot be altogether laid to the charge of the assistants : a coarseness of conception is visible throughout, which, in some of the PALAZZO DEL TE. 315 pictures (that of Olimpia for example), can hardly be carried further." Kiiglfr. III. Camera del Zodiaco, by the scholars of Giulio. IV. Camera di Faetonte a beautiful little chamber; the Fall of Phaeton is represented in oil upon the ceiling by Giulio Romano. V. Loggia di Davide, an open hall, with five reliefs from the life of David. The ornaments by Primaticcio. VI. Sala degli Stucchi, with friezes by Primaticcio and Giambattista Mantovano from designs of G. Romano. They represent the triumphal entrance of the Emperor Sigismund into Mantua in 1433. In the year before he had created Gian Francesco Gonzaga Marquis of Mantua. VII. Camera dei Cesari. . In the centre of the ceiling Julius Caesar is burning the letters of his enemies. In the two lunettes in fresco, by Giulio Romano, Alexander discovers a chest containing the writings of Homer, and restores the wife of Mardonius. VIII. Sala dei Giganti. " Original and ingenious as he was, Giulio desired here to display all his resources ; and determined to construct an apartment where the masonry should be adapted to the requirements of the painting, in order more effectually to deceive the eye of the spectator. Having first there- fore secured this angle of the palace, which is on a marshy soil, by means of double foundations of great depth, he caused a large circular chamber to be erected, giving extraordinary thickness to the walls, to the end that the four external angles of the same might have all the strength required for the support of a double vaulting, which he proposed to make in a round form, like that of a furnace. This done, he caused the doors, windows, and mantelpiece of the room to be formed in rustic masonry, purposely constructed so much out of square, and set together in so disjointed and distorted a fashion, that they appeared to be really leaning on one side, and as if they must necessarily fall into the room. The apartment being thus strangely constructed, Giulio began to paint it with the most extraordinary conceptions he could devise. The subject he chose was Jupiter hurling his thunderbolt at the Giants, and having caused the vaulting to represent the Olympic heaven, he placed there the throne of Jove, foreshortened, as seen from below. . . Lower down he has depicted Jupiter in anger hurling his thunderbolt at the Giants, with Juno still further down, who is assisting him. Around them are the Winds, represented by the most extraordinary faces, blowing towards the earth, while the goddess Ops turns away with her lions at the terrible roar of the thunders, as do the other gods and goddesses, especially Venus, who is at the side of Mars, and Momus, who with extended 316 ITALIAN CITIES. arms, seems to be anticipating that heaven itself will fall asunder, but stands nevertheless immoveable, waiting for the end. " The Graces also are filled with dread, and indeed all the gods, seized with terror, are taking to flight, each in his chariot. The Moon, Saturn, and Janus, turn to that part of the heaven which is least overwhelmed with darkness, as if to flee as far as possible from such horrible tumult and confusion, and also Neptune, who, with his dolphins, seems striving to stay himself upon his trident, while Pallas, with the nine Muses, stands watching the awful catastrophe which is taking place, as if questioning what so dreadful an event may portend. Pan embraces, with supporting arms, a nymph who is trembling with fear, and seems anxious to shelter her from the flashes of lightning and fire with which the heavens are filled. Bacchus and Silenus, with the Satyrs and Nymphs, show the utmost terror and anxiety, Vulcan with his huge hammer on his shoulder looks towards Hercules, who is speaking with Mercury of the crisis which is occurring : near these is Pomona with terror-stricken aspect, and the same feeling is evinced by Vertumnus and the other gods, who are dispersed through the heaven. " In the lower part, that is to say upon the walls, are the Giants, some of whom, those who are nearest to Jupiter, have mountains and enormous rocks upon their backs, which they support upon their power- ful shoulders, intending to make a pale wherewith to scale the heavens, where their ruin is preparing, where Jupiter is thundering, where all the denizens of heaven are kindled with anger against them, and where the whole assembly appears not only to have a sense of terror at the rash presumption of those Giants, on whom it is casting mountains, but as if apprehensive that the whole world was in confusion and coming to an end. In this lower part of the painting, Giulio has also depicted Briareus in a dark cavern almost covered with enormous masses of rock, with other Giants lying crushed and some dead beneath the ruins of the mountains. Through the cleft of another dark cave, moreover, which is managed with infinite skill, other Giants are seen in full flight ; struck by the thunderbolts of Jove, they seem also on the point of being crush- ed, as the others are. In another part of the picture are still other Giants, upon whom temples, columns, and other fragments are falling, with immense slaughter and destruction of those proud assailants of the gods. It is amidst these falling ruins that the fire-place of the apart- ment is placed, and when the fire is lighted there, the Giants seem to be burning in the flames. Here the master has pourtrayed Pluto in his chariot ; drawn by meagre bare-boned horses, and accompanied by the Furies, he is flying towards the centre." Vasari. S. MARIA DELLE GRAZIE. 317 Some smaller rooms have exquisite arabesques by Giulio Romano. "The Palazzo del Te stands in a swamp, and is, indeed, as singular a place as I ever saw. " Not for its dreariness, though it is very dreary. Not for its damp- ness, though it is very damp. Not for its desolate condition, though it is as desolate and neglected as house can be. But chiefly for the un- accountable nightmares with which its interior has been decorated (among other subjects of more delicate execution) by Giulio Romano. There is a leering Giant over a chimney-piece, and there are dozens of Giants (Titans warring with Jove) on the walls of another room, so in- conceivably ugly and grotesque, that it is marvellous how any man could have imagined such creatures. In the chamber in which they abound, these monsters, with swollen faces and cracked cheeks, and every kind of distortion of look and limb, are depicted as staggering under the weighf of falling buildings, and being overwhelmed in the ruins ; upheaving masses of rock, and burying themselves beneath ; vainly striving to sustain the pillars of heavy roofs that topple down upon their heads ; and, in a word, undergoing and doing every kind of mad and demoniacal destruction. The figures are immensely large, and exaggerated to the utmost pitch of uncouthness ; the colouring is harsh and disagreeable ; and the whole effect more like (I should imagine) a violent rush of blood to the head of the spectator, than any real picture set before him by the hand of an artist. This apoplectic performance was shown by a sickly-looking woman, whose appearance was referable, I dare say, to the bad air of the marshes ; but it was difficult to help feeling as if she were too much haunted by the Giants, and they were frightening her to death, all alone in that exhausted cistern of a palace, among the reeds and rushes, with the mists hovering about out- side, and stalking round and round it continually." Dickens. About 3^ miles from Mantua is the curious Church of S. Maria delle Grazie, an ex vote, consecrated in 1399 by Fran- cesco Gonzaga and the people of Mantua, in gratitude for the cessation of the plague. It is one of the most curious places of pilgrimage in Europe and is well worth a visit. The acacia-fringed road leads across the Seregno, as the marshy country round Mantua is called, and passes (right) the brick church of S. Maria degli Angeli, and (left) a Monument raised to the Tuscans who fell near this in 1848. 3i8 ITALIAN CITIES. S. Maria delle Grazie is a handsome brick and terra-cotta church, approached through a kind of street of relic-stalls. In its outer cloister are frescoes commemorating benefits supposed to have been obtained here, and, on the left of the entrance, are cannon-balls which fell harmless in the siege of Mantua, 1522, and were vowed afterwards by Federigo Gonzaga. On entering the church you find your- self between the double lines of a regiment of figures, life- size, dressed, and coloured, arranged in niches along the walls. Each represents some devotee, who thus wished to express his gratitude to the Virgin, for graces which he believed that he had received from her, and these figures include Pope Pius II., Charles V., and his son Federigo Gonzaga, and the Constable de Bourbon. Some of the statues are most extraordinary, and the story of each is told in rude verses beneath. Thus, a criminal, who appears with the punishment of " the Cord " to which he was con- demned, is supposed to say : " Dalla fune ond' in alto era sospeso Vergine benedetta io Te chiamai Leger divenni, e non rimasi offeso." Rinaldo della Volta, condemned to be beheaded, says : " Per mio delitto condannato a morte E in van datomi un colpo il giustiziere L'altro sostenne per Tua destra forte. " A soldier, with a wooden leg, exclaims : " Nella guerra crudel mi fu troncato Un di membri, ch' al corpo era sostegno Quando Maria chiamai fu risanato." Beneath a representation of angels drawing up a man, S. MARIA DELLE GRAZIE. 319 with an immense stone tied round his neck, from a well, is written : " Fuor desto pozzo uscy libero e sciolto Col grave sasso, che pendea al collo, Perch' allor fui da le tue braccie accolto." A figure standing beneath a gallows, of which the halter is loosed, says : " Io veggo e temo in cor lo stretto laccio Ma quando penso che Tu 1'ai disciolto Ribenedico il tuo pietoso braccio." A converted Saracen attests : " In mezzo rio camin di questa vita D'ogni fedel nocchier fidata guida Per noi se posta e Tu ne porgi aita." But the most curious of all is a man represented fixed in iron stocks with burning coals at his feet, who exclaims : "Col fuoco appiedi, ahime, posto tra cappi Sottrato fui dal barbaro tormento, Perche devoto a Te, volger mi seppi. " Piles of crutches of lame persons who have recovered, and ex-voto pictures of every kind, appear in every available space in the church. From the ceiling hangs a kind of little Crocodile, of which the legend says that it attacked two brothers in the neighbouring Curtatone, killed one brother, and was killed by the other, who vowed its body to the Virgin. Altogether S. Maria delle Grazie is quite unlike any other place in Italy. Here the House of Gonzaga and other illustrious Man- tuans are buried. Among the monuments is that of Baltha- sar Castiglione, "the Perfect Gentleman," who was the author of " II Cortegiano," the friend of M. Angelo and Raffaelle. He was twice painted by Raffaelle. He died at Toledo 320 ITALIAN CITIES. (Feb. 2, 1529), but was brought here to rest in the tomb of his young wife. His epitaph is by Bembo : " Non ego nunc vivo, conjux dulcissima : vitam Corpore namque tuo fata meam abstulerunt; Sed vivam, tumulo cum tecum condar in isto, lungenturque tuis ossibus ossa mea. ' ' Hyppolytse Taurellae, quse in ambiguo reliquit, utrum pulchrior an castior fuerit. Primos juventse annos vix. Baldassar Castilion insatia- biliter mserens posuit anno Dom MDXX." The admiration in which Castiglione was held may be seen in the verses of Mercantonio Flaminio : " Felix Mantua, centiesque felix Tantis Mantua dotibus beata ; Sed felix magis, et magis beata, Quod his temporibus, rudique sseclo Magnum Castaliona protulisti. " CHAPTER XVIII. VICENZA. (fnns. Hotel de la Ville Albergo Roma.) IT is about one hour by quick train from Verona to Vicenza 7 frs. : 5 frs. 10 c. The line passes Caldiero Stat., where the sulphureous baths, known as Calidarium in the first year of the Christian era, are still in service, though somewhat neglected. Leaving the Scaliger town of Soave to the left, and passing Villanuova, where the campanile of the church was a fortified tower of the family of San Bonifacio, we reach Sambonifacio Stat. Three miles south of which is Arcola, where Napoleon I. gained his victory over the Austrians, Nov. 15 to 17, 1796. Lonigo Stat. The village (right) is at the base of the wooded volcanic hills of the Monti Berici. Montebello Stat. On the heights are castles of the Mon- tecchi, the Montagues of Shakespeare. We enter Vicenza between the city and Monte Berico. A pleasant walk lined with trees leads into the town. On the left is seen a noble machicolated tower of the Scaligers, VOL. I. 21 322 ITALIAN CITIES. At Vicenza. now serving as a campanile to the Church of S. Felice e Fortunato. Just inside the Porta Castello, close to the gardens of the Marchese Salvi, is the long-established Inn, called Hotel de la Ville* The History of Vicenza follows that of Padua, Verona, and Venice : first with a constitution of its own, then subjugated by Ezzelino, stormed by Frederick II. in 1236 and destroyed by fire, subjected to Padua, then in 1311 to Can Grande della Scala, after 1387 to the Visconti, and after 1404 to Venice. Vicenza is emphatically the city of Palladio, 1518 1580, and owes all its characteristics to that great architect. Those who cannot admire Palladio will not care about Vicenza. But though many may quarrel with his details, there are few who will fail to acknowledge the perfection of his propor- * Pension of six francs a day includes everything. PALLADIO AND MONTAGNA. 323 tions, and the wonderful way in which his windows, doors, entablatures, and columns, are all related to, and all balance, one another. " Pallaclio was a man really and intrinsically great, and whose great- ness was outwardly manifested. The chief difficulty with which this man, like all modern architects, had to contend, was the suitable appli- cation of the orders of columns to buildings for domestic or public use ; there is always a contradiction in the combination of columns and walls. But with what success has he not united them ! What an imposing effect has the appearance of his buildings, at the sight of which one for- gets that he is attempting to reconcile us to an isolation of the rules of his art. There is, indeed, something divine in his designs, which may be compared to the creations of a great poet, who, out of truth and falsehood, can elaborate something which participates in both, and which charms us with its borrowed existence." Goethe. The palaces have also a great charm from the wealth of verdure and bright flowers seen through their wide-opening porticoes, giving such an idea of space and air within the walls of the town . What Palladio was to the architecture of Vicenza, such to its art was Bartolomeo Montagna, 1475 1523, whose works, wonderfully beautiful and characteristic as they are, are little known out of his native place.* "An Umbrian repose dwells in the lazy calm of his dramatis personas, but the faces have peculiarities by which Montagna is always distin- guished, a long oval, though not a simple, shape, a thin barrelled nose, arched brows, a small mouth with a round projecting chin, and eyes of great convexity guarded by broad and drooping upper lids." Crowe and Cavalcaselle. The sights which must not be omitted in Vicenza are the Piazza dei Signori and Palazzo della Ragione; the * Yet the works of Montagna, once in the churches of S. Michele and S. Rocco at Vicenza, are not now to be looked for here. They are either lost, or removed to the Brera Gallery at Milan. Those once in S. Bartolommeo are now in the Museo. 324 ITALIAN CITIES. pictures at S. Stefano, S. Corona, and in the Pinacoteca ; the Teatro Olimpico, and a general survey of the buildings of Palladio, ending in a visit to the Rotonda, and the ascent to Monte Berico. The town is divided by the Corso, which ends at the Porta Castello. Here, from the windows of our inn we may begin our study of Palladian architecture, by looking down upon the admirable, never-finished fragment of the Palazzo del Conte Porto al Castello, generally known as the Ca' del Diavolo. Casa del Diavolo. A little behind the hotel (right of the Corso), is the Duomo, a Gothic building of 1235. The front is inlaid with red marble. The nave is a single aisle with chapels. A great staircase of red marble ascends to the choir, giving room for a very lofty crypt which contains the ancient Lombard bath for baptism by immersion. The church contains : Left, yd Chapel. Frescoes by Giiolamo del Toso, c. 1526. The PALAZZO DELL A RAGIONE. 325 altar-piece, by Bart. Montagna, represents the Virgin and Child with SS Catherine and Lucia. Against a pillar. Giacomo da Ponie. The Preaching of S. John Baptist. $th Chapel (del Sacramento). Bart. Montagna. The Glory of Para- dise. Facing the west end of the cathedral is the Palazzo Loschi, which contains, or lately contained, a grand picture of Christ bearing his cross, by Giorgione. Returning hence to the Corso, we pass on the right the Palazzo Annibale Tiene, a noble work of Palladia, completed by Scamozzi. Beyond this, a side street, Contrada Morte, leads (right) to the very picturesque Piazza del Signori, which is like the Piazza S. Marco at Venice in miniature. At one end stand the pillars which the Venetians erected in all the cities which acknowledged their rule. Like the campanile of S. Mark's also, the brick Torre del Orologio here soars up to a height of 270 ft. But the great feature is the Basilica, or Palazzo della Ragione, a Gothic building, encased by Palladio (in 1550) in noble cloistered galleries of stone, which, in- stead of marring, greatly add to its effectiveness. At the west end is a modern statue of Palladio. The Basilica was continued by Scamozzi into the adjoin- ing Piazza della Biava, here under the name of Palazzo del Commune. Descending the street which faces the central passage of the Basilica, the first turn on the right is the Contrada della Luna, containing the Casa Pigafetta, a very curious small house, finished in 1481, and very highly decorated. On the lower story are sculptured roses with the French motto, " // n'esf rose sans esjpine" The upper story is richly carved with arabesques in lower relief, and the 326 ITALIAN CITIES. three windows have balconies resting on very rich brackets. The house was inhabited by Antonio Pigafetta, the navigator, but its architect is unknown. Returning to the Corso, a little to the left, almost facing a very handsome Palladian palace, is the Church of S. Stefano, which contains : Left, 1st Chapel. Tintoretto. S. Paul. *Left Transept. Palma Vecchio. Madonna and Child seated with SS. George and Lucia. ' ' I scarcely know a church out of Venice which can show so splendid a work." Miindler. Close by, passing (left) the Casa Sah'i, the next turn (left) from the Corso leads to the brick Church of S. Corona, of 1260. Its west front is like the other churches here a single gable with a western doorway and a large circular window above. It contains : Right, 1st Altar. Speranza (contemporary of Montagna). Two saints, Dominic and Bernardo da Campo, at the sides of the altar. yd Altar. P. Veronese. Adoration of the Magi much injured. Chapel right of High Altar. Fine gilt Gothic tombs of the Tiene family still the great family of Vicenza. *Left, $th Chapel. Giovanni Bellini. The Baptism of Christ. "In the old Gothic church of Santa Corona at Vicenza, let us stand where, under a gorgeously carved cinque-cento canopy, looks out, in- stinct with life and colour, that wonderful Baptism of our Lord, by Giovanni Bellini. Let us remain long, and look earnestly ; for there is indeed much to be seen. That central figure, standing with hands folded on his bosom, so gentle, so majestic, so perfect in blameless humanity, O what labour of reverent thought, what toil of ceaseless meditation, what changes of fair purpose oscillating into clearest vision of ideal truth, must it have cost the great painter, before he put forth that which we now see ! It is as impossible to find aught but love and majesty in the Divine countenance, as to discover a blemish on the complexion of that Body, which seems to give forth light from itself, as He stands in His obedience, fulfilling all righteousness. And even on the accessories to this figure, we see the same loving and reverent toil bestowed. The S. CORONA. 327 cincture, where alone the body is hidden from view, is no web of man's weaving ; or, if it were, it is of hers, whose heart was full of divine thoughts as she wove : so bright and clear is the tint, so exquisitely careful and delicate every fold where light may play or colour vary. And look under the sacred feet, on the ground blessed by their pressure : no dash of hurrying brush has been there : less than a long day's light did not suffice to give, in individual shape and shade, every minutest pebble and mote of that shore of Jordan. Every one of them was worth painting, for we are viewing them as in the light of His presence who made them and knew them all. And now let us pass on to the other figures : to that living and glowing angelic group on the left-hand corner of the picture. Three of the heavenly host are present, * variously affected by that which they behold. The first, next the spectator, in the corner of the picture, is standing in silent adoration, tender and gentle in ex- pression, the hands together, but only the points of the fingers touching, his very reverence being chastened by angelic modesty : the second turns en that which he sees a look of earnest inquiry, but kneels as he looks ; and, indeed, that which he sees is one of the things which angels desire to look into. The third, a majestic, herald-like figure, stands, as one speaking, looking at the spectator, with his right-hand on his gar- ment, and his left held out as in demonstration unmistakably saying to us who look on, ' Behold what manner of love is here ! ' Then, hardly noticing what might well be much noticed, the grand dark figure of the Baptist on the right, let us observe, how beautifully and accurately all the features of the landscape are given, even to the expression of the stratification and cleavage of the rocks in the foreground. Truly our minutes spent before a picture like this are minutes of upward progress. We depart, and the scene itself passes from our memory, but the effect of tracing all these its attributes does not pass away, if it has been rightly done, but flows over and hallows our conceptions of the blessed event, and of Him round whom all its interests are centered." Dean Alford. Left, ojh Chapel. Fogolino. Madonna and Child in a glory of angels the town of Vicenza below. 2nd Chapel. Bart. Montagna. A most noble group of saints. Palladio was at first buried in this church, but has been removed to the Campo Santo, where a monument by De Fabris has been erected in his honour. Passing (left) the Casadi Palladio, on the right is the beau- Are they not simply spectators, and females .' 328 ITALIAN CI7IES. tiful Palazzo Chiericati erected by Palladio, c. 1566. Here is the Museo Civico containing a collection of pictures, open daily from 9 to 5. With much rubbish, it contains some most interesting specimens of Vicentine art Custode | to i fr. We may especially notice : Entrance Hall. 2. Jacopo da Ponte. The ' ' Rettori " of Vicenza, Giovanni Moro and Silvan Cappello, kneeling before the Virgin, by whom SS. Marco and Vincenzo are standing. 31. Bernardo Strozzi, 1581 1644. The Supper in the Pharisee's House. 38. Girolamo del Toso, 1526. Virgin and Child, with SS. Catherine and Apollonia. (Left) Stanza del Re. 10. Domenichino. S. John Baptist preaching. 23. Jacopo da Ponte. Madonna and Child, with SS. Mary Magdalen and Catherine. The donor kneels beneath. Stanza del Cima. 9. Moceto (pupil of Giov. Bellini). Madonna holding the Child erect on her knee in front of a green hanging. In the left corner "Hieronimo Moceto p." 12. Bern. Luini. Adoration of the Magi. 15. Giov. Bellini. (?) Madonna and Child. 36. Giov. Bellini. (?) Madonna and Child, with SS. Sebastian and Roch. *54. Cima da Conegliano, 1489. Madonna under a bower of vines, with SS. James and Jerome. A very early and most beautiful work of the master from the Church of S. Bartolommeo. Stanza delle Antiche. 2. Bernardino da Murano.^:} Madonna, with SS. Jerome and Francis and two others. There is no proof of the existence of the painter to whom this picture is attributed. It is probably by a pupil of Montagna. 10. Paolo da Venezia, The Death of the Virgin, her soul is received MUSEO CIVICO. 329 above by the Saviour a very curious picture, inscribed " MCCCXXXIII. Paulus de Veneciis Pixit he opus." 14. Andrea da Castagno. S. Michael weighing souls. 15. Andrea Bussato (apparently a pupil of Basaiti, c. 1510). S. Anthony of Padua. Stanza degli Antichi Vicentini. I. Bart. Montagna, 1438 1523. Holy Family. *2. Id. Madonna and Child under an arcade, with SS. J. Baptist and Bartholomew, Sebastian and Augustine. The predella represents the Legend of S. Bartholomew. '3. Id. Madonna, in a blue veil, adoring the Infant Saviour, between SS. Monica and Mary Magdalen. 4. Battista da Vicenza. Saints a tabernacle. 5. Marcello Fogolino, 1450. S. Jerome. *8. Bart. Montagna. The Presentation in the Temple. S. Simeon kneels, as the Virgin, kneeling, presents the Child. Behind the Virgin is S. Joseph ; behind Simeon, a kneeling patron. It is signed " Opus Bartolomei Montagna.'' 18. Id. Virgin and Child, with SS. John Baptist and Onofrio. 19. Id. A Predella the story of S. Biagio. 20. Giov. Buonconsiglio. The Dead Christ, with the Virgin, S. John, and the Magdalen. 21. Giov. Speranza, 1460. The Assumption, with two kneeling saints in the predella, the twelve apostles. 22. Marcello Fogolino. The Adoration of the Magi from S. Barto- lommeo. In the predella are the Annunciation, Nativity, and Flight into Egypt. Stanza del Ritratti. 21. Leonardo da Vinci. (?) Unknown. 46. Giorgione. Pietro d'Abano. 47. Raffaelle. (?) Lorenzo dei Medici da Urbino. 58. Jacopo Tintoretto. Vincenzo Scamozzi the architect. Sala dei Disegni Autografi. A most valuable collection of the sketches of Palladia (1518 1568) and the two other great Vicentine architects, Scamozzi and Calderari, for the buildings in the town. In the great Hall of the Palace are the relics of the great picture of The Supper of S. Gregory, by Paul Veronese, which 330 ITALIAN CITIES. was hacked into 32 pieces by the Austrian soldiers who occupied the Convent of Monte Berico in 1848. Close to the Museo on the left (by the door No. 988 Leva degli Angeli) is the entrance to the truly wonderful Teatro Olimpico built from designs of Palladia, though completed after his death by his son Scilla. The scenery of the stage represents a piazza with streets opening behind it but it is indescribable though well worth seeing. " The Olympic theatre is a theatre of the ancients, realized on a small scale, and indescribably beautiful. Compared with our theatres, how- ever, it reminds me of a genteel, rich, well-bred child, contrasted with a shrewd man of the world, who, though neither as rich, or genteel, or well-bred, knows better how to employ his resources." Goethe. A short distance to the right from hence (by the Ponte degli Angeli) is the Church of S. Pietro which is united to Casa de Ricovero, or Ospizio del Poveri. Over the door is a relief by Canova of Charity writing on the pedestal which supports the bust of Octavio Trento, founder of the institu- tion. The church contains pictures by Maganza, and statues of Adam and Eve by Albancse. Returning down the Corso, we may observe (on the right) in the Contrada da Porto, a noble palace by Palladia, and several fine specimens of Venetian Gothic houses. Further, on the right, in the Via Porta S. Croce, is the Church of S. Lorenzo, the finest of the brick churches here, built 1185. The picturesque west front has seven long deeply-recessed arches, in four of which are canopied Gothic tombs, with the portal in the centre. The interior is very lofty and well- proportioned. It contains a number of tombs of illustrious Vicentines, especially (left) those of the architect Scamozzi, the artist Bart. Montagna, and J. Ant. Fasoli, 1572, also Right, yd Altar. B. Montagna. SS. Lawrence and Vincent MONTE BERICO. 331 The other churches of Vicenza are of no importance. Many other palaces by Palladio deserve notice, and will be admired in walking about the streets, such as the Palazzo Barbarano, Marc-Antonio Tiene, Porto, and Valmarana. They have all much the same character. The great charm of Vicenza is its vicinity to the beautiful Monte Berico, which no one should fail to ascend (about J mile), to the Church and Convent of S. Maria del Monte, built to com- memorate an appearance of the Virgin, in 1428, but much added to in 1688. The church is a Greek cross with a cupola. It contains a fine picture of Bart. Montagna, 1500 the Madonna and saints bewailing the dead Christ. There is a delightful walk beyond the church, along the ridge of the hill, whence the view of Alps and plain and city is most beautiful. Vicenza, from Monte Berico. On one of the lower ridges of Monte Berico, reached by a road which diverges " Al Cristo " from the portico (to the 332 ITALIAN CITIES. right in descending), is the Villa Valmarana, adorned with frescoes by Tiepolo, and above it the famous Rotonda Capra, " Palladio's Villa," from which Chiswick is copied. "The Rotonda is a quadrangular building, enclosing a circular hall, lighted from the top. On all the four sides, you ascend a broad flight of steps, and always come to a vestibule, which is formed by six Corinth- ian columns. Probably the luxury of architecture was never carried to so high a point. The space occupied by the steps and vestibules is much larger than that occupied by the house itself ; for every one of the sides is as grand and pleasing as the front of the temple. With respect to the inside it may be called habitable, but not comfortable. The hall is of the finest proportion, and so are the chambers ; but they would hardly suffice for the requirements of any gentleman's family as a summer resi- dence. Still, its appearance is most striking, from whatever side it may be seen. The variety produced by the principal mass, as, with its pro- jecting columns, it is brought gradually before the eyes of the spectator who walks round it, is very great : and the intention of the owner, who wished to leave a large trust-estate, together with a visible monument of his magnificence, is completely attained. And, as the building appears in all its glory, from whatever site it may be looked upon, so in itself it is the point whence an enchanting view may be obtained. You see the course of the Bachiglione as it bears vessels from Verona to the Brenta, while you overlook the immense possessions which the Marquis Capra wished to preserve intact in his family. The inscriptions on the four gables, which together constitute one whole, deserve to be re- corded : Marcus Capra Gabrielis filius Qui asdes has Arctissimo primogeniture gradui subjecit Una cum omnibus Censibus agris vallibus et collibus Citra viam magnam Memorise perpetuae mandans hsec Dum abstinet ac subiret. "The conclusion in particular is strange enough. A man who can command so much wealth and such a capacious will, still feels that he must bear and forbear. This can be learned at a less expense." Goethe. VALDAGNO. 333 At S. Giovanni Ilarione, near Vicenza, is a beautiful pic- ture by Barf. Montagna, of the Madonna between SS. Anthony of Padua and John the Evangelist. On summer evenings, when the meadows between the town and Monte Berico are aflame with fire-flies, all the " high life " of Vicenza turns out to walk in the beautiful passeggiate beyond the Porta Castello. Then the great tower of the Scaligers stands out magnificently against the jagged blue mountains, and the stately groups of trees are solid blots upon the transparent sky, like the backgrounds of Titian's pictures. At such times it will be felt, that Vicenza is one of the places and they are rare where the ideal Italy of pictures and story-books may really be found. (From Vicenza a pleasant excursion of 26 miles may be made to Valdagno and the Baths of Recoaro (carriage 18 frs., or 14 frs. to Valdagno only). The road passes through the long straggling village of Montecchio (Montagu), above which the great ruined castles of the Montecchi and Cap- pelletti are pointed out. The country will give an idea of the wealth of the Veneto, the richest district in Italy, and famous for its cattle. Hay is made three or even four times in a year, and the leaves of the white mulberries are no sooner gathered for the bacchi (silk-worms) than they begin to come again. To the left is Trissino, where Count Porto- Tiene of Vicenza has a charming summer palace. At 20 miles we reach Valdagno (Albergo delle Alpe), a small town embosomed in verdure and approached by a long avenue of trees. In the latter part of the last century this quiet country-place was the resort of several English families to 334 ITALIAN CITIES. whom economy was an object : Julius Hare, afterwards Archdeacon of Lewes, was born here in 1795. t After this the road ascends almost perpetually to Recoaro, which is quite in the depths of the hills, and, like Valdagno, intersected by the swift and dangerous stream of the Agno. After June 15, when the bathing season begins, this pretty little place is crowded by representatives of every European nation. Though there are pleasant walks all round, it has no especial feature. But the life here is remarkably social, and, on summer evenings, sometimes as many as 800 or 1000 mounted donkeys are driven off together on an excur- sion, which has an amusing effect. Balls and picnics are also frequent, to which a very slight introduction ensures a welcome.) I CHAPTER XIX. PADUA AND THE EUGANEAN HILLS. T is rather more than hr. by quick train from Vicenza to Padua 4 frs. 35 c. : 3 frs. 150. Hotels. Aquila d'Oro, a comfortable, old-fashioned hotel, looking upon S. Antonio ; pension 6 francs. Stella d'Oro, very good. Aquila Nera. Carriages, from the station, I franc ; with 2 horses, I fr. 50 c. ; each piece of luggage, 40 c. Course in the town, 50 c. For an hour 2 francs ; with 2 horses, 2 frs. 50 c. Omnibus, 75 c. Two days may be well spent at Padua. More hurried travellers should see the Sala della Ragione, the University, and the squares around them ; the Cathedral and Baptistery ; the Prato della Valle and S. Giustina ; S. Antonio and its appendages (this the most important) ; the Eremitani and the Chapel of the Arena. Padua, the ancient Patavium, is said to owe its foundation to Antenor. "Hie tamen ilia urbem Patavi, sedesque locavit Teucrorum, et genti nomen dedit, armaque fixit Troia."* Virgil, JEn. i. 242. * " Antenor founded Padua's happy seat, And gave his Trojans a secure retreat, There fix'd his arms, and there renew'd their name, And there in quiet rules, andcrown'd with fame." Drydeii. 336 ITALIAN CITIES. It grew so rapidly in power that, according to Strabo, it was able to bring 200,000 men into the field, and when the Spartan Cleonymus came to Italy with a Greek fleet and attacked Padua, he was repulsed and driven out of the territory of the town, which then extended to the sea. Livy (x. 2) narrates that the remembrance of this victory was annually celebrated by a naval contest on the Brenta. The historian Livy was born here in 50 B.C., and also died here in his 76th year. In 452 Padua suffered severely from the invasion of Attila, and in 601 was burnt by Agilulf, king of the Longobards. In the Middle Ages, Padua was one of the towns which struggled most successfully against the Imperial rule. In 1164 it joined the Lombardic league and instituted its free government. The town was then extended, and the Palazzo della Ragione built. In 1222 the University of Padua was founded, in consequence of the dissolution of that at Bologna. As a Guelphic city, Padua fought against the detested tyrant Eccelino, the son-in-law of the Emperor, but, in 1237, he succeeded in gaining possession of the town, and avenged, by the most fearful massacres, the destruction of his family castle by the inhabitants. Padua was relieved by the Guelphic army raised by Pope Alexander IV., and, unable to reconquer it, Eccelino vented his fury by the massacre of 1 1,000 Paduans in his army at Verona. Upon the fall of Eccelino in 1259, the town rose to great power, governed by a council of eight chosen patriots. This time was marked by the building of the grand church in honour of S. Antonio, who, a Portuguese noble, the strictest and most celebrated of the followers of S. Francis, died at Padua in 1231. In 1311 disputes as to the possession of Vicenza led to a war with Verona, in which the Paduan troops were headed by the famous Guelphic chieftain Jacopo da Carrara, who was elected Signore of Padua in 1318. In 1319 Can Grande besieged the town, and demanded the abdication of Carrara as a condition of peace. He sacrificed his position, and Padua submitted for a short time to the representatives of the Emperor. But in 1337 Marsiglio da Carrara became independent prince of Padua, and was succeeded by his son Ubertino, who ruled from 1338 to 1345, and was a noble and beneficent prince. The Palazzo dei Principi was built and the town greatly adorned under his government. His successor Mar- siglietto Papafava was mtfrdered by Jacopo da Carrara (the friend of Petrarch), who was in his turn murdered in 1350, after which his brother Jacopino ruled for five years. He was succeeded by his nephew Francesco da Carrara, who was celebrated for his wars against the Venetians and afterwards against the Milanese under the Visconti. An alliance between Venice and Milan ended in the total defeat of the Paduans in 1388, and the temporary fall of the house of Carrara. The HISTOR Y OF PADUA. 33 7 story of the imprisonment and the after adventures of the Carraras is one of the most romantic of the Middle Ages. Francesco Novello da Carrara and his devoted wife Taddea d'Este escaped from the castle where they were immured by the Visconti, and after a series of almost incredible adventures they reached Florence. With assistance obtained from Bologna and Friuli, Francesco once more presented himself before his native town with a banner bearing the arms of the House of Carrara. He called upon the Milanese governor to surrender, and was received with derision, but he swam the Br.enta by night, crept into the town, and was welcomed with joy by the citizens, who rose suddenly and successfully against the Milanese, and proclaimed Francesco Novello sovereign Lord of Padua on Sept. 8, 1390. He ruled till 1405, when a succession of wars with the Visconti and Venice ended in the treacher- ous capture of the city by the Venetians. Then the brave Francesco Novello da Carrara and his sons were strangled, after having endured imprisonment in an iron cage 8 feet broad and 12 feet long. Hence- forth Padua shared the fortunes of Venice. The finest edifices in Padua date from the time of her freedom ; those raised under the dominion of Venice (the Cathedral, S. Giustina, &c. ) are comparatively unimportant. The earlier buildings, the Palazzo della Ragione, S. Antonio, the Arena, the Baptistery, &c., are of the greatest value in the history of art. Here also we make our principal acquaint- ance with the immortal creations of the Florentine Giotto. He was succeeded by Andrea Mantegita (born at Padua, 1431), who, with his master Francesco Squardone, founded the Paduan school of painting. In sculpture, Padua is rich in works of Donatello, who came here from Florence, and of his pupil Andrea Riccio. Among the native architects Falconetto is the most important. "Many-domed Padua proud Stands, a peopled solitude, 'Mid the harvest-shining plain, Where the peasant heaps his grain. " Shelley. The plain in which Padua lies is backed by the Euganean hills. It is buried in gardens and vineyards, and has a charming character of brightness and verdure in the spring and summer months. Its tall towers and its many domes rising high above the walls, give it a stately aspect. Within, VOL. I 22 338 ITALIAN CITIES. the streets are narrow, and everywhere along the sides arcaded walks run beneath the houses, which are a delight- ful protection from wet in winter and from heat in summer. The stately old palaces have large court-yards and radiant gardens of flowers in the very centre of the town, and the principal churches stand in wide open spaces which are always fresh and pleasant to walk in. The town is approached from the station through walks bordered by chestnuts. On the right an inscription on an old pillar tells that " Here was the bulwark where our countrymen, at the cost of many a free-man's blood, defeated Maximilian, avenged the infamy of the league of Cambray, and the aggression of the stranger, Sept. 29, 1509." On the first bridge another inscription tells that " Here Novello da Carrara with forty hero friends went down into the stream, attacked the bridge, routed the Visconti, and in glad triumph was received again by the people as their lord. June 19, 1390." On the left of the first gate is the great Church of the Carmine, a stately brick building with a tall campanile and dome. The neighbouring oratory called Scuola del Carmine is covered with important frescoes ; some of them appear to have almost perished, but it is hoped that they may be restored by the cleaning process of white wine and bread which has already often proved efficacious. The best are : End Wall. Cavazzola. The Adoration of the Magi and the Ador- ation of the Shepherds. Left Wall. Girolamo Santa Croce. The Birth, Presentation, Purifi- cation, and Marriage of the Virgin. Id. Titian. The Meeting of Joachim and Anna. The Altar-piece is a beautiful Madonna and Child by Palma Vecchio. PIAZZA DEI SIGNORL 339 In the piazza opposite the Scuola is a Statue of Petrarch, erected 1874. On the right is a brick tower with a heavy stone basement built as a fortress by the tyrant Ezzelino, in 1250. Crossing the stream of the Bacchiglione (a branch of the Po, most picturesque, with its old water-mills and overhang- ing houses), we enter the town by a second gateway, and an old tower from which, as the inscription tells us, Galileo tracked out many paths in the heavens. The Via Maggiore with heavy colonnades (there is a good Venetian Gothic house on the right) leads hence to the centre of the town, where there are a group of piazzas. That first entered is the Piazza dei Signori (which they now attempt to call Piazza, dell' Unita d'ltalia), containing the Palazzo del Capitan, and the Loggia del Consiglio, beyond which are the University Library, the Baptistery, and Cathedral. A block of houses only separates this square from the Piazza, delle Erbe and the Piazza delle Frutte, which are divided by the huge mass of the Palazzo del Ragione. Examining these buildings separately : The Palazzo del Capitan has a great clock-tower, con- taining what is said to be the earliest striking clock, invented at Padua by Giacomo Dondi, c. 1344. The descendants of the clock-maker are still called Dondi dell' Orologio. The doorway of the palace is by Falconetto, 1532, and its beauti- ful staircase by Palladia, Adjoining, is the Library of the University, which has an immense hall ornamented with frescoes by Campagnola, 1540. The portrait of Petrarch belongs to an earlier series of frescoes. The Library, which is a very good one, is open to students from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. 340 ITALIAN CITIES. The Palazzo della Ragione is an immense building with a high roof, surrounded by wide loggias resting upon open arches, beneath which there are arcades with shops. The entrance is from behind, on the left of the Via S. Martino, where a staircase in a court-yard leads to the upper court of the Palazzo Municipale, and beyond that to the vast Sala (a custode) which occupies the whole upper floor of the Palazzo. This chamber is 26 7^ feet long and 89 both wide and high. It was built, or rather arranged and roofed, for there were three halls here before, in 1306, byFra Giovanni, an Augustinian monk, who had brought back the design of its vast wooden roof from a palace he had seen in India. The walls were originally decorated with frescoes by Giotto, executed under the direction of Pietro d'Abano, but these were destroyed by fire in 1420, and the present frescoes are partly by Zuan Miretto of Padua, partly by an unknown artist from Ferrara. They depict, in 319 compartments, the months, planets, and other things allegorical. None are of any great importance ; Dante is represented as Sagittarius. At the end of the hall is the huge wooden model of Donatella for the horse of Gattamelata, near S. Antonio, looking here like the horse of Troy ; it. was executed in 1466. The head is a restoration. Formerly it was covered with skins so as to resemble life. Ludovico Lazzarelli, a con- temporary poet, sang its praises as equal to the works of Daedalus, Phidias, or Praxiteles. On the right of the horse is a monument, of 1547, erected in honour of Livy, who was a native of Abano near Padua. Some bones, certainly not those of the historian, which were found in 1413 near where an inscription had been discovered relating to Titus Livius Halys, a freedman of Livia Quarta, IL BO. 341 were brought here with great pomp, a jawbone having been given, at his own request, to King Alfonso of Arragon. To the right of this memorial is a still stranger one of 1661 to Lucrezia Dondi, who died under such excessively odd circumstances, that those who are very particular had better not read her epitaph ! To the left of the horse is a bust to Sperone Speroni, the philosopher. At the other end of the hall, between two Egyptian figures presented by him, is a medallion to Belzoni, who was a native of Padua, Near these, is the Lapis Vituperii, or Altar of Insolvency, upon which debtors were cleared. In the loggia, over the different doors, are memorials to the Frate Alberto Padovano, 1323; to Paulus, a jurist under the Empire ; and to Pietro d'Abano, the physician and astrologer, 1250 1316, with an inscription refuting the accusation of using magical arts which was brought against him.* The Archivio Pubblico, near the Sala, has a very important collection of documents relating to the city. In the Sala Verde are some pictures connected with Paduan history. The Via S. Martino, which runs through an arch behind the richly decorated Palazzo del Municipio, leads speedily to the University, commonly called // Bo, which was founded by Urban IV. in 1260. Galileo was a Professor here. The University was formerly greatly renowned, and is still much frequented. The class-rooms surround a handsome court, attributed to Sansovino, and highly picturesque from the multitude of shields of arms of the students with which the walls are crowded. At the foot of the staircase is the statue of Elena Lucrezia Piscopia, who died in 1684, having * Those who stay in Padua may be interested in reading Tieck's tale of Pietro d'Abano. 342 ITALIAN CITIES. received a doctor's degree here, in honour of her extraordinary learning. Galileo was a Professor, and the University was once of great renown ; but, though still much frequented, it is long since it has produced anything very remarkable, "In thy halls the lamp of learning, Padua, now no more is burning ; Like a meteor, whose wild way Is lost over the grave of day, It gleams betrayed and to betray." Shelley. The Cathedral was built in the sixteenth century by Andrea della Valle and Agostino Righetti, but is falsely attributed to Michael Angelo. The proportions of the interior are admirable, a second transept with a second dome has been inserted half-way down the nave. We may observe : Right Aisle (near door). The Monuments of Sperone Speroni and his daughter Giulia. Sacristy. An Evangeliarium with miniatures by one Isidorus, of 1170; an Epistolarium with minatures by Giovanni Gaibana, 1259; and some curious reliquaries. In the North Transept 'is a Madonna ascribed to Giotto. Its authenticity has been doubted, but it is most interesting as having been the property of Petrarch, who considered it a Giotto, and bequeathed it as such in his will to his friend Francesco Carrara the elder. There are good early monuments of bishops in both the transepts. Tribune. Padovanino (copy of Titian). Madonna and Child. Left Aisle (near door). A modern bust of Petrarch, who was a canon here, by Rinaldi. The Baptistery, on the left of the entrance, dates from the twelfth century. The walls are covered with frescoes believed to have been executed by Giusto Padovano in 1378, at the expense of Fina Buzzacarina, wife of Francesco di Carrara. The donor and her family, with Petrarch, are represented kneeling before the Virgin. BAPTISTERY OF PADUA. 343 ' ' The Baptistery is a quadrangular building, surmounted by a cupola, characteristic without and beautiful within, where the eye roves delighted over a perfect garden of frescoes. " The Gloria on the cupola is the first instance, I believe, of the style of composition subsequently adopted by Correggio and later painters, but originally, as in the present instance, imitated from the mosaics. Our Saviour, blessing with his right hand and holding the open book, inscribed, 'Ego sum A et Q,' in his left, stands in the centre, within a circle of light, and below him, in a vesica piscis, the Virgin, erect, with her hands raised in prayer, as at St. Mark's and in the Duomo of Murano. To their right and left sit, in different attitudes, arid with their distinctive emblems, the Saints of God, male and female, five rows deep, in a vast circle ; the effect is singularly brilliant, and reminds one of Dante's comparison of the church in heaven to a snow-white rose. The lower circuit of the cupola is filled with the history of the book of Genesis, ending abruptly with the Concealment of Joseph in the welL " The history of John the Baptist is represented on the southern wall, and that of the Virgin and our Saviour on the western and northern and on the triumphal arch. . . . The cupoletta of the chancel represents the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the traditional composition, as depicted in mosaic at S. Mark's ; and the walls of this little recess are completely lined with about forty small subjects, entirely taken from the Apocalypse, and treated with the most fearless originality ; one of them is delightfully quaint and naive the four angels kneeling on the four corners of the earth, and forcibly compressing with both hands the mouths of the four winds, represented as ^iolus' heads ; in spite, how- ever, of their utmost efforts, they cannot prevent great blasts escaping, and you almost hear the spluttering and fizzing that is going on. Others of these compositions are very grand, and the painter has combined, added, and taken away, with singular felicity. The lunette above the altar represents God the Father within a vesica piscis, the lamb lying in his bosom, the four beasts keeping watch around the throne, the lamp burning in front, the twenty-four elders, to the right and left, offering their crowns, the angels in front adoring. The four horsemen are represented in the four pennacki or pendentives of the cupola, the Vision is then continued round the walls and under the arches, the subjects being most skilfully adapted to the different spaces that were to be covered ; the seven trumpets, for instance, are carried from the summit of the small transverse arch to the left hand on entering the chancel, all round it, to the soffit of the corresponding transverse arch to the right hand, similarly, and with exquisite propriety, the seven last vials are disposed on the soffit of the triumphal arch of entrance, symbolical of 344 ITALIAN CITIES. death. It is the most complete and comprehensive illustration of the Apocalypse ever attempted in painting, and, rude as it undoubtedly is in detail, there are hints here by which a painter desirous of taking" a lofty flight might profit much." Lindsay's Christian Art. The Cathedral Library contains many illuminated MSS., Letters of Tasso, MSS. of Sperone Speroni, &c. The Via Teatro Concordi leads from hence (right) to the Palazzo Pappafava, which contains a curious sculptured group representing the fallen angels, of sixty figures carved out of a single block of marble, by Agostino Fasolato. There are a few rather good pictures here. Hence, by the Via Scaloni, we reach a bridge over the Bacchiglione, whence there is a good view of the fine old Torre di S. Tommaso, full of character, with exceedingly long machicolations. It was built by Eccelino, and was the scene of many of his cruelties ; now it is used as an Observatory. The Via Seminario leads from the bridge to the small Church of S. Bovo. On the left is the Church of S. Maria in Vanzo, which contains two pictures by Bartolommeo Mon- tagna at the high-altar, and a Burial of Christ by Bassano in the chapel on the left. Hence, turning to the left, we reach the vast and unique square called Pratodella Valle* On the right is the Gothic Loggia Munidpale. In the centre is a garden, surrounded by a canal, and peopled by a vast multitude of gigantic statues, representing all illustrious citizens of Padua, and many others who have any bond of connection with the town, including Gustavus of Sweden, who studied at the University in 1609. Beyond the statues rises, in eastern- looking domes * A ludicrous attempt is being made to change this time-honoured name to the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele! S. GIUSTINA. 345 Prato della Valle, Padua. The Church of S. Giustina, which dates, as it now stands, from 1532 49. Its fagade is unfinished, but very stately in its proportions. At the top of the steps are two griffins which belonged to an earlier church of the thirteenth century. Making the round of the church we may see : Right Aisle, ind Altar. Libert. S. Gertrude supported by angels. 4/ Altar. Luca Giordano. Death of S . Scholastica. yh Altar. Palma Giovane. S. Benedict and his disciples. Right Transept. An altar supposed to cover part of the body of S. Matthew. In the chapel behind this, is a well with bones of the Paduan martyrs at the bottom, and behind it the prison of the martyr S. Daniele, and a catacomb with the graves of S. Giustina and S. Pros- docimo, the first bishop of Padua, with the bull authorizing their canonization. Also the Chapel of S. Luca, with frescoes by Campagnola, and a Madonna (not black) set in gold, and brought in the eighth century from Constantinople. In front of the altar is the sleeping figure of S. Prosdocimo. Right of High- Altar. Parodi. A group of the Dead Christ with the Virgin, the Magdalen, and S. John. 346 ITALIAN CITIES. Choir. Stalls by A. Campagnola of 1556. The altar-piece is the Martyrdom of S. Giustina, by P. Veronese. Hence, a door on the right leads to another Choir, a remnant of the thirteenth-century church, which contains some fine tombs, of Ludovico Barbo, and Jacopo, a Doctor of Law. Left Transept. A tomb covering relics of S. Luke, with alabaster reliefs set in Serpentine, and an iron case containing the coffins in which the remains of the Evangelists were brought from Constantinople in 1 1 77. A little to the right of the church is the Orto Botanico, the earliest Botanic Garden in Europe, instituted 1543. On the right of the Prato della Valle the simple direction " Al Santo " indicates the way to S. Antonio. " No one among the disciples of S. Francis was more conspicuous than S. Anthony for holiness of life and the gift of persuasive eloquence. Although born in an age of fierce and unbridled passion, he preached peace and goodwill to men, enforced it by example, and so moved the vast audiences assembled around him, in city squares and open fields, that the bitterest enemies fell upon each other's necks and swore ever after to live like brothers. "In the sermons of S. Anthony, whose texts are developed by images fitted to touch the heart, and illustrated by striking similes, there is enough of sentiment and fancy to explain the interest which they excited in the minds of his hearers, who gave him all their confidence, because they were convinced 'che le sue parole rispondevano alia sua santa vita,' and because so many of them had witnessed his fearlessness in rebuking sin, when he saluted Eccelino the tyrant of Padua with the words, ' O most cruel tyrant, and mad dog ! the terrible sentence of God hangs over thee. When wilt thou cease to spill the blood of innocent men ? ' and had wondered at his power when they saw the monster, whom all feared, fall upon his knees, with a cord about his neck, before the man of God, confessing his sins and imploring pardon. " Perkins 1 Tuscan Sculptors.* * S. Anthony was once sent for to preach before the Pope and Cardinals in the Consistory, and " explained the word of God so devoutly, so sweetly, so clearly, and in a manner so efficacious and learned, that all who were in the Consistory, though they spoke different languages, understood what he said as perfectly as if he had spoken the language of each. And the Pope, considering the deep meaning of his words, exclaimed, ' In truth this man is the ark of the Testament, and the treasure of the Holy Scriptures.' " Fioretti di S. Francesco, xxxix. S, ANTONIO. 347 The vast Church of S. Antonio is one of the most extra- ordinary buildings in Italy. Externally it is like a mosque, a huge square mass surmounted by a crowd of domes and minarets. It was begun in honour of S. Antonio, immedi- ately after his death, from designs of Niccolb da Pisa, and was completed in 1307, being 280 ft. long by 188 ft. broad. "The Gothic elements which Niccolo used were a homage to the peculiar predilections of the followers of S. Francis ; the clustering Byzantine cupolas showed the effect produced upon him by the Church of S. Mark at Venice ; while the Romanesque fa9ade told that he had not forgotten the well-beloved Duomo at Pisa, under the shadow of whose walls his early years had been spent." Perkins' Tuscan Sculptors. The paved Piazza in front of the church is full of interest. On the left is the noble equestrian statue of the Venetian general Gattamelata (Erasmo da Narni) by Donatella, in- scribed " Opus Donatelli, Flor." "Being more conversant with human than equine anatomy, Donatello succeeded less well with the horse than the rider, who, dressed in armour, and holding the baton of command in his left hand, while the reins are gathered in his right, sits somewhat stiffly, though with considerable dignity, on the back of a ponderous war-horse, whose head wants nobility and fire, and whose heavy limbs seem ill adapted for pursuit or flight. Close observers have remarked that like the bronze horse which bears Bartolommeo Colleoni at Venice, like that painted by Paolo Uccello at Florence, this horse lifts two legs on the same side, which being con- trary to nature, surprises us in the work of one who studied her so care- fully as Donatello." Perkins' Tuscan Sculptors. On the right are the Museo, the Scuola del Santo, and the Chapel of S. Giorgio, and, close to the church, the tomb of Rolando Piazzola. The west front of the church is rather spoilt by recent re- parations. Over the central door is a fresco of S. Antonio and S. Bernardino, with the famous monogram of the latter 348 ITALIAN CITIES. painted by A. Mantegna in 1452. Above is a statue of S. Antonio, backed by an injured fresco, and then a range of pointed arches. The general effect of the interior, from its crowd of pictures, tombs, and sculpture of every description, with lamps hang- ing before the shrines, is quite magnificent. Making the round of the church we find Right Aisle. 1st Pillar. Antonio Boselli (a native of the Val Brembana). The Virgin and Child, with SS. Antonio, Buonaventura, Francis, and Paul a beautiful specimen of this rare master, who painted c. 15001536. Close to this is one of the two beautiful holy-water basons sur- mounted by figures of the Saviour and S. J. Baptist. "2nd Pillar. Fine tomb of Cardinal Pietro Bembo. 1st Chapel (of the Sacrament}. Beautiful bronze gates and orna- ments by Donatella. Picturesque tombs in red, black, and white marble, of (left) Gattamelata, and (right) his son. qth Pillar. Behind the pulpit a fresco by Stefano da Ferrara. Transept. Chapel of S. Felice, with a beautiful screen of red and white marble, built in 1372 76 by Andriolo da Venezia for Bonifazio de Lupi, Marchese di Sorogna, whose tomb is within, on the right of the altar. It was originally dedicated to S. James, but afterwards to S. Felix, when his remains were transported hither. Behind the altar is buried Bartolommea degli Scrovigni (sister of the builder of the Arena), who is said to have been poisoned by her husband Massilio da Carrara soon after their marriage. Over the altar are five statues of saints by Andriolo. The walls are entirely covered with frescoes of great beauty, by Jacopo Avanzi and Altichieri da Zevio. On the Left -wall begins the legendary story of S. James. I. Hermogenes the Magician sends Philetes to dispute with S. James : in the centre, S. James converts Philetes by his preach- ing : to the right Hermogenes sends his demons to arrest S. James and Philetes : in the right-hand corner the devils com- plain to them of Hermogenes. ?.. Altar wall, left, 1st lunette. Hermogenes is brought to S. James by the devils : Philetes burns the magical books : Hermogenes and Philetes converse with S. James. S. ANTONIO. 349 3. Middle lunette. S. James healing a paralytic man on the way to execution, and his decapitation. 4. Third lunette. Sea-shore in front of the castle of Queen Lupa ; an empty boat beside it, an angel holding the rudder ; Hermo- genes and Philetes lay the body on the stone, which shapes itself into a sarcophagus ; Queen Lupa, with her sister, looks down from the balcony of the castle. 5. Right-hand wall, to the left of the window. Hermogenes and Philetes arrested by a soldier of the Spanish king. 6. Right -wall, right of the window. Their imprisonment much defaced. 7. 1st of three lunettes on the outer wall. Their release from prison ; their pursuers are drowned. 8. Second lunette. The sarcophagus drawn by^wild oxen into Queen Lupa's palace. In the background they seem to go down on their knees before Hermogenes and Philetes. 9. Third lunette. Interior of Queen Lupa's palace : she receives baptism. 10. Left-hand watt, below No. I. Apparition'of S. James in a dream, to Don Ramiro I., King of Leon, and his deliberation there- upon with his council, which led to 11. The Defeat of the Saracens at Clavijo, A.D. 844 (when 70,000 infidels fell, and after which S. lago became the Spanish battle- cry) : S. James appears above the broken arch in the back- ground. * Left (entrance of Choir}. The Crucifixion, with those who foretold it, and saints standing below, by Montagnana, Right. A fresco, by Filippo. Veronese, of Gregory X. presenting the donor to the Virgin and Child, and close to it the curious painted effigy of Lupi da Parma under a canopy. Here is the entrance to the Sacristies. The Ante-chamber has a most curious fresco of S. Antonio preaching to the fishes at Rimini. The Sacristy is painted by Liberi. The Old Sacristy beyond is connected with the cloisters by open arches. The Cappella del Smtuario behind the high-altar is extremely rich in marbles and gilding. It possesses some minor fragments of the saint, his tongue, his chin, his hair, &c. f . . . In the second chapel beyond this is a fifteenth-century tomb by Antonio Tuni, in imitation of an early Christian sarcophagus. Right. The tomb of two Marchetti, professors in the University. Then a fresco of Christ bound and crowned with thorns, by Andrea Man- tegna. * See Lindsay's " Christian Art," ii. 341. 35 ITALIAN CITIES. Right, Cappella della Madonna Mora. A most picturesque chapel, full of effect and colour, containing the image from the church of S. Maria Nuova, which was venerated by S. Antonio. Part of the side wall is occu- pied by the grand fourteenth-century tomb of Raffaello Fulgoso. On the other side is the red marble sarcophagus of the Rogati, an ancient Paduan family. This was the original chapel of II Santo. The chapel within this, Cappella del Beato Luca Belludi, is entirely covered with frescoes, chiefly by Giusto Padovano, of the fourteenth century. Over the altar are the Virgin and Saints ; on the roof, the Evangelists ; on the left wall, the Crucifixion ; on the right, the story of S. Philip and S. James the Less ; within the tribune, the extraordinary miracles attributed to the Beato Belludi. Right (left transept}. The Cappella del Santo, begun in 1500 by Gio- vanni Mincllo and his son Antonio, continued by Sansovino, and finished in 1553 by Falconetto. In the centre is the tomb, before which many lamps burn eternally. The chapel is covered with reliefs which tell the story of the saint. It seems worth while giving Addison's translation of one of the many tablets hanging up in honour of the divinity of Padua. "To the thrice holy Anthony of Padua, delight (whiter than the lily) of the most holy Child of Bethlehem, highest son of seraphs, highest roof of sacred wisdom, most powerful worker of miracles, holy dispenser of death, wise corrector of error, pious deliverer from calamity, power- ful curer of leprosy, tremendous driver-away of devils, most ready and most trusty preserver of the sick and shipwrecked, restorer of limbs, breaker of bonds, stupendous discoverer of lost things, great and won- derful defender from all dangers, the most pious (next to God and his Virgin Mother) defender and safeguard." Left Aisle, Last Pillar but one. Magnificent tomb of Alessandro Con- tarini, I5S5 by Sanmichele, and fresco of the Madonna by Stefano da Ferrara. Last Pillar. The miraculous fourteenth-century ' ' Madonna dei Ciecchi." The Choir, which stands isolated in the church, has bronze gates by Tiziano Aspetti. The reliefs of the high-altar and the crucifix are by Donatella. The glorious bronze candelabrum, and two reliefs of the Translation of the Ark from the house of Abinadab and of the Story of Judith, are by the Paduan sculptor Andrea Briosco, called Crispo from his curling hair (1470 1532). The sculptor is himself introduced in the former of these. * In an unnamed grave before the Cappella del Crocefisso lies the body of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, who died at Padua, not without suspicion of poison, Oct. 4, 1566. S. ANTONIO. 351 The Cloisters are exceedingly interesting and filled with curious monuments, forming a perfect museum of Italian sepulchral art. In the south porch of the church is the tomb of Federigo da Lavalongo, with his effigy in armour, lying within a frescoed arch. The lady opposite, with her hands crossed upon her breast, is the learned Bettina di San Giorgio, " che fu di scienza un chiaro fonte," and who, as Professor of Ecclesiastical Law, gave public lectures before crowds of students in the Archigymnasium. Passing the opening arches of the Chapter-House, at the end of the cloister facing the south door, in a tomb adorned with spiral columns, niches, and a relief of the Madonna and Child, lies the famous lawyer, Rainerio degli Assendi : his feet rest against the huge volumes of his works. In the adjoining passage, which leads from the Chiostro del Capitolo to the Chiostro del Novi- ziato, is the tomb of Manno Donate, 1370, a Florentine Guelph who fought for Franscesco da Carrara, with an in- scription by Petrarch. Near this is the canopied sarco- phagus of the brothers Gerardo, Alberto, and Giovanni Bolparo. Beyond the Chiostro del Noviziato, and behind the east end of the church, are remains of a smaller and more ancient cloister adorned with terra-cotta, very interesting as being that in which S. Antonio used to walk, belonging to the old Church of S. Maria Nuova, which was destroyed when the present church was erected. To the left, from the west entrance of S. Antonio, is the little Church of S. Giorgio, built as a mausoleum for his family by Raimondino di Soragna in 1 3 7 7. It contains some interesting frescoes by Avanzi. The once splendid tomb of 352 ITALIAN CITIES. Soragna was mutilated by the French soldiers during their occupation of Padua in the last century. Close by, is the Scuola del Santo, surrounded with frescoes of the story of S. Antonio, all interesting. The best are by Titian : I. He causes an infant to speak to prove the innocence of his mother. , 11. He raises to life an innocent wife killed by her jealous husband. 12. He heals a child with a broken leg. The Convent of S. Antonio is gradually being turned into a Museum, and the Pictures, till lately at the Palazzo del Municipio, have been removed here. They are a very poor collection, but at the end of the gallery is : 1215. Girolamo Romanino. The Virgin and Child, with S. Prosdoci- mus, S. Giustina, S. Benedict, and S. Scholastica brought from the Coro Vecchio of S. Giustina. We may also notice : 1 8. Marco Basaiti. The Virgin and Child, with S. Peter and S. Liberali. 74. Bonifazio. Holy Trinity, with S. Catherine, S. Francis, and the Shepherds. The Statue of " The Reading Girl," by Magni of Milan, is here in one of the rooms. The Via S. Antonio falls into the Via S. Francesco oppo- site an old brick palace. Here, a little to the left, is (on the left, at the entrance of a side street) the so-called Tomb of. Antenor, a sarcophagus supported by pillars, beneath a brick canopy of the thirteenth century. The sarcophagus was discovered by some builders in 1274, and was found to contain a large skeleton, with a sword in his right hand. The sword was given to Alberto della Scala in 1334. An THE EREMITANL 353 inscription upon it was believed to indicate that the body was that of Antenor, the legendary founder of Padua : " Antenor potuit, mediis elapsus Achivis, Illyricos penetrare sinus atque intima tutus Regna Liburnorum, et fontes superare Timavi ; Unde per ora novem vasto cum murmure mentis It mare proruptum, et pelago premit arva sonanti. Hie tamen ille urbem Patavi, sedesque locavit Teucrorum et genti nomen dedit, armaque fixit Troia, nunc placida compostus pace quiescit." Virgil, ALn. iii. 243. Turning in the opposite direction (right) we reach (right) the Church of S. Francesco, entered through the cloisters, which contains frescoes by Girolamo da Santa Croce, 1530. To the left of the high altar is the monument of Pietro Ricca- bonella, Professor of Medicine, with two large reliefs by the Paduan sculptor Bartolommeo Bellano, 1430 1451. A street in front of S. Francesco leads to the curious little old Church of S, Sofia, believed to have been the original cathedral of Padua. Hence, after following the Via S. Sofia for some distance, a street on the right leads to the great Church ofthcEremitani, built c. 1270. It is a single nave ending in three arches, and has a roof by Fra Giovanni who gave the design of that at the Sala della Ragione. This roof is now painted blue and white, and spoils what would otherwise be a striking and beautiful building. It was here that (Dec. 24, 1585) the surpassingly beautiful body of Vittoria Accorambuoni, niece of Pope Sixtus V., lay in state, robed in satin, with her ducal coronet on her brows, and her long golden hair flowing around her, on the day after her murder by Prince Luigi Orsini. Meanwhile the Paduans watched her with fury for VOL. i. 23 3?4 ITALIAN CITIES. the crime " dentibus fremebant," says the chronicle and vowed vengeance for her death. On the left of the entrance is the tomb of Jacopo da Carrara, 5th Lord of Padua, the friend of Petrarch, who composed his Latin epitaph ; and opposite that of Ubertino de Carrara, 1354. Further, on the left, is the great tomb of Benavides, professor of law, 1583, by Ammonati. In the Choir are curious frescoes by Guariento di Arpo. The altar-piece by Fiumuelli represents Doge Andrea Gritti, in- troduced by four saints, presenting the city of Padua to the Virgin. The Chapel of SS. Christopher and James to the right of the high altar has also a number of frescoes. The best are by A. Mantegna, and represent the story of S. Christopher. The bronze-like figures on the altar are of terra-cotta by Giovanni da Pisa. In the Sacristy is a monument to Paulus de Venetiis, 1419, who is represented lecturing to his pupils. Here also is the tomb of Prince Frederick of Orange, 1799, who died at Padua in his 25th year. Close to the west door of the church, a gate on the left (a bell) leads into the Arena, the site of a Roman Amphitheatre, now a garden and vineyard, containing the famous Giotto's Chapel, properly S. Maria deW Arena, built c. 1303, by Enrico Scrovegno. He was the son of that Reginald, who, for his avarice, is placed by Dante in the /th circle of the Inferno. The chapel was given to the Cavalieri di S. Maria. The founder died in exile at Venice in 1320, but was buried here, where he has a monument (in which he is represented standing) in the sacristy, and a tomb with his worn reclining effigy behind the altar. Giotto was summoned to decorate the chapel about 1306 "summoned as being at that time the acknowledged master of painting in Italy." "The walls of the chapel are covered with a continuous meditative poem on the mystery of the Incarnation, the acts of Redemption, the vices and virtues of mankind as proceeding from their scorn or accept- ance of that Redemption, and their final judgment. "The first twelve pictures of the series are exclusively devoted to the apocryphal history of the birth and life of the Virgin (recorded in the 5. MARIA DELL: ARENA. 355 two apocryphal gospels known as the 'Protevangelion ' and the ' Gospel of S. Mary'). This the Protestant spectator will observe, perhaps, with little favour, more especially as only two compartments are given to the ministry of Christ, between his Baptism and Entry into Jerusalem. Due weight is, however, to be allowed to Lord Lindsay's remark, that the legendary history of the Virgin was of especial importance in this chapel, as especially dedicated to her service ; and I think also that Giotto desired to unite the series of compositions in one continuous action, feeling that to have enlarged on the separate miracles of Christ's ministry would have interrupted the onward course of thought. As it is, the mind is led from the first humiliation of Joachim to the Ascen- sion of Christ in one unbroken and progressive chain of scenes ; the ministry of Christ being completely typified by his first and last con- spicuous miracle : while the very unimportance of some of the subjects is useful in directing the spectator rather to pursue the course of the narrative, than to pause in satisfied meditation upon any single incident. And it can hardly be doubted that Giotto had also a peculiar pleasure in dwelling on the circumstances of the shepherd life of the father of the Virgin, owing to its resemblance to that of his own early years." J. Ruskin. The order of the frescoes is : 1 . The Offering of the holy Jew Joachim is rejected by the priest in the temple, because, having been married for twenty years to Anna his wife, God had not given him the blessing of children. 2. Joachim retires to mourn amongst his shepherds, leaving Anna desolate and ignorant of what had become of him. 3. An angel appears to console Anna, and tells her that God is about to answer her prayers, that she will give birth to a daughter, and that at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem she will find the husband she has lost. Judith, her maid, who has taunted her with her childlessness, is working in the passage. 4. Joachim offers an acceptable sacrifice of a burnt-offering. 5. The Angel appears to Joachim and forewarns him of the birth of the Virgin. 6. Joachim meets Anna at the Golden Gate. 7. The Birth of the Virgin. 8. The Presentation of the Virgin. 9. The High-Priest ordains that all men of the lineage of David who were not married should bring their rods to the altar ; and that to the man whose rod budded, and upon whom the Holy 356 ITALIAN CITIES. Spirit descended, the Virgin should be given. (Gospel of S, Mary, v. 1 6, 17.) 10. The Watching of the Rods at the altar. 11. The Betrothal of the Virgin. Joseph bears his rod, upon which the Holy Spirit is resting ; the unsuccessful suitors break their rods. 12. Joseph having gone to prepare his home, the Virgin returns for the time with seven virgins, her companions, to her father's house in Galilee. 13. 14. The Annunciation. 15. The Salutation. " I do not know any picture which seems to me to give so truthful an idea of the action with which Elizabeth and Mary must actually have met, which gives so exactly the way in which Elizabeth would stretch her arms, and stoop and gaze into Mary's face, and the way in which Mary's hand would slip beneath Elizabeth's arms, and raise her up to kiss her. I know not any Elizabeth so full of intense love, and joy, and humbleness ; hardly any Madonna in which tenderness and dignity are so quietly blended. She is not less humble, and yet accepting the reverence of Elizabeth as her appointed portion, saying, in her simplicity and truth, ' He that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is His name.' The longer that this group is looked upon, the more it will be felt that Giotto has done well to withdraw from it nearly all accessories of landscape and adornment, and to trust it to the power of its own deep expression. We may gaze upon the two silent figures until their silence seems to be broken, and the words of the question and reply sound in our ears, low, as if from far away : ' Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me ? ' ' My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.' " J. Ruskin. 1 6. The Nativity. 17. The Adoration of the Magi. 1 8. The Presentation in the Temple. 19. The Flight into Egypt. 20. The Massacre of the Innocents. 21. The Young Christ in the Temple. 22. The Baptism of Christ. 23. The Marriage of Cana. 24. The Raising of Lazarus. 25. The Entry into Jerusalem. 26. The Expulsion from the Temple. .S. ANTONINO. 357 27. The Bribery of Judas. 28. The Last Supper. 29. The Washing of the Feet. 30. The Betrayal. 31. The Trial before Caiaphas. 32. The Flagellation. 33. The Bearing of the Cross. 34. The Crucifixion. 35. The Entombment 36. The Resurrection. " With Giotto the leading thought is not of physical re-animation, nor of the momentarily exerted power of breaking the bars of the grave ; but the consummation of Christ's work in the first manifesting to human eyes, and the eyes of one who had loved Him and believed in Him, His power to take again the life He had laid down. " J. Ruskin. 37- The Ascension. "The works of Giotto speak most feelingly to the heart in his own peculiar language of Dramatic composition, he glances over creation with the eye of love, all the charities of life follow in his steps, and his thoughts are as the breath of the morning. A man of the world, living in it and loving it, yet with a heart that it could not spoil nor wean from its allegiance to God ' non meno buon Christiano che eccellente pittore,' as Vasari emphatically describes him his religion breathes of the free air of heaven rather than the cloister, neither enthusiastic nor superstitious, but practical, manly, and healthy." Lindsay's Christian Art. Half a mile outside the Porta Codalunga (the gate near the Railway Station), on the way to Altichieri, is (right) the Church of S. Antonino, built over the hermitage in which S. Antonio resided during the last year of his life, when he was daily preaching in Padua. Hither, having been taken ill while preaching at Campo S. Pietro, 18 miles distant, he was brought back in a common contadino's cart drawn by oxen, and here he died (June 13, 1231), while reciting his favourite hymn to the Virgin " O gloriosa Domina " in the rude brick chamber which is still preserved, like the cell at 35 ITALIAN CITIES. Assisi, within the present church. The brotherhood wished to keep his death a secret that they might bury him in the church, feeling sure that the people of Padua would carry off his remains, but moved by the Divine will, the children ran about the streets, crying, " II Santo e morto, II Santo e morto."* The scenes of his bringing back and his death, are represented on the church walls. (From Padua an excursion should be made in autumn or spring to the Euganean Hills Colli Euganei so called from the people who are mentioned by Livy as having occu- pied the whole tract from the Alps to the head of the Adriatic from which they were expelled by the Veneti. The highest point is Monte Venda, 533 met. Though pos- sessing no grandeur of scenery, these hills are full of luxuri- ant loveliness, and the views from their heights are those of a most Italian Italy " Beneath is spread like a green sea The waveless plain of Lombardy, Bounded by the vaporous air, Islanded by cities fair." Shelley. The easiest way of visiting the hills will be to go for at least one night to Este (which may be taken on the way to Ferrara) and seeing Arqua and Monselice from thence. The pleasantest time for the excursion is during the autumnal tints of the vintage. The long lines of mules upon the roads will recall the lines of R. Browning " You know, With us in Lombardy, they bring Provisions packed on mules, a string * Hence it is that, in ^ Padua, S. Anthony is simply called "II Santo," without adding his name. ABANO. 359 With little bells that cheer their task, And casks, and boughs on every cask To keep the sun's heat from the wine." On leaving Padua the Railway skirts the navigable canal of Battaglia. Abano (stat.) Inn. Orologio is celebrated for its mud baths, the muds being impregnated with the mineral waters of the hot springs which rise here at the foot of a little hill. The baths are greatly frequented, and the buildings are well fitted up. This is the Fons Aponus, so often celebrated by classical authors : " Euganeo, si vera fides memorantibus, augur Colle sedens, Aponus terris ubi fumifer exit." Lucan, viii. 193. "Etrusci nisi thermulis lavaris, lllotus morieris, Oppiane. Nullae sic tibi blandientur undae : Nee fontes Aponi rudes puellis." Martial, vi. Ep. 42. " Huic pater Eridanus, Venetasque ex ordine gentes, Atque Apono gaudens populus, seu bella cieret, Seu Musas placidus doctseque silentia vitae Mallet, et Aonio plectro mulcere labores, Non ullum dixere parem." Sil. Ital. xii. 217- "Felices, proprium qui te meruere coloni, Fas quibus est Apono juris habere sui ; Non illis terrena lues, corrupta nee Austri Flamina nee ssevo Sirius igne noceL Quod si forte malus membris exuberat humor Languida vel nimio viscera felle virent ; Von venas reserant, nee vulnere vulnera sanant, Pocula nee tristi gramine mista bibunt : Amissum lymphis reparant impune vigorem, Pacaturque, segro luxuriante, dolor." * ClauJian, Eidyl. Apon. 1 "Thrice happy are the swains, a favour'd throng, To whom thy treasures, Apoous, belong ; 3<5o ITALIAN CITIES. From an epigram of Martial " Censetur Apona Livio suo tellus " (I. Ixi. 3) it would appear that Titus Livius was born here and not at Patavium, but possibly " Apona tellus " only designates the territory of Patavium in general. Valerius Flaccus was born here, and, in later times, Pietro d'Abano, 1250. Montegrotto (stat.) has a Roman bath. Near this is Carrara di S. Stefano, where a famous Benedictine monas- tery was founded in 1330; it was suppressed in 1777. Several of the Carrara family are buried in the church. The marble tomb of Marsilio (1330) is adorned with reliefs. A Lombard inscription recording the death of Ubertino da Carrara in 1365, calls the family " Papafava, Lords of Carrara and Padua." Passing through a long tunnel, on the right is Castel Catajo, built in 1550 by Pio degli Obizzi. A member of this old Venetian family claimed to have invented the howitzer : it is now extinct, and its last representative bequeathed the castle to the Duke of Modena, on condition of his keeping it up. It contains frescoes by Gian-Battista Zelotti, ob. 1580, a pupil of Titian, and the friend and companion, though rival, of Paul Veronese. " One of his grandest works is at Catajo, where he represented, in dif- ferent rooms, the history of the ancient Obizzi family, distinguished no less in the council than in arms. The place is continually sought by foreigners, attracted thither by its splendour, by the fame of these No fell disease they fear, nor Auster's breath, Nor Sirius, charged with pestilence and death ; But if distemper fills the languid veins, Or bile, malignant in th' intestines reigns, No blood they draw, nor trenchant knife apply, Nor goblet drugg'd with nauseous med'cines try ; Thy waves alone their wasted strength restore ; The grateful draught is drunk, and pain exists no more-" Eustace. MONSELICE, ESTE. 361 pictures, and by the valuable museum of antiquities, collected by the Marchese Tommaso Obizzi, which in point of taste, abundance, and rarity of specimens, is calculated to confer honour upon the state." Lanzi. Battaglia (stat.) is a great Bath resort, only considered second to Abano. The springs belong to the Countess Wimpffen, who has a villa here. Monselice (stat.) Inn. Grand Hotel is the Mons Silicis. The Rocca, a 13th-century fortress, belonged to the House of Este. It is on a rock, guarded by long lines of curtain wall. The palace on this hill was built by Scamozzi for the Duoli family under the Venetian rule. In the Villa Cramer is the Esculapius of Canova, 1778. Este Stat. is 4 m. from the town of Este (Inn. La Speranza, tolerable), situated at the S.W. base of the Euganean Hills. It is a dull town, with many of the houses supported on heavy colonnades. In the Church of S. Maria delle Grazie is a beautiful Madonna by Cima da Conegliano, 1509. The Romanesque Church of S. Martino is modernized internally. The Castle has grand machicolations. It will be looked upon with interest as the fortress which gave a name to the House from which our own royal family are descended ; in- deed most of the royal families of Europe originate with Alberto Azzo, Marquis of Este, himself descended from the Adalbati, Margraves of Tuscany. His first wife, the Swa- bian Cunegunda, was mother of Welf (Guelph), Duke of Bavaria, from whose eldest son, Henry the Proud, the Dukes of Brunswick and the Kings of Hanover and England are descended. From Giulio, the second son of Welf, the Dukes of Modena and Ferrara descended. The grandmother of the late Duke (Francesco V.) of Modena was Maria Beatrice d'Este. Este itself passed into the hands of the Carraras in 1294. 362 ITALIAN CITIES. Castle of Este. (A carriage 6 to 8 frs. should be taken from Este to Arqua. The return may be varied by a visit to Monselice, or the railway may be re- joined there.) (Arqua is beautifully situated close under the green slopes of the Euganean Hills, here clothed with vineyards and orchards. The church and old houses group picturesquely where two ridges slope toward each other. This was the home of Petrarch, and his House stands on the hill-side, with a beautiful view over the wooded plains. It is marked by a small brick loggia, containing the chair in which he died, ink-stand, and his stuffed cat. " Petrarch retired to Arqua immediately on his return from the unsuccessful attempt to visit Urban V. at Rome, in 1370, and with the exception of his celebrated visit to Venice in company with Francesco Novello da Carrara, he appears to have passed the four last years of his life between this charming solitude and Padua. ARQUA. 363 For four months previous to his death he was in a state ot continual languor, and in the morning of July the iQth. 1374, was found dead in his library chair with his head resting upon a book." His memory adds a wonderful charm to the hills which he loved " Half-way up He built his house, whence as by stealth he caught, Among the hills, a glimpse of busy life That soothed, not stirred. But knock, and enter in. This was his chamber. 'Tis as when he went ; As if he now were in his orchard -grove. And this his closet. Here he sat and read. This was his chair ; and in it, unobserved, Reading, or thinking of his absent friends, He passed away as in a quiet slumber. " Rogers. Petrarch's House, Arqua. The soft repose of the scenery seems described in one of Petrarch's own verses "Qui non palazzi, non teatro, non loggia Ma'n lor vece un abete, un faggio, un pino, Tra 1'erba verde, e'l bel monte vicino, Onde se scende poetando e poggia Levan di terra al ciel nostro intelletto ; E '1 rossignuol che dolcemente all' ombra 364 ITALIAN CITIES. Tutte le notti si lamenta e piagne, D'amorosi pensieri il cor ne 'ngombra." Sonn. x. The Tomb of the Poet, a simple and stately sarcophagus of red Verona marble, is raised upon low pillars in front of the village church. It was erected by Francesco di Brossano, who had married his daughter Francesca. "There is a tomb in Arqua ; rear'd in air, Pillar'd in their sarcophagus, repose The bones of Laura's lover : here repair Many familiar with his well-sung woes, The pilgrims of his genius. He arose To raise a language, and his land reclaim From the dull yoke of her barbaric foes : Watering the tree which bears his lady's name With his melodious tears, he gave himself to fame. They keep his dust in Arqua, where he died ; The mountain village where his later days Went down the vale of years ; and 'tis their pride An honest pride and let it be their praise, To offer to the passing stranger's gaze His mansion and his sepulchre ; both plain And venerably simple, such as raise A feeling more accordant with his strain Than if a pyramid form'd his monumental fane. And the soft quiet hamlet where he dwelt Is one of that complexion which seems made For those who their mortality have felt, And sought a refuge from their hopes decay'd In the deep umbrage of a green hill's shade, Which shows a distant prospect far away Of busy cities, now in vain display'd, For they can lure no further ; and the ray Of a bright sun can make sufficient holiday. Developing the mountains, leaves, and flowers, And shining in the brawling brook, whereby, Clear as its current, glide the sauntering hours With a calm languor, which, though to the eye ROVIGO. 365 Idlesse it seem, hath its morality. If from society we learn to live, 'Tis solitude should teach us how to die ; It hath no flatterers ; vanity can give No hollow aid ; alone, man with his God must strive. " Byron, Childe Harold. Tomb of Petrarch, Arqua. "The revolutions of centuries have spared these sequestered valleys, and the only violence which has been offered to the ashes of Petrarch was prompted, not by hate, but veneration. An attempt was made to rob the sarcophagus of its treasure, and one of the arms was stolen by a Florentine through a rent which is still visible. The injury is not for- gotten, but has served to identify the poet with the country where he was born, but where he would not live. A peasant boy of Arqua being asked who Petrarch was, replied ' that the people of the parsonage knew all about him, but that he only knew that he was a Florentine.' " Notes to Childe Harold. The Pozzo di Petrarca, enclosing a clear spring, is said to have been built by the Poet for the benefit of his native place.) Rovigo (stat.) Inn. Corona Ferrea, is a rather pictur- esque little town on the wide Naviglio Adigetto. The chief feature is a tall tower in the Ghibelline battlements. There 366 ITALIAN CITIES. is a collection of pictures here, which has nothing great but its names. (Half way between Rovigo and Mantua is the town of Legnago, fortified by Sanmicheli, formerly one of the strongest fortresses of Austria in Venetia.) The railway continues through the rich low-lands, pro- tected by high embankments from the outbreaks of the Po and Adige, to Ferrara. See Chap, xxviii. CHAPTER XX. BASSANO AND THE FRIULIAN ALPS. IT is 21 miles from Vicenza to Bassano. A dili- gence (2 frs. 50 c.) leaves at 8 A.M. and 2 P.M., and performs the journey in 4 hours. The only place of interest we pass through is Marostica, with arcaded streets, old gates, and walls and towers extending up the hill above the town. The piazza has the Venetian pillars and lions, in extreme miniature. Bassano (Inn. S. Antonio, tolerable, but over-run with black beetles) is a fine old town with a covered bridge over the Brenta, and is overlooked by a fortress built by Eccelino da Romano, and now containing the parocchia. Bassano. Just within the bridge is the House, marked by a fresco 368 ITALIAN CITIES. of the Annunciation, of the famous family of Da Ponte, Jacopo(Bassano), born 1510; his father Francesco (Vecchio); and his three sons, Leandro, Francesco (Giovane), and Girolamo. The Museo Civico (open 9 till i P.M.), joining the principal church in the upper of the three piazzas, is filled with the works of the Da Ponte family, collected from the different churches and convents in the town, and form- ing a most interesting series. They are : Jacopo Bassano. A Venetian Podesta making a vow to the Virgin. Id. The Three Children condemned by Nebuchadnezzar. Id. The Woman taken in Adultery. Id. Susanna much retouched. Leandro Bassano* The Conversion of S. Paul. Id. The Marriage of S. Catherine. Id. SS. Sebastian and Michael. Francesco (Vecchio). S. Peter. Id. S. John Baptist. *Id. Madonna and Child throned, with SS. Peter and Paul. * Jacopo Bassano. The Flight into Egypt the first manner of the artist. *Id. S. John Baptist. *Id. Paradise or All Saints a glorious picture. *Id. The Baptism of Lucilla by S. Valentino perhaps the master- piece of the artist. Id. The Nativity. Id. S. Martin and the Beggar. In the corner, S. Antonio is intro- duced reading his pig gets under the horse's feet. Id. Moro, Podesta of Venice, makes a vow to the Virgin the colour of his robe is quite splendid. Id. The Vow of a Knight to S. John the Evangelist. Id. The Visit of Titian to the family of Da Ponte. Id. Pentecost in the third manner of Jacopo. Leandro Bassano. Podesta Cappello before the Virgin. The Presentation in the Temple by Francesco {Giovane), the Demons beneath by Jacopo. This picture illustrates the legend that when Christ was presented, Earth, Heaven, and Hell alike worshipped. Jacopo Bassano. The Crucifixion. * There are quantities of pictures by Leandro in the Ducal Palace and churches of Venice. BASS A NO. 369 Cirolamo Bassano (the youngest son of Jacopo). SS. Ermagora and Fortunato. yacopo Bassano. Madonna with SS. Agatha and Apollonia. Francesco (Vecchw). The Dead Christ with the Virgin, Nicodemus, S. John, and the Magdalen. The other pictures (unnumbered) in this gallery in- clude : Guarienti. The Crucifixion. Dario da Trevigi (of whom only three pictures are known). SS. J. Baptist and Bernardino. Girolamo S. Croce, 1519. The Calling of S. Matthew signed. Bonifacio. The Last Supper. Nosocchio da Bassano. Virgin and Child, with SS. Paul and John Baptist. Once the property of Canova, and greatly prized by him, are two subjects from the Story of Cleopatra, attributed to Paul Veronese. A large collection of the first models for the works of Canova is preserved here, presented after his death by his half-brother Bishop Canova, of whom there is a fine bust by Tenerani. Of the two large horses here, one was never cast, the other is that of Charles III. of Naples, and is to be seen there. There are many picturesque old houses in the town with outside frescoes, especially some in the piazzas, and that in which Lazzaro Buonamico was born, near the fortress. At the suburban Church of the SS. Trinita is a fine Crucifixion, with the Almighty and the Dove of the Holy Spirit above, by Jacopo da Ponte. There are symptoms of costume at Bassano. The women wear wide-awake hats, generally of black velvet, adorned with brilliant bunches of artificial flowers, and they have huge earrings and quantities of chains falling low round their necks. In church they put on handsome veils of black or VOL. i. 24 370 ITALIAN CITIES. white lace, which have a very pretty effect : in country-places the process of veiling and unveiling takes place at the church doors. (A diligence (3 frs. 50 c.) leaves Bassano for Padua at 4 A.M. and 2 P.M. daily, and performs the journey of 25 miles in 4 hours. The road passes through the market-town of Cittadella, which retains its old walls and towers. Giorgione was born near Castelfranco, a few miles from this, and one of his best pictures adorns the high altar of the parish church.) A diligence leaves Bassano for Feltre at 2 P.M. and 8 . 45 P.M., and in the summer months (after June i) at 4 A.M. It occupies 7 hrs. on the way. Not far from Bassano some curious caves are passed, which may be reached by a ferry. Feltre (Inn. Al Vapore) is a dull, unattractive place, and the mountains have no grandeur of form. The first Monte de Pieta was established here. Feltre may be used as a halt- ing-place by those who proceed (the road only fit for mules or in part of the way for very rough carriages) across the Austrian frontier, to La Fiera in the district of Primiero (Inn, Aquila Nera), amid very grand mountains. Near Primiero the curious rock-built castle, Castello della Pietra (on the road which may be taken by mules from thence to Agordo), should be visited. A drive of 3 hrs. may be taken to Martino de Castrozzo. From Feltre there is a dili- gence, or a carriage may be engaged (25 frs. with 2 horses), a drive of 3 hrs. to Belluno (Inns. II Cappello, Due Torre), the ancient Bellunum. It is a most picturesque town situated on a promontory at the junction of the Piave and the Ardo. BELLUNO. 371 The arcaded streets are full of fragments of mediaeval archi- tecture. The Palazzo Vecchio was built in 1400 by Giovanni Ac Belluuo. Candi, and is decorated with the arms and busts of the Venetian Podestas. The finest of the 14 churches is the Cathedral, built by Palladia. It contains : Giacomo Bassa.no. S. Lorenzo. Palma Giovane. The Deposition. Outside the Gothic Church of S. Stefano, which has an altar-piece of the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, is a curious ancient sarcophagus. The town has been terribly injured by earthquakes. Gregory XVI. was born at Belluno. The great valley of Belluno is portrayed in a picture by Titian, No. 635, in our National Gallery. Most beautiful are the views from hence at sunset, when 572 ITALIAN CITIES. "A sea Of glory streams along the Alpine height Of blue Friuli's mountains." Childe Harold. Peasants of Belluno (A carriage may be taken from Belluno (resting at Cer- cenighe), 3 hrs., by a grand gorge through the mountains to. Agordo (Inn. Albergo degli Miniere, large and good), sur- rounded with high mountains, which, though very colourless by day, become quite magnificent in the sunset. The grand- est peaks are those of the Cima di Vezzana. Hence a little carriage should be taken, passing the beautiful little Lake of Alleghe, in 4 hrs., to Caprile, on the Austrian frontier (Inn. Alle Marmolate, Signora Pezzi, humble, but good). The little piazza here retains its Venetian lion. All around are beautiful mountains, of which La Ctvetta, 10,400 ft., is the finest. It is a short walk to the very curious Sasso Ranch, with a fine view of the Civetta and Pelmo. Hence also, by mule or on foot/ the Lake of Alleghe and Castle of Andras TAI CADORE. 373 and the picturesque village of Buchenstein (a mule costs 18 frs.) may be visited. The road, a very rough one for light vehicles, can be continued by this to Cortina, Travellers going north will proceed from hence to Botzen by Campi- clello (Inn. Al Mulino), which is reached by the Fidaya Pass, on the summit of which (6,884 ft.) the frontier between Italy and Tyrol is passed. Hence it is two days' ride by Castelruth ( Weisse Lamb) to Waidbruck Station, on the line from Verona to Innsbruck. In going to Castelruth from Campidello two ways may be taken, but the most beautiful is that by S. Ulrich in the Grodner Thai. It is a drive of about 3^ hrs. (a carriage with two horses, 35 frs.) from Belluno to Tai Cadore. At the village of Termini, are a narrow gorge and magnificent peaks. At Perarolo, crossing the bridge over the Boita, the Antelao mountain comes in sight. Tai (Albergo Cadore) has a better inn than Pieve di Cadore i m. further, though the scenery is finer at the latter. At Tai is the humble house in which the great master Tiziano Vecelli da Cadore was born in 1477, the son of Gregorio Vecelli and his wife Lucia, who was of Venetian birth. The little fountain in front is surmounted by a statue of his patron S. Tiziano, Bishop of Odessa, himself a member of the Vecelli family. On the tower of the Pre- fettura is a fresco, and in the Church are two pictures, at- tributed to Titian (the Virgin is asserted by the natives to be a portrait of his young wife), and a water-colour picture of the Madonna surrounded by cherubs by Antonio Rossi t Cadorino ; it is signed " Opus Antonii Rubei." This Antonio is now believed to have been the first master 374 ITALIAN CITIES. of Titian, who was intended by his father for the law. but evinced his genius by colouring a figure of the Virgin so *e Titian's House, Tai Cadore. beautifully with the juice of flowers that he was sent while very young to reside at Venice with his uncle Antonio Vecelli, that he might study art, which he did, first under Sebastiano Zuccati the mosaicist, and then under Gentile Bellini. His elder brother Francesco, who for some time also devoted himself to art, retired to Cadore at an early period of his life, and enriched himself there by trading in timber, but he passed the winter with Tiziano in Venice. Their parents seem to have survived till the great master had attained his fiftieth year, and he constantly visited them at Cadore. Francesco (born 1476) died in 1560. The only sister, Orsa, who lived with Titian at Venice, and took care of his domestic affairs, died in 1550. Titian himself survived, in full possession of all his powers, rich, honoured, and beloved, and daily practising his art, till his 99th year, when he was cut down by the plague, which was raging at TAI CADORE. 375 Venice. At the age of 90 he had still been able to under- take the troublesome journey to Cadore, where he would pass the hot months amongst his cousins who lived there, and at the time of his death he was wishing to fly thither, but settled his departure too late, after the authorities of Cadore had prohibited communication with the infected city. He desired by will that he might be buried in the church of his native village, but this also was not complied with from fear of infection, though in his case, the rule de- priving all who died from the plague of the honours of burial was broken through, and he was honourably though quietly interred in the church of the Frari. His wife, who died very young, had left him three children, Pomponio, a canon (1513 1580); Horatio, an artist (1515 1576); and Cornelia, married to Cornelio Sarcinello. The family of the Vecelli was continued at Cadore in the person of the painter's first- cousin, Tommaso Tito Vecelli, a lawyer, who married the daughter of Giacomo Alessandrini, of the parish of Cadore, and had two sons, Marco and Graziano ; Marco, himself an artist, was the father of the painter Tiziano, called Tizianello, the godson of the great Titian, who died in Venice c. 1650. It is interesting that the chemist's shop adjoining Titian's house should still be kept by one of the Vecelli family. Ariosto speaks of the connection of Titian with Cadore . " E Tizian che honora Non men Cador, che quei Venezia, e Urbino." Hence it is a drive of 3 hrs. to Cortina d'Ampezzo a rough carriage with one horse, 20 frs. (Inn. Aquila JVera, excellent and reasonable), on the beautiful Ampezzo pass. The road passes through Venas, where travellers will be 376 ITALIAN CITIES. amused with the sign of the Inn, in which two geese are drinking out of the ink-stand, and finding it delicious. Cortina is surrounded by grand mountains, of which the finest are the Pelmo, the Antelao, and the Cristallo. Excur- sions should be made, on mules or on foot, to the Tre Croci \\\ hr.), and 2 hrs. further to the Misurino Lake. The ascent of the Guesella scarcely repays its fatigue. Hence the traveller going north will probably proceed by Landro and Lienz to Heiligenblut, whence he may go by Ferleiten to Salzburg. On all these mountain excursions on foot, it will be well to bear in mind the verdict of the Alpine Club " Do not dispense with a guide, except when and where you are ca- pable of taking his place." Travellers should remember that the charges of porters employed to carry luggage across the mountains are enormous, much higher than those for mules yet these are very expensive, especially for luggage generally as much as 10 Gulden (;i) a day for each. END OF VOL. I. IN DEX. A. Abano, i. 359 Agordo, i. 372 Alassio, i. 20 Albaro, i. 57 Albenga, i. 21 Albizzola, i. 26 Alessandria, ii. 185 Altopasico, ii. 507 Alzano Maggiore, i. 227 Ambrogiana, villa of, iii. 249 Ancona, ii. 390 400 Arch of Trajan, 393 Cathedral, 395 Churches S. Agostino, 398 S. Ciriaco, 395 S. Francesco dell' Ospedale, 399 S. Maria della Misericordia, 398 S. Maria Piazza, 398 Loggia dei Mercanti, 398 Palazzo del Comune, 400 Anghiari, iii. 411 Angrogna, i. 105 Antelao, the, i. 373 Aosta, i. 109 Arcola, i. 68 Arezzo, iii. 322 331 Amphitheatre, 331 Cathedral, 324 Churches S. Annunziata, 331 Badia, La, 329 S. Francesco, 327 S. Maria della Pieve, 323 Confraternita della Misericordia, 326 Palazzo Pubblico, 323 I Arezzo continued. Piazza Grande, 325 Arona, i. 206 Arqua, i. 362 Asciano, iii. 314 Assisi, iii. 370 401 Cathedral, 380 Churches S. Antonio, 382 S. Chiara, 381 Chiesa Nuova, 380 S. Damiano, 396 S. Francesco, 384 S. Francesco delle Carcere, 394 S. Maria degli Angeli, 373 Rio Torto, 399 S. Rufino, 380 Porziuncula, La, 375 Temple of Minerva, 379 Avellana, ii. 439 Avenza, i. 70 Avigliana, i. 89 B. Badia di Settimo, iii. 214 Bagnacavallo, ii. 296 Bagni di Lucca, ii. 505 Barga, ii. 506 Bassano, i. 367 Battaglia, i. 361 Baveno, i. 210 Belcaro, castle of, iii. 294 Belgirate, i. 207 Bellaggio, i. 195 Bellosguardo, iii. 211 Belluno, i. 370 Bergamo, i. 216 Accademia, 225 Cappella Colleoni, 224 INDEX. Bergamo continued. Cathedral, 224 Churches S. Agostino, 224 S. Andrea, 227 S. Bartolommeo, 227 S. Bernardino, 227 S. Chiara, 217 S. Grata, 224 S. Maria Maggiore, 219 S. Spirito, 226 S. Tommaso in Limine, 227 Bergeggi, i. 23 Bevagna, iii. 416 Bibbiena, iii. 228 Biella, i. 114 Blevio, i. 193 Bobbi, i. 105 Bobbio, ii. 194 Bologna, ii. 246 294 Accademia delle Belle Arti, 268 Antico Archiginnasio, 257 Campo Santo, 294 Casa Galvani, 287 Lambertini, 265 Rossini, 276 Cathedral, 258 Certosa, the, 294 Churches S. Annunziata, 285 S. Bartolommeo di P. Rave- gnata, 261 S. Bartolommeo di Reno, 288 S. Benedetto, 289 S. Caterina Vigri, 285 S. Cecilia, 284 S. Cristina, 277 S. Domenico, 281 S. Francesco, 287 S. Giacomo Maggiore, 262 S. Giorgio, 289 S. Giovanni in Monte, 277 S. Gregorio, 289 S. Lucia, 280 La Madonna di S. Luca, 293 di Galiera, 259 di Mezzaratta, 290 di Misericordia, 280 in Monte, 289 S. Maria dei Servi, 276 S. Martino, 266 S. Michele in Bosco, 293 S. Niccol6, 288 S. Paolo, 286 Bologna continued. S. Petronio, S. Pietro, 258 S. Procolo, 284 S. Salvatore, 287 R. Stefano, 278 S. Trinita, 277 S. Vitale ed Agricola, 275 Collegio di Spagna, 286 Crocetta di Trebbio, 294 Giardini Pubblici, 289 Liceo Rossini, 265 Loggia dei Mercanti, 261 Montagnola, 289 Orto Botanico, 275 Palazzo Albergati, 287 Bentivoglio, 275 Bevilacqua, 286 Bianchi, 277 Bolognini, 280 Fantuzzi, 276 Fava, 259 Grabinski, 284 Hercolani, 277 Malvezzi Campeggi, 265 Marescalchi, 288 Montanari, 289 Pedrazzi, 276 Pepoli, 280 Piella, 259 del Podesta, 252 Pubblico, 252 Zamheccari, 286 Zampieri, 276 Piazza S. Domenico, 280 Maggiore, 254 Nettuno, 251 Portico dei Banchi, 254 Torre degli Asinelli, 260 della Garisenda, 260 Borgo S. Donino, ii. 204 Borgo S. Sepolcro, iii. 407 Bracco, pass of, i. 62 Brescia, i. 241 254 Biblioteca Quirimana, 245 Broletto, 243 Castle, 253 Cathedrals, 244 Churches S. Afra, 249 S. Alessandro, 250 S. Clemente, 246 S. Domenico, 251 S. Faustino Maggiore, 251 S. Francesco, 251 S. Giovanni Evangelista, 252 INDEX. Brescia continued. S. Giulia, 247 Madonna delle Grazie, 250 delle Miracoli, 250 S. Maria Calchera, 247 S. Nazzaro e Celso, 250 S. Pietro in Oliveto, 253 Museo Civico, 247 Patrio, 245 Palazzo del Municipio, 243 Torre del Orologio, 243 delta Palata, 251 Brianza, the, i. 190 Brienno, i. 194 Broni, ii. 186 Buonconvento, iii. 299 Busseto, ii. 204 C. Cadenabbia, i. 195 Cagli, ii. 433 Caldiero, i. 321 Camaldoli, convent of, iii. 242 Camerino, ii. 418 Camerlata, i. 183 Camogli, i. 58 Campaldino, iii. 223 Campi, School of the, i. 231 Campione, i. 258 Campo Reggiano, iii. 403 Campo Rosso, i. 8 Caprese, iii. 412 Caprile, i. 372 Careggi, villa of, iii. 219 Carmagnola, i. 93 Carrara, i. 70 Carrara di S. Stefano, i. 360 Casale, i. 117 Cascina, iii. 251 Casebruciate, ii. 392 Casentino, the, iii. 226 Castagnolo, iii. 215 Casteggio, ii. 186 Castel Arquato, ii. 204 Castel Catajo, i. 360 Castelfidardo, ii. 401 Castel Franco, i. 370 Castel Guelfo, ii. 206 Castellaro, i. 18 Castello, iii. 219 Castelluzzo, i. 103 Castel Secco, iii. 331 Castiglione, i. 210 Castiglione Fiorentino, iii. 332 Castiglione d'Olona, i. 204 Cavallermaggiore, i. 94 Centa, river, i. 22 Cernobbio, i. 193 Cerreto-Guidi, iii. 250 Certaldo, iii. 251 Certosa, the, i. 166 of the Val d'Emo, iii. 208 Cervaro, i. 60 Cervi, i. 20 Cesena, ii. 363 Cesenatico, ii. 350 Chatillon, i. 109 Chiana, Val di, iii. 321 Chiaravalle, i. 163 Chiavari, i. 61 Chiavenna, i. 197 Chioggia, ii. 141 Chivasso, i. 117 Chiusi, iii. 319 Cittadella, i. 370 Citta di Castello, iii. 403 Citta del Pieve, iii. 321 Civitella Raniari, iii. 403 Cogoletto, i. 27 Colico, i. 197 Como, i. 184 Como, lake of, i. 192 Cortina d' Ampezzo, i. 375 Cortona, iii. 333 338 Cathedral, 337 Churches S. Agostino, 338 S. Domenico, 334 S. Margherita, 335 S. Niccol6, 335 Fortezza, 336 Etruscan Museum, 336 Cospaglia, Republic of, iii. 407 Courmayeur, i. in Cremona, i. 230 240 Baptistery, 237 Campo Santo, 238 Castle, 240 Cathedral, 232 Churches S. Abbondio, 233 S. Agata, 232 S. Agostino, 232 S. Giacomo in Breda, 232 S. Luca, 232 S. Margherita, 232 S. Nazzaro, 233 S. Pelagia, 233 S. Pietro al Po, 233 S. Sigismondo, 239 Palazzo Maggi, 232 INDEX. Cremona continued. Palazzo Pubblico, 238 Torrazzo, 237 Cuneo, i. 95 Custozza, i. 302 D. Desenzano, i. 255 Diano Marina, i. 20 Dolceacqua, i. 9 Domo d'Ossola, i. 210 Dongo, i. 197 Donnaz, i. 108 E. Empoli, iii. 249 Erba, i. 190 Este, i. 361 Euganean Hills, i. 358 F. Faenza, ii. 353 Fano, ii. 387 390 Feltre, i. 370 Fermo, ii. 414 Fiesole, iii. 193 Finale Marina, i. 23 Fiorenzuola, ii. 204 Florence, iii. i 188. Accademia della Crusca, 18 delle Belle Arti, 131 Filarmonica, 80 del Pimento, 18 Badia, La, 54 Baptistery, 101 Bargello, 57 Bigallo, 91 Borgo dei Greci, 69 S. Apostoli, 8 1 dei Pinti, 140 S. Jacopo, 181 Bridges (Ponte) Carraja, 161 S. Trinita, 161 Vecchio, 164 alle Grazie, 168 Campanile of Giotto, 94 Canto delle Colonnine, 68 Cantonata dei Pazzi, 52 Cascine, the, 160 Cathedral, 95 Collegio Eugeniano, 105 Florence continued. Cemeteries Florentine, at S. Miniato, 201 Jewish, 1 88 Protestant, 142 Churches S. Ambrogio, 143 S. Ahnunziata, 138 S. Apostoli, 81 S. Apollonia, 114 La Badia, 55 S. Biagio, 82 Calze, le, 184 S. Carlo Borromeo, 87 Carmine, the, 185 S. Croce, 69 S. Elisabetta, 184 S. Firenze, 67 S. Frediano, 188 S. Gaetano, 149 S. Giovanni Battista, 101 S. Giovannino, 117 S. Jacopo sopr' Arno, 181 S. Leonardo in Arcetri, 42 S. Lorenzo, 108 S. Lucia, 160 S. Maddalena dei Pazzi, 141 S. Marco, 129 S. Maria in Campidoglio, 89 dei Fiore, 95 Maggiore, 107 Nipaticosa, 88 Novella, 149 sopr' Arno, 165 S. Margherita dei Ricci, 50 S. Martino, 49 S. Niccol6, 169 Ogni Santi, 161 Or S. Michele, 83 S. Piero Buonconsiglio, 89 Scheraggio, 42 S. Pietro Maggiore, 54 S. Salvador, 161 S. Sitnone, 80 S. Spirito, 182 S. Stefano, 82 S. Trinita, 15 Convents S. Apollonia, 114 Carmine, 185 S. Croce, 78 Maratte, 79 S. Maddalena dei Pazzi, 141 S. Marco, 117 S. Maria degli Angeli, 140 S. Maria Novella, 159 INDEX. Florence continued. S. Onofrio, 158 Croce al Trebbio, 149 Egyptian Museum, 159 Fortezza di S. Giorgio, 169 Galleries Uffizi, 19 Feroni, 34 Pitti, 172 Gardens Boboli, 181 Ruccellai, 160 Torregiani, 184 Gates (Porta) S. Frediano, 188 S. Gallo, 114 S. Giorgio, 169 S. Niccolo, 169 S. Romana, 185 Hospitals (Ospedale) Innocenti, 138 S. Maria Nuova, 144 della Scala, 159 S. Matteo, 151 Misericordia, 92 Houses (Case) of Alfieri, 17 S. Antonino, 170 Corso Donati, 54 Dante, 49 Folco Portinari, 50 Fra Bartolommeo, 184 Ghiberti, 144 Guidi, 170 Mariotto Albertinelli, 49 Michael Angelo, 80 Niccol6 Soderini, 182 S. Zenobio, 82 Libraries Magliabecchian, 18 Marucelliana. 117 Nazionale, 18 Palatine, 18 Riccardi, 117 Marzocco, the, 43 Mercato Nuovo, 82 Vecchio, 89 Palaces (Palazzo) Alessandri, 53 Antinori, 149 Arte di Lana, 87 Barbadori, 181 Barberini, 69 Borgherini, 81 Canigiani, 168 Capponi, 140 Florence continued. della Cavajola, 89 Cento Finestre, 107 Cerchi, 49 Cocchi, 69 Conte Bardi, 80 Corsini, 162 dei Galli, 53 Gondi, 67 Guadagni, 184 Guicciardini, 171 Martelli, 117 della Mercanzia, 36 Montalvo, 53 del Municipio, 81 Nonfinito, 52 Orlandini, 107 Pandolfini, 114 Pitti, 171 Quaratesi, 52 Riccardi, 115 Ridolfi, 171 Rinuccini, 182 Salviati, 50 Seristori, 69 Spini, 17 Strozzi, 146 Stufa, 69 Torrigiani, 168 del Turco, 81 Uffizi, 18 Uguccione, 36 Valori, 54 Vecchio, 42 Velluti Zuti, 140 Passage of the Ponte Vecchio, 35 Piazza della Annunziata, 137 d'Azeglio, 143 del Carmine, 188 dei Castellani, 68 S. Croce, 69 del Duomo, 104 S. Felicita, 169 S. Firenze, 67 dei Giudici, 68 del Grano, 68 dell' Indipendenza, 158 Manin, 161 S. Maria Novella, 149 S. Miniato tra due Torre, 90 de Renai, 169 della Signoria, 35 S. Spirito, 184 S. Trinita, 15 JADEX. Florence continued. Streets (Via) Albizzi, 52 Allegri, 79 S. Agostino, 184 dei Bardi, 165 Calimala, 91 Calzaioli, 83 Cerretani, 149 Condotta, 48 S. Egidio, 144 dei Fibbiai, 141 del Fosso, 80 S. Gallo, 114 dei Ginori, 114 Giraldi, 80 Ghibellina, 79 Guicciardini, 169 Maggio, 170 dei Malcontenti, 78 della Mandorla, 140 Marsigli, 170 della Morta, 104 Nazionale, 158 dei Oricellari, 159 Parione, 162 Pelliceria, 91 della Pergola, 141 dei Pinti, 141 Por S. Maria, 82 Porta Rossa, 83 S. Sebastiano, 141 Seragli, 184 S. Spirito, 183 Tornabuoni, 146 dei Vecchietti, 89 Theatre of the Pagliano, 80 Towers (Torre) dei Amidei, 82 Barbadore, 112 Bocca di Ferro, 49 dei Donati, 50 S. Zenobio, 82 Foligno, iii. 4.15 Forli, ii. 356 362 Cathedral, 357 Citadel, 362 Churches S. Girolamo, 358 S. Mercuriale, 357 The Servi, 359 Pinacoteca, 359 Forlimpopoli, ii. 363 P\>rt Bard, i. 108 Fratta, iii. 402 Furlo, pass of the, ii. 432 G. Galicano, ii. 506 Gallinara, island of, i. 21 Garda, i. 260 Garda, lake of, i. 256 Gargnano, i. 258 Garlanda, i. 22 Genoa, i. 29 56 Acqua sola, promenade of, 47 Albergo dei Poveri, 47 Banco di S. Giorgio, 36 Campo Santo, 57 Cathedral, 37 Churches S. Agostino, 54 S. Ambrogio, 42 S. Annunziata, 46 S. Donate, 54 S. Giacomo, 53 S. Giovanni di Pre", 51 S. Maria di Carignano, 54 S. Maria di Castello, 53 S. Matteo, 39 S. Siro, 46 S. Stefano, 56 House of Andrea Doria, 39 Loggia dei Banchi, 35 Piazza Acqua Verde, 50 Bianchi, 35 Carlo Felice, 42 Embriaci, 53 Pontoria, 54 Ponte di Carignano, 54 Porta di S. Andrea, 56 S. Tommaso, 51 Porto Franco, 36 Strada degli Orefici, 35 Gombo, the, ii. 479 Gravedona, i. 197 Gravellona, i. 210 Gressoney S. Jean, i. 215 Gubbio, ii. 434 438 Guesella, the, i. 376 I. Idro, lake of, i. 260 II Deserto, i. 27 Imola, ii. 296 Impruneta, iii. 210 Inciso, i. 190 Intra, i. 211 Iseo, lake of, i. 228 INDEX. Isola Bella, i. 207 Comaccina, i. 194 dei Frati, i. 257 S. Giulio, i. 213 Madre, i. 209 dei Pescatore, i. 209 Ivrea, i. 108 La Cattolica, ii. 385 Civetta, i. 372 Chiusa, i. 91 Falterona, iii. 241 Penna, iii. 241 Tour, i. 103 Vernia, iii. 229 Verruca, ii. 480 Lampedusa, i. 18 Laveno, i. 211 Lecco, i. 195 Leghorn, ii. 481 Legnago, i. 366 Lerici, i. 66 Levanto, i. 63 Limone, i. 258 Loano, i. 22 Locarno, i. 212 Lonigo, i. 321 Loreto, ii. 402 411 Lucca, ii. 491 504 Cathedral, 492 Churches S. Cristoforo, 504 S. Francesco, 497 S. Frediano, 498 S. Giovanni, 466 S. Giusto, 504 S. Maria Forisportam, 497 S. Maria della Rosa, 497 S. Michele, 500 S. Pietro Somaldo, 497 S. Romano, 504 S. Salvatore, 504 Galleria delle Belle Arti, 501 Palazzo Guinigi, 497 Pubblico, 492 Lucignano, iii. 314 Lugano, i. 200 lake of, 5. 199 Lugliano, ii. 506 Lugo, ii. 296 Luino, i. 201, 211 Luna, i. 69 M. Macagno Inferiore, i. 211 Macerata, ii. 413 Macugnaga, i. 210 Maderno, i. 258 Madonna d'Oropa, i. 114 Maggiore, lake of, i. 206 Malcesine, i. 260 Malmantile, iii. 215 Mantua, i. 303 320 Argine del Mulino, 306 Casa di Mantegna, 313 Castello di Corte, 310 Cathedral, 308 Churches S. Andrea, 312 S. Maria delle Grazie, 317 S. Sebastiano, 312 Museo, 311 Palazzo Bianchi, 311 Castiglione, 311 Ducale, 309 Guerrieri, 311 della Ragione, 312 del Te, 313 Piazza. Dante, 312 delle Erbe, 312 S. Pietro, 317 Virgiliana, 311 Ponte S. Giorgio, 311 Torre della Gabbia, 308 del Zuccaro, 308 Malelica, ii. 417 Menaggio, i. 199 Mendrisio, i. 189 Metaurus, the, ii. 391 Milan, i. 121 163 Arco della Pace, i. 151 Archaeological Museum, 153 Biblioteca Ambrosiana, 148 Brera, the, 153 Castello, 152 Cathedral, 124 Cenacolo of Leonardo da Vinci, 145 Churches S. Ambrogio, 130 S. Carlo Borromeo, 150 S. Celso, 138 S. Eustorgio, 136 S. Fedele, 150 S. Giorgio in Palazzo, 130 S. Giovanni in Conca, 142 $. Lorenzo, 135 INDEX. Milan continued. S. Marco, 156 S. Maria del Carmine. 152 S. Maria delle Grazie, 145 S. Maria presso S. Celso, 138 S. Maurizio, 144 S. Nazaro Maggiore, 138 S. Pietro Martire, 136 S. Satire, 142 S. Sempliciano, 151 S. Sepolcro, 149 S. Stefano in Broglio, 141 Colonne di S. Lorenzo, 131 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, 139 La Scala, Theatre of, 150 Loggia degii Ossi, 145 Ospedale Maggiore, 140 Palazzo della Citta, 145 del Ragione, 145 Litta, 145 Trivulzi, 139 Piazza d'Armi, 151 del Duomo, 129 della Scala, 150 del Tribunale, 145 Seminario Arcivescovile, 150 Mincio, the, i. 303 Mirabouc, i. 105 Modena, ii. 232 245 Cathedral, 235 Churches S. Francesco, 244 S. Giovanni Decollate, 245 S. Maria Pomposa, 245 S. Pietro, 244 S. Vincenzo, 244 La Ghirlandaja, 237 Palazzo Ducale, 240 Piazza Reale, 240 Grande, 236 Pinacoteca, 240 University, 244 Moncalieri, i. 89 Monferrat, duchy of, i. 117 Monselice, i. 361 Monte- Aperto, iii. 297 Montebello, i. 321 ; ii. 186 Monte Berico, i. 331 Montecatini, ii. 507 Monte Catini, mines of, ii. 489 Montecchio, i. 333 ; ii. 226 Monte Chiaro, ii. 194 Monte C'onero, ii. 400 Monte Corona, iii. 403 Montefalco, iii. 417 Monte Generoso, i. 189 Montegrotto, i. 360 Montelupo, iii. 248 Monte Murlo, ii. 522 Monte Nero, ii. 482 Montepulciano, iii. 315 Monteriggione, iii. 252 Monte !S. Bartolo, ii. 387 Monte Venda, i. 358 Monte Zago, ii. 204 Montjovet, i. 109 Monza, i. 179 Moriano, ii. 504 Murano, ii. 149 Musso, i. 197 Muzzano, lake of, i. 201 N. Nervi, i. 58 Nesso, i. 194 Noli, i. 23 Novalesa, i. 92 Novara, i. 168 O. Olera, i. 227 Orta, lake of, 212 Orvieto, iii. 321 Osimo, ii. 401 P. Padua, i. 335358 Archivio Pubblico, 341 Baptistery, 342 Cathedral, 342 Churches S. Antonio, 347 S. Antonino, 351 S. Bovo, 344 Carmine, 338 Eremitani, 353 S. Francesco, 353 S. Giorgio, 351 S. Giustina, 345 S. Maria dell' Arena, 353 S. Maria Nuova, 351 S. Maria in Vanzo, 344 II Bo, 341 Loggia del Consiglio, 339 Municipale, 344 Orto Botanico, 346 Palazzo del Capitan, 339 del Municipio, 341 INDEX. Padua contin tied. Papa fa va, 344 della Ragione, 340 Piazza S. Antonio, 347 delle Erbe, 339 delle Frutte, 339 del Signori, 339 Prato della Valle, 344 Scuola del Santo, 352 Tomb of Antenor, 352 Torre d' Ezzelino, 339 S. Tommaso, 344 University, 339 Pallanza, i. 211 Palmaria, island of, i. 65 Parma, ii. 207 225 Archjsological Museum, 219 Baptistery, 216 Camera di S. Paolo, 224 Cathedral, 211 Churches S. Alessandro, 218 Annunxjata, 225 S. Giovanni Evangelista, 212 S. Maria della Steccata, 217 S. Sepolcro, 211 Collegio Lalatta, 211 Palazzo Farnese, 219 del Giardino, 225 Pilotta, 225 Piazza di Corte, 217 Grande, 211 Pinacoteca, 220 Teatro Farnese, 219 Parola, ii. 206 Passerine, iii. 411 Pavia, i. 172 178 Bridge, 177 Castello, 175 Cathedral, 173 Churches S. Croce, 174 S. Francesco, 176 S. Maria delle Carmine, 174 S. Michele, 176 S. Pietro in Cielo d'Oro, 174 Collegio Ghislieri, 176 Palazzo Malaspina, 174 Tomb of S. Augustine at, 173 University of, 175 Pegli, i. 27 Pelago, iii. 223 Pella, i. 213 Pelmo, the, i. 376 Perarolo, i. 373 Peretola, iii. 216 Perugia, iii. 343 367 Arco d'Augusto, 356 Biblioteca Pubblica, 347 Casa Baldeschi, 346 di Pietro Perugino, 363 Cathedral, 350 Churches S. Agnese, 358 S. Agostino, 357 S. Angelo, 357 S. Antonio, 355 S. Bernardino, 362 S. Domenico, 364 S. Ercolano, 363 S. Francesco degli Conven- tual!, 362 S. Francesco al Monte, 358 S. Giuliana, 367 S. Lorenzo, 356 S. Maria Assunta, 356 S. Maria di Monte Luco, 363 S. Pietro dei Casinensi, 365 S. Severe, 355 Etruscan Museum, 362 La Veduta, 367 Palazzo Antinori, 356 Conestabifi Staffa, 355 Monaldi, 346 Pubblico, 349 Piazza del Papa, 353 Sopramuro, 346 Pinacoteca, 358 Porta Manzia, 345 Sala del Cambio, 347 Tomb of the Volumnii, 368 Torre degii Sciri, 363 University, 358 Pesaro, ii. 385 Peschiera, i. 261 Pescia, ii. 507 Pesia, Certosa of, i. 95 Petraja, iii. 218 Piacenza, ii. 187 194 Cathedral, 188 Churches S. Agostino, 193 S. Antonio, 189 S. Giovanni in Canale, 193 S. Francesco, 198 S. Maria della Campagna, 191 S. Sepolcro, 191 S. Sisto, 192 S. Vincenzo, 189 Hospital of S. Lnzzaro, 193 Palazzo Communale, 190 Farnese, 192 Piano, lake of, i. 199 INDEX. Piccolo Paggi, i. 60 Pienza, iii. 317 Pietra Santa, i. 72 Pinerolo, i. 103 Pisa, li. 440 480 Accademia delle Belle Arti, 471 Baptistery, 451 Campanile, 446 Campo-Santo, 452 Cascine, 479 Cathedral, 416 Churches S. Biagio, 477 S. Caterina, 475 Cavalieri di S. Stefano, 472 S. Francesco, 470 S. Maria delle Spine, 468 S. Matteo, 477 S. Michele in Borgo, 479 S. Niccola, 469 S. Paolo del Orto, 476 S. Paolo Ripa d'Arno, 478 S. Pietro in Grado, 480 S. Sepolcro, 477 S. Sisto, 475 Giardino Botanico, 470 Palazzo Agostino, 469 dei Banchi, 478 Conventuale dei Cava- lieri, 475 del Governo, 478 Gualandi, 475 Lanfreducci, 469 Pieracchi, 478 Toscanelli, 478 Ponte alia Fortezza, 477 al Mare, 470 del Mezzo, 469 University, 469 Pisogne, i. 228 Pistoia, ii. 510 519 Baptistery, 516 Cathedral, 517 Churches S. Andrea, 517 S. Bartolommeo, 511 S. Domenico, 511 S. Francesco, 517 S. Giovanni Evangelista, 511 S. Jacopo, 514 S. Maria dell' Umilta, 518 S. Paolo, 512 S. Pietro Maggiore, 512 S. Salvatore, 517 Palazzo del Comune, 513 Pretorio, 514 Piazza Maggiore, 513 I Po, river, i. 84, 85 I Poggibonsi, iii. 252 Poggio a Cajano, iii. 216 Poggio Imperiale, iii. 199 Pontassieve, iii. 222 Pontedera, iii. 251 Ponte Felcino, iii. 402 Ponte Grande, i. 210 Ponte S. Martino, i. 108 Poppi, iii. 227 Porlezza, i. 199 Porto, i. 201 Porto Fino, i. 60 Maurizio, i. 20 Recanati, ii. 412 Venere, i. 62 Pozzolengo, i. 261 Pra del 1'or, i. 261 Prato, ii. 519 Pratolino, iii. 197 Prato Vecchio, iii. 246 R. Racconigi, 94 Radicofani, iii. 317 Rapallo, i. 61 Ravenna, ii. 295 352 Arcivescovado, 320 Biblioteca Communale, 323 Cathedral, 320 Churches S. Agata, 323 S. Apollinare Nuovo, 327 S. Apollinare in Classe, 337 S. Domenico, 315 S. Francesco, 323 S. Giovanni Battista, 303 S. Giovanni Evangelista, 316 S. Maria in Affrisco, 316 S. Maria in Cosmedin, 303 S. Maria Maggiore, 307 S. Maria in Porta Fuori, 332 S. Nazaro e Celso, 304 S. Niccolo, 323 S. Spirito, 302 S. Teodoro, 302 S. Vitale, 308 Colonna dei Frances!, 348 House of Byron, 349 Mausoleum of GalLa Placidia, 3H Palazzo Communale, 317 Guiccioli, 349 Theodoric, of, 330 Piazza, dell' Aquila, 317 S. Francesco, 324 INDEX, Ravenna con tin ued. Maggiore, 317 Pinacoteca, 321 Tomb of Dante, 324 the Exarch Isaac, 315 Theodorie, 324 Recanati, ii. 412 Recoaro, i. 334 Reggio, ii. 231 Rho, i. 206 Rimini, ii. 365377 Amphitheatre, 374 Arch of Augustus, 373 Bridge of Augustus, 373 Castle of the Malatesti, 376 Churches S. Chiara, 374 S. Francesco, 367 S. Giuliano, 376 Palazzo del Comune, 375 Ruffo, 375 Piazza Cavour, 374 Giulio Cesare, 371 Ripafratta, ii. 490 Riva, i. 259 Rocca di Fontenellato, ii. 206 Rocca Silana, ii. 489 Rora, i. 106 Rovigo, i. 365 Rubicon, the, ii. 350 Rusina, ii. 226 Ruta, i. 59 S. Sacro Monte of Orta, i. 213 Varallo, i. 213 Varese, i. 202 Sagro di S. Michele, i. 84 S. Agostino, i. 6 Ambrogio, i. 89 Angelo in Vado, ii. 365 Columba, tomb of, iii. 293 Domenico di Fiesole, iii. 189 Fiora, mountain of, iii. 317 Fruttuoso, convent of, i. 60 Gimignano, iii. 302 311 Giovanni Ilarione, i. 333 Giuliano, ii. 490 Giustino, iii. 407 Leo, ii. 382 Lorenzo al Mare, i. 20 Margherita, i. 60 Maria Pomposa, ii. 352 Marino, republic of, ii. 377 Martino, i. 261 S. Michele, Sagro di, i. 89 Miniato, iii. 199 Miniato dei Tedeschi, iii. 251 Niccolo, ii. 186 Pierino, iii. 251 Quirico, iii. 318 Remo, i. 13 Romolo, i. 16 Salvatore, Monte di, i. 201 Salvi, convent of, iii. 199 Severino, ii. 417 Stefano al Mare, i. 20 Vivaldo, iii. 311 Salarco, iii, 315 Salo, i. 358 Saluzzo, i. 94 Sambonifazio, i. 321 Sandria, i. 200 Santuario, the, of Savona, i. 24 Sarnico, i. 228 Sarzana, i. 68 Sarzanello, i. 69 Sassoferrato, ii. 417 Savigliano, i. 94 Savignano, ii. 365 Savona, i. 23 Sermione, i. 255 Serravalle, ii. 508 berravezza, i. 73 Sestri, di Levante, i. 61 Settignano, iii. 198 Shelley, death of, i. 67 Siena, iii. 252 296 Baclia, La, 289 Biblioteca Communale, 285 Casa di S. Caterina, 276 dell' Opera, 272 Cathedral, 265 Churches S. Agostino, 287 S. Ansano, 292 S. Bernardino, 289 Carmine, 288 Concessione, 286 S. Cristoforo, 285 S. Domenico, 278 Fonte Giusta, 290 S. Francesco, 288 S. Giovanni Battista, 273 Osservanza, La, 293 S. Quirico, 288 Servi di Maria, 286 S. Spirito, 286 Collegio Tolomei, 288 Fonte Branda, 276 Gaja, 256 INDEX. Sien a contin ued. Nuova, 289 Hospital of S. Maria della Scala, 273 Istituto delle Belle Arti, 281 Lizza, La, 289 Loggia dei Nobili, 263 del Papa, 263 Palazzo Buonsignori, 287 del Capitano, 264 dei Diavoli, 294 Grottanelli, 264 Magnifico, 274 Piccolomini, 263 Piccolomini delle Pa- pesse, 263 Saracini, 263 Spanocchi, 289 University, 286 Signa, iii. 215 Sinalunga, iii. 314 Sinigaglia, ii. 391 Soci, iii. 241 Solferrino, i. 256 Spello, iii. 413 Spezia, gulf of, i. 63 Spotorno, i. 23 Stresa, i. 207 Stupinigi, i. 89 Superga, La, i. 89 Susa, i. 92 Sylvano, i. 60 T. Taggia, i. 17 Tai Cadore, i. 373 Tavernola, i. 228 Tenda, Col di, i. 95 Terminara, i. 373 Thrasymene, iii. 338 Ticino, river, i. 177, 178 Tolentino, ii. 416 Torcello, ii. 153 Tortona, ii. 185 Toscolano, i. 358 Trascorre, i. 227 Trebhia, the, ii. 186 Trissino, i. 333 Turin, i. 74 86 Accademia, 80 Armoury, 77 Cappuchin Convent, 85 Cathedral, 78 Churches Consolata, La, 79 Turin continued. Corpus Domini, 79 S. Lorenzo, 79 Madre di Dio, 85 Superga, 87 Palazzo Cangnano, 80 Madama, 76 Municipio, 79 Reale, 77 Valentino, 86 Piazza Carignano, 80 Carlo Alberto, 84 Carlo Felice, 76 Castello, 76 di Citta, 79 Savoia, 79 Public Gardens, 85 U. Urbino, ii. 420431 Accademia delle Belle Arti, 426 Casa Santi, 427 Cathedral, 425 Churches S. Bernardino, 429 Francesco, 429 Giovanni Battista, 429 Spirito, 429 Ducal Palace, 421 Urbisaglia, ii. 417 Uso, the, ii. 350 V. Vado, i. 23 Val di Camporciero, i. 108 Valdagno, i. 333 Valdieri, baths of, i. 95 Valeggio, i. 302 Valenza, i. 117 Varallo, i. 213 Varenna, i. 196 Varese, i. 20 > . Varigotti, i. 23 Venas, i. 376 Venice, ii. i 156 Abbazia della Misericordia, 109 Accademia, 51 Archaeological Museum, 45 Armenian Convent, 136 Arsenal, 97 Bridge of Sighs, 40 INDEX. Venice continued. Campanile, 16 Campo S. Angelo, 105 S. Angelo Raffaello, 116 S. Benedetto, 106 S. Giovanni in Bragora, 100 S. Maria, 131 S. Maria Formosa, 82, 83 S. Margherita, 117 S. Paternian, 106 S. Polo, 132 S. Stefano, 105 S. Zaccaria, 81 Campiello Angaran, 119 della Strope, 131 Canareggio, the, 114 Casa Businello, 66 Ferro, 79 Goldoni, 130 Churches S. Andrea, 119 S. Angelo di Murano, 149 S. Antonino, 82 S. Aponal, 132 S. Apostoli, 75, 109 S. Biagio, 96 S. Donato di Murano, 148 S. Fosca di Torcello, 153 S. Francesco delle Vigne, 92 S. Geremia, 73 S. Giacomo del Orio, 130 S. Giacomo del Rialto, 68 S. Giobbe, 114 S. Giorgio, 135 S. Giorgio dei Greci, 82 S. Giovanni in Bragora, 99 S. Giovanni Crisostomo, 107 S. Giovanni e Paolo, 84 S. Gregorio, 50 S. Giuliano, 107 S. Giuseppe di Castello, 94 S. Lazaro, 91 S. Luca, 105 S. Marco, 19 S. Marcuola, 73 S. Maria del Carmine, 117 S. Maria Formosa, 82 S. Maria dei Frari, 125 S. Maria dei Gesuiti, 109 S. Maria Mater Domini, 131 S. Maria dei Miracoli, 107 S. Maria del Orto, no S. Maria della Salute, 47 S. Maria Zobenigo, 103 S. Martino, 99 Venice continued. S. Marziale, no S. Maurizio, 104 S. Moise, 103 S. Niccol6 al Lido, 139 S. Niccold al Tolentino, 119 S. Pantaleone, 118 S. Pietro di Castello, 94 S. Pietro di Murano, 149 S. Polo, 132 S. Raffaello, 116 II Redentore, 134 S. Rocco, 125 S. Salvatore, 106 I Scalzi, 72 S. Silvestro, 67 S. Simeone Grande, 70 S. Spirito, 117 S. Stae, 70 S. Stefano, 104 S. Trovaso, 115 S. Vitale, 79 S. Zaccaria, 80 Corte del Maltese, 106 del Sabion, 107 del Rener, 75 Doges of, 6 Fondaco dei Tedeschi, 75 dei Turchi, 71 Frari, the, 125 Giardini Papadopoli, 119 Pubblici, 94 Giudecca, the, 134 Gondolas, 10 Grimani Breviary, the, 41 Islands ' Burano, 149 Castello, 102 S. Elena, 138 S. Giorgio, 135 Giudecca, 134 S. Lazaro, 136 S. Michele, 145 Mazzorbo, 149 Murano, 146 S. Niccol6, 102 Pelestina, 141 S. Pietro, 93 Poeggia, 141 S. Servolo, 140 Sotto Marina, 141 Torcello, 150 Libreria di S. Marco, 41 Vecchie, 15 Lido, the, 138 Loggia sotto il Campanile, 17 IXDEX. Venice contin ued. Museo Corner, 71 Orto Botanico, 114 Palazzo Badoer, 100 Balbi, 65 Barbarigo delle Terrazze, 66 Bembo, 82 Benzon, 77 Bernardo, 66 Ca d'Oro, 74 Camerlenghi, 70 Capello, 132 Cavalli, jj, 79 Contarini, 78, 106 Contarini delle Scrigni, 63 Capovilla, 71 Corner della Ca Grande, 79 della Regina, 70 Spinelli, 78 Dandolo, 76 Dario, 51 Dona, 66 Ducale, 30 Duodo, 71 Emo, 79 Erizzo, 74 Falier, 108 | Farsetti, 77 Fini, 79 Foscari, 63 Foscarini, 117 Grassi, 78 Grimani, 74, 77, 82 Grimani a S. Polo, 65 Giustiniani, 79 Giustiniani Lonin, 78 Labia, 73 Loredan, 76, 105 Manfrin, 73 Manin, 76 Manzoni, 51 Marcello, 74 Martinengo, 77 Michele delle Colonne, 75 Mocenigo, 78 Moro Lin, 78 Morosini, 75, 105 Municipio, 77 Persico, 65 Pesaro, 70 Pisani, 65, 105 Polo, 107 Rezzonieo, 63 Sagredo, 75 Sanudo, 108 Venice continued. Tiepolo, 65 Trevisan, 8 Tron, 71 Vendramin Calenghi, 73 Zenobio, 117 Papadopoli Gardens, 119 Piazza S. Marco, 17 Piazzetta, 15 Pietra del Bardo, 16 Piombi, the, 39 Ponte del Corner, 131 del Paradiso, 80 S. Polo, 132 del Rialto, 68 del Sospiri, 40 S. Toma, 130 Pozzi, the, 41 Procuratie Nuove, 15 Vecchie, 15 Railway Station, 7 Rialto, 67 Scala dei Giganti, 33 Scuola degli Albanese, 104 S. Giovanni Evangelista, 132 S. Marco, 91 S. Rocco, 119 Statue of Bartolommeo Colle- one, 84 Teatro Rossini, 106 Torre del Orologio, 15 Verona, i. 262 302 Aecademia Filarmonica, 280 Amphitheatre, 299 Arco dei Borsari, 285 del Leone, 299 Baptistery, 288 Castel S. Felice, 290 S. Pietro, 289 Vecchio, 280 Cathedral, 286 Churches S. Anastasia, 268 Bernardino, 281 Elena, 288 Eufemia, 285 Fermo Maggiore, 297 Giorgio in Braida, 291 Giovanni in Fonte, 288 in Valle, 291 Maria Antica, 272 della Campagna, 300 Matricolare, 286 in Organo, 292 Nazzaro e Celso, 293 INDEX. Verona contin ued. S. Pietro Martire, 269 Siro, 291 Stefano, 290 "lommaso Cantuariense, 392 Zeno, sSi Gardens Giusti, 293 of the Orfanotrofio, 299 House of Giolfino, 285 Museo Civico, 295 Lapidario, 280 Oratorio di S. Zenone, 284 Palaces Bevilaoqua, 285 Canossa, 285 Cappelletti, 299 del Consiglio, 271 Giusti, 293 della Guardia, 280 Maffei, 278 Pompei, 295 Portakipi, 285 Piazza. Bra, 279 della Erbe, 278 Navona, 271 dei Signori, 270 Pinacoteca, 295 Ponte Acqua Morta, 298 Castello, 280 delle Navi. 297 Nuovo, 292 Pietra, 289 Porta Stuppa, 280 Tombs Count of Castelbarco, 268 The Scaligers, 272 Vescovado, 288 Walls, 300 Viareggio, i. 73 Vicenza, i. 321 333 Basilica, 325 Casa di Palladio, 327 Pigafetta, 325 di Ricovero, 330 Cathedral, 324 Churches S. Corona, 326 S. Lorenzo, 330 S. Maria al Monte, 331 Vicenza continued. S. Pietro, 330 S. Stefano, 326 Museo Civieo, 328 Palazzo Barbarano, 331 Chiericati, 328 Conte Porto al Castello, 324 Loschi, 325 Porto, 331 della Ragione, 325 Annibale Tiene, 325 Marc Antonio Tiene, 331 Valmarana, 331 Rotonda Capra, 332 Teatro Olimpico, 330 Torre del Orologio, 325 Villa Valmarana, 332 Villa Carlotta, i. 194 d'Este, i. 193 Melzi, i. 196 Pizzo, i. 193 Pliniana, i. 193 Villafranca, i. 302 Villanuova, i. 321 Villar, i. 104 Vinchiana, ii. 504 Voghera, ii. 185 Vogogna, i. 210 Volterra, ii. 483 489 Baize, le, 488 Baptistery, 487 Buche dei Saracini, 489 Cathedral, 486 Churches S. Agostino, 488 S. Francesco, 488 , S. Michele, 488 S. Salvatore, 488 Etruscan Museum, 485 I Marmini, 489 Palazzo Communale, 485 Porta del Arco, 484 di Diana, 489 Villa Inghirami, 489 Voltri, i. 27 Vorazze, i. 27 W. Waldenses, the, i. 96107 JOHN CHILUS AND SON, PRINTfcKS. \ DG U2T H2? 1876 v.l THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW.