The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-04-23
Atsrrllamfous.
LIFE IN ITALY.

The London metropolitan Tor March has an
article on The Baths of Lucca in lSi0,n from
which we extract the following account Of the
condition and character OF the common people Of
that section Of Italy:
The common people, especially those on the
mountain, generally keep two small cows and q
hefer, which they feed on the scarlet clover and
upne, ash leaves, and shrubs, and occasionally
turn them out 10 Craze on the patches Of rich
grass on the mountains. The milk is rich and
excellent, and the butter, though white, would
be equally well tasted if properly managed ; but
they do not understand dairy here, and never
wash out the milk sufficiently from the butter,
which makes IL sour; tried TO explain this,
but we find them rs concerted as their sisters in
Dorsetshire. Beside butter, they make sub
stance of curds and butter mixed together, called
ricotta, resembling the Scotch crowdy, and which
they bring 10 US, neatly put up in baskets made
Of fern leaves.
The better class are, in general, propretors OF
a certain quantity Of land, cultivated either as
vineyards If on the sunny side of the hill, or in
grain If in the valley; beside which they rent
land on lease from the great proprietors sgnori,
and pezza, or part Of n chestnut wood The
share system is strictly followed, and half OF
every kind Of produce is delivered TO the land
lords, from wine and fruit down to eggs and but
ter. They live well, generally having soup and
good homemade brown bread, from the -four of
the grano crosse, with wine in abundance. In
short, as they say to us "We have plenty offood,
wine, and fruit; what we want is money, but
that we find il almost impossible TO get"
The poor classes, on the contrary. who inha-
bit the mountain villages, are very III of. The
men come down daily, sometimes four miles, TO
labor on the roads, &C., for paul day. They
can rarely buy wheaton bread, sill more rarely
butcher meat they chiefly subsist on chestnut
meal made into porridge, and thin cakes, called
netci, unleavened, and baked like the Scotch
barley scone they have sweetisb taste, and
eaten with fresh butter are not bad, but are so
heavy and indigestibe, that one, with little
wine, will support laboring man for day
These people are employed 10 gather the chest
nut harvest Of the signori, and get two-fifths Of
the produce rs payment for their labor On this
they subsist till exhausted, and then they must
buy the meal from the fattare OF the proprietor,
who keeps il in stores for the purpose, and sells
il enormously dear TO the poor creatures. One
day we met poor old woman, who had come
down from one OF the highest mountains for the
purpose, and was carrying home few pounds IN
her bag, and that she said, was all they had tolve
upon till their little crop OF grano was ripe The
women spin hemp on the dlstah, or household
linen work hard al all kinds Of field labor, car
nv enormous loads of hay and straw, on their
heads, up the steep mountain paths. Many OF
them are also engaged as SERVANTS during the
season, by families at the Baths. Every thing
is carried on the head here; the women have
padded cushion, or fold handkerchief into that
form, place it on the crown of their head,
and put on il whatever they have 10 carry,
even baskets of manure for the fields. We
were sitting one evening by the fountain on
la Montagna, when two girls came down from
the village of La Croce, with large copper pals
to draw water. When the pals were filed, each
folded her handkerchief, put it on her head, lift
ed her pail, full TO the brim, and then, without
assistance, or spilling drop, placed II on her
head, and walked nimbly up the steps, and along
the mountain path. | have even seen women,
when so laden, spin on their distaffs as they
walked along. One would think that this classi-
cal mode Of carrying their burdens would insure
an erect carriage and graceful step; quite the
contrary the lower class of peasantry are the
most ungainly, mis-shapen figures J ever saw.
Constant ut-door labor makes their skins shrivel
ed and brown as mahogany, and their features
are not, in general, good; their shoulders are
hich. and their necks short. The bust is entirely
destroyed by the wooden stays which, covered
with scarlet cloth, or some other gaudy color.
they constantly wear from childhood. This