Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-05-21
Correspondence Of the Free Press.
LETTERS FROM EUROPE.
NO. Xiv
Bologna.
BOLOGNA,

always beautiful even to the most
cultivated eye, is still more so as the
traveller contrasts it with the mountain
scenery of the Apprentices from whose desolatc
and rugged heights he has descended to the
plains below. No one seemed to enjoy it more
than our position who came in, not only like
stage drivers every where, with triumphant
flourish of speed and spirits, galloping through
the streets as if were to show that his cattle
were as fresh at the end as at the beginning of
their journey,-but actually, like true ltal-
ian, extracting music from everything. For
the last half mile he kept cracking his short
postilloin whip right and left,
excepting time, keeping time
With sort of runc rhyme
and with a rhythm and an air not only mu-
steal but really exhilarating and amusing to
us all. He was "tuning" his horses.
The best streets of Bologna are wider and
better built and more agreeable than those of
other italian towns we have visited. Through
the principal streets the houses project over
wide sidewalks, and are supported by fine
colonades of various architecture, principally
Doric. The foot passengers are thus pro-
tected from the burning heats of the parching
italian sun of the summer, and the show
ers and SHOWS of the spring and the winter.
The effect to the eye is very fine,and the COM
fort and convenience of passing from street
to street in the open air, still sheltered by
such fine arcades, must be felt to be appreci-
ated. In the heart of mid summer we find
their shade exceedingly acceptable. In win
ter their shelter can be no less SO, for Bologna
is in the same latitude with Burlington. We
hurried on to the most distinguished hotel of
the city, the San Marco, where we were for
tunate enough to find excellent quarters, and
good attention, and an excellent rdlet de place
to show us the attractions of the city. The
spacious passages and stairways of the San
Marco are covered with painted canvass me-
MORALS of the distinguished guests that have
honored it with their presence. shall give
mine host of the imperial and royal hotel the
benefit of the advertisement translated into
English.
His Imperial and Royal Highness, Joseph,
Palatine of Hungary, lodged here from the
2lst to the 23d November 1918.
The Prince and Princess of Salerno 9th
Dec 1910.
His Royal Majesty, Ferdinand |. King of
the two Sicilies lodged here Goth of October
1921.
His Imperial and Royal Highness the
Grand Duke of Tuscany lodged here the 10th
Oct 1922.
The King of Bavaria, June II, 1922.
Their Majesties, the King and Queen of the
two Sicilies, lodged here from the 5th to the
9th of May 1925.
His Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, Nicho-
as, lodged in this imperial and royal hotel
of San Marco the ODD to the Odd Dec. of the
year lS45.
His Hichness Prince Louis Lucen Bonapartc
Senator of the French Empire, lodged in this
imperial and royal hotel of San Marco the
2sth, Goth and 30th March, 1854
1t was from such celebrated imperial and
royal hotel that we wandered forth, with our
valet, after every meal, to make our bowling
acquaintance with the still-life celebrities of
Bologna, the Garisenda 1873 feet high, and
the Asinelli 800. These are two leaning tow
ers of great height. They arc near together;
one leans in one direction and the other in
another-towards each other. One is about
| three feet and the other about eight feet out
| of perpendicular. The view from the top
must be fine; but after having gone to the top
of the celebrated one at Pisa, with its eight
lofty and dizzy circular stories, and the mag
nifcent and numbcress arches and columns
that surround and hide its imminent walls,
we did not stop to wonder at, much less to
ascend these plain, ugly brick towers, espe-
cially as the ascent is said to be exceedingly
wearisomc We should, doubtless, have as
cended the higher one for the prospect, had
we come from the plains of the north, and had
not just left the mountain heights and wider
prospect of the Apprentices. They are some
$50 years old, and look more like large chin.
neys than any thing else. They are said tc
have been built for defence and protection il
the stormy and warlike times of Guelphs and
Ghibelines, when they were erected. The
same question has been raised as with regarc
to that at Pisa, whether they were not pur
posely made to lean; but believe there il
really no good reason to doubt that their in
fclination is caused by tho yielding of thu
oundations, under the influence of volcanoes
and earthquakes. Their beams and archie,
have the same inclination as their walls.
This northern capital Of the States of thu
Church has history and characteristics hard
ly surpassed in interest by any of the Italian
cities. A small city of some Is 900 souls
embracing within its walls some three squar,
miles, the proper capital ofonly about $50 200
people, still any country on the continent o
Europe might be proud of it as its capital
for the beauty and comfort Of its street archi
lecture, its streets and walks, broad thorough
fares, and noble arcades its noble churche
and palaces and other public buildings, anc
its schools and works Of art is unsurpassed
public institutions of the highest antiquity
and of the most various and fruitful usefulness
its intelligent, learned and prosperous popula
ton. The freedom of the manners OF its peopl,
and the independence Of their opinions, Al
well as their warikc bravery, whenever they
have taken the field, have made them every
where and always respected by their enemie
and admired by their friends, even by thu
Holy See, though not without complaint o
their Independence and semi-rebellious dispo
sition, and with constant endeavors to subdu,
their spirit and break up their pre-elninenc