The weekly Butte record., 1862-09-06
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A Legend of Florence

There is q street in Florence which is called
the Via della Morte, the street of the dead) q
name derived from a remarkable circumstance
Antonio Rondineili young Florentine, in the
middle rank Of life, fell passionately in love
with Ginevra Arneri, beautiful young woman
Of the same station. The lover could not, by
any entreaiies or concessions, obtain her from
her father, who choose rather to give her to
francesca ADgalenii, youth Of 4 distinguish
ed and noble family Il would be vain 10
attempt describing the agony Of the real lover
on receiving this intelligence nor was Ginevra
the less afflicted, her heart being wholly deyo-
ted to Rondinelli. Now, whether it arose from
the struggles Of disappointed affection, or from
any physical cause the effect was that four
years after this unhappy union. she fell ILL.,
Remaining without pulse, and finally giving no
external signs of life, she was considered dead :;
and accordingly was deposited in the family
vault under the Duomo and close to the Cam
panile The tomb is still shown in our time
1t is narrated, by Leopold del Meylone, that
when the fossus was repaired, and this vault
passed into the family of the Riacci, the letters,
G. and A, the initials of the Ginevra Arner,
were engraved upon it, being a confirmation of
the truth of the story. The death of Gnevra
was not real, but one of those protracted
swoons which the faculty are unable to explain.
On the night following her dreadful incarcera-
ton, the unhappy Ginevra, on regaining her
senses, became aware of her situation. Recov-
ering by degrees, little strength increased by
her despair and horror, she succeeded in break
ing the chords which bound her hands and
feet. Lighted BY ray Of the moon, which
CLEANED through the door Of the vault, she
crept towards it, and pushing it open with her
head, feebly assembled the stairs, and gained
the outer air. Taking the shortest paths, she
passed through the street then called the Mise
recordi, but ever afterwards, from the circum-
stance the Via della Morte Knocking at
The door of her husbands house. she claimed
admittance but he, scared by her sepulchral
costume, and hollow, yet faint voice, believing
her also to be the ghost of his wife, refused
entrance to her while hastily closing his case
ment. Thus repulsed, she continued to crawl
along to the house of her father adjoining,
Bernado Arneri, from whom she encountered
the same cruel repulse, as also from an uncle in
the Mercato Vecchio Abandoned thus to her
unhappy fate, she resolved, ere lying down to
die, to essay the affection of her former lover,
from whom she had received so many remem-
bered pledges of love and fathfulness. Faith
fol still to his first and only love, after his
horror was overcome, he comforted, assisted,
restored to health, and married her. The
chronicle further says that this marriage being
deemed invalid by her former husband and
family, the cause was tried by the magistrates
of Florence, who, strangely enough, gave it in
favor Of the second husband and not on the
plea of Ginevra's having been inferred, but
because all her family had refused to admit
her. TO make more clear the truth of her
release from the tomb, we should state the Gus
tom, that people in those days were not buried
in collins, but in sacks tied up at the neck and
feet.