New-York tribune., 1868-04-23
BAYARD TAYLOR'S LETTERS
RAILWAY TRAVEL IN ITALY.

# kismeL or fate left Venice to avoid what felt
70 be q possible attack of fever, and 1t overlook me
before had reached Bologna. For the first time in
ten years Of travel in all climates have succumbed
10 hostile influences and been forced to undergo a
long period of helplessness. Perdd. not merely
sen. but niensen which Titus was never called upon
20 saw Thanks to the great professional skill of Dr.
Wilson of this place, am able to renew relations
with my readersrelations which, but Cor him, might
have been broken Oft altogether. | shall not gen.
eTalize from my own case and say that the climate
of Venice is bad, for do not think it is; not from
uly experience Of Florence. which rests on old and
ofcctiOnate knowledge; nor from travel in general
being pTejudical to health for it is the reverse
On the contrary this is simply piece Of private
business letween myself and Fate. My Debit with
her. perhaps, had OyerTun tho Credit, and have
been called up0n 20 square MP accounts.
As have Limited, more than month has elapsed
,ince we left Venice. The completion of the road
from Ferrara to Padua now gives an uninterrupted
line Of rail from that city to this and the express
trains come through direct in ten hours. cannot
but believe that the recent changes in the modes of
travel in Italy will interest the many Americans VINO
know the country under its old aspects, as we'll as
those Eutiring readers who have so often followed
former travellers i'm their journeys by post and yetu-
rino. Railways to be sure are terrible Jewelers..
Their laws of management. beng everywhere the
same knock down the barriers OF nations and OF
habits however fossilized. But ones Journey from
n
the practical part OF travel must be changed cores
am sorry to say that my impressions of italian
management, mp to this tinic have not been agree-
able. Not tho there arc special abuses OF single
prominent faults; but one gets general idea OF the
want OF prompt active, inte gent direction. There
< an air not exactly of inc0mpetency hut of hdlf
OmpeicBcy, which Is more readily noticed on coming
from France Austria, where the interests OF the
public are cared for in very thorough style. One
nyolnntarily attaches q national character 10 the
gerry locomotives Here there is neither the Elan Of
the French fast-ne nor the steady carednl ana
punctual pace OF the German trains but an alterna
tion Of indOlent tagging and hot haste, sIch as we
are wont associate with the nature OF the Italian
On leaving Venice for Florence you undergo Gus;
toIn-house examination much as If Austria still
ruled in the former city. Nay more So for Austria
now at least treats travellers with the kindest
courtesy while here everything Is turned upside
down. and the very photographs you buy on the Klva
pay duty before You leave the Grand Canal our
case | must admit was not so hard. Curiousy
enough, found an Austrian on duty, and were
passed from one variety of Italian soil TO another
without annoyance Some of our acquaintance Jared
very differently. 1t is, no doubt potic IN the Ita-
ian Governments to continue venice as lree portS;
and ii we could always remember our love for the oG
sea ctv ut the right time, we should, perhaps, be
satisfied with the resulting troubles. :,
Our first stage was only 10 Padua, over the ola
road. left our heavy baggage at the station, taxing
an official receipt for it, and the next day, when
reclaimed il on on our departure pald SIX cents
for storage. This is very safe and convenient ar
rangnment, which travellers Will do well to note III
visiting cities of minor interest, where the visit
Padna to SEQ again the famous frescoes of Giotto,
more beautiful in their dapidatOn and neglect than
many hran-new sO,called work Of art Their per-
feet sincerity of feeling and passionate struggle Tor
EXPRESSION impress far more than the works Of a
school. however technically admirable. Re not
alarmed ; do not mean to describe them; M lame
has recently done that in his work on Italy:
Between Padua and Royigo the road skirts the
eastern base Of the Eugan9an Hills, giving one q
glimpse into their picturesque nterfOldings Pc
rarchs Arqua is not in sight or at least, not reeog
niZable hut there is many an age-embrowheu NiImge
tlae ,,tf.u ul
crowning the fattes slopes and the fairest garden
terraces The old diligence went this way BY night
and so tourists missed seeing these mOuntalnlSlands
of the great Adrian PLAIN. Even the swift WINDOW
Of a rarway may nN an instantaneous lnOtO"
graph forever IN the memory ana moreover our
train, although express, is not dangerously last.
One cannot say 10 the moment stay. thou arr so
tairw but we can at least keep wat We snatch from
After leaving the Eugauean slopes we have mul;
berry and vines and scarcely anything else, I'll
\. the wav 10 BOLOGNA Poplars by the highways, will
IA lows by the sluggish streams and clumps of laurels
in the gardens can scarcely be sand TO give any yar
ety. they repeat iHc5eNoS 80 c3Serad Mil
ripe maize, sometimes devoted to uTnpS; bnt IL Is
always q dead. moistle Near tie 20 there are
wide tracts which have been reclaimed from marsh,
ana are dotted with new houses; and an Italian
points out this TO ne as having been done by the
Austriaus Ag0in praise of the hated ItdeScfd! i
can scarcely explain this sudden change Of teInper
We cross the PO ON a magnificent bridge, ana Ieei
glad that the tedious old rope-terTy IS done Tor
After awhile there low blue waves along the
southern horizon, and we endure the brown vines
and bare mulbeTTy-trees cheerfuIly because we
know the ApcnninCs coming. .. .
There is another thing which reconciled me to the
mOnOtoBy of tho landscape. 1t was everywhere
lively animated, labOrOus. The farmers were really
working, not lOaiing. i'll their fields. They were mp
TO the front of the season, and their heGs showed
the marks of honest and thorough cultivation. The
dwellings much superior To those which we see
in Southern Italy, the roads admirably kept, the
swGmps drained, and the uTlgatlng canals, though
now unused, all III complete order. GaIibaldl said at
Oryieto. a few weeks ago when a lot OF ldlers
shouted EYNiva In Repnblca. under his windows,
You call for the Republic, and you are not mt for IT,
You must first learn 10 U0rk." IL was true and
timely word. In Nenetia and the RomagDa be could
scarcely have made this repr0ach.
We ought u have had at least month more Of
the mellow italian Autumn, but there was already
taste of Winter III the air A week before, snow had
fallen in the streets of Verona and all of the Tiu
Alps which we saw crossing the broad plain were
bleak and white The grapes were gathered, and
even the pumpkins and maze harvested. 1hls year,
at least, the antulnnal months We're 40 warmer and
not nearly pleasant IN Northern Italy as Ill the
latitude III America. he month OF August
and September, the people informed me, were IatO-
erably hot and they universally complained OF the
sudden and violent change. .
Although the Italian railways are generally rs well
built equipped ard provided with station accOmmO-
datiOn those OF Central EaTOpe, there are some
unpleasant features connected with travel upon
them. rule is appled-to foreigners, at least
which Is both despOtic and annoying. No change is
given in purchasing tickets and paying Tor baggage:
AS the very often varies from that OF
the published Ovarfe (timeablesl, and one can
tell in advance the of baggage upon the various
roads, ii is next 70 impossible for traveller ddys 10
have the exact amount, aud the Official cooy pockets
the extra francs or Ealf-francs, saying: We never
give change It would seem as II the Italian rail
road companies had been taking lessons at some Of
our Charitable Fairs. In addition to this swlndle-
for which. since il is an order OF the company, the
officials are not response besOme Of the latter as
am informed by victim. demand the fare ~ god
from green tourists, when II Is legally payable IN
paper. These may be considered little things, but
they have an unpleasant flavor.
No system of dealing with bafCage seems to me