The Portland daily press., 1869-05-15
Notes by she Way.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA, April 22, 1869.

VIENNA. AUSTRIA, April 22, 1869.
To the Editor of the Press:
OVER THE APENNINEs.
left Florence Tuesday the 18th inst. for
Bologna. The road is through beautiful
and interesting section of Northern Italy.
A portion of the way it crosses the Apen-
nine range, and the scenery there was de-
lightfully grand and bold. At Pistoja the as
cent begins, and the engine drew the train
slowly to the summit of the pass. The tun-
nels are numerous, there being as many as
thirty in that portion of the load. But when
the train began to descend it went with great
rapidity. The steam was shut off, the brakes
were put on, and it went laundering down
the inclination, along the sides of the noun
tains, where we could look down into the
beautiful valleys beneath, and see the
streams, swollen by the citing SHOWS, tum-
bling down the precpices from the SUBMITS
above. In and out of tunnels, now in dark
ness, then shooting out into the sunshine,
gave me the most pleasing sensations of rail-
way travelling that ever experienced. 1t is
said that the inhabitants of this region will
not ride in the cars, deeming it dangerous,
preferring the more tedious roads used by
their forefathers.
BOLOGNA.
We arrived at Bologna at p. NJ, and as we
intended to leave for Rome the next day, we
commenced making the best of our time. We
first went to the Academy of Fine Arts,
which has one of the finest picture galleries
in Italy; containing paintings by Raphael,
Domenichino, Guido and others. The Campo
Santo is one of the most interesting sights of
Bologna, it being the place of interment. 1t
is a series of buildings with quadrangular
spaces between, and open arcades-around
which are placed costly monuments and ele-
giant tombs, adorned and decorated with the
ant of the sculptor, the open spaces Of ground
between being filed with the crowded graves
of the poor. The finest monument there is
one to the memory of Murat, Napoleon's ia
vorte marshal. 1t was erected by his daugh
ter.
VENICE.
We left in the train the next forenoon for
Venice. where we arrived at P. M. The
greater part of the route was across the plain
of Lombardy, where the country is as fat
as our western prairies, and of as great fertil-
ity. On leaving the cars we proceeded to the
front of the station, which opens on one of
the canals; and had my first experience of
venetian life. Instead of carriages and
coachmen were lines of gondolas, their black
prows projecting along the water stairs. The
gondollers were no less noisy in their shouts
Tor passengers than the cocher of other Eu-
ropean cities. The gondolas are long, light
and narrow vessels painted black, with a CAD
in in the centre, fitted up with glass windows,
and cushions, &C., which looks like a floating
hearse. They are propelled by the gondolier
standing at the stern, sculling with broad-
bladed oar. Our gondola cut through the
water quite rapidly down to the lower end OF
the grand canal where our hotel was situated,
near the square OF st. Mark. Although Ven
ice may be said to he a city built on the water,
it has numerous streets of from four to ten
feet in width, connecting with and crossing
by bridges of steps It's 146 canals. The grand
canal has serpentine course through the