Litchfield enquirer., 1875-01-14
NAPLES. December 18th. 1874.

DEAR ENQUIRER. Sitting in my window anf looking out upon the beautiful blue it is hard to realize the great contrast between my outlook and that from dear old Lltchfeld Hill. Here everything is bright and cheerful with nothing to remind one of mid-winter Opposite the hotel is long garden or park skirting the sea for about half a mile, and its trees are covered with thick foliage; while roses and geraniums, with the bright red salvia, are blooming in the flower beds. and the chairs and tables in front of the saloons invite with mute but irresistible appeal to loiter in the sum- shine and enjoy one of those ices for which this city is so celebrated.
 Coming by land, as did, from Paris, one cannot help being struck by many sights which are so different from any thing at home. During the whole trip I did not see plow or a harrow but every where men with long handled spades dig ging up the immense fields and trenching them into long, narrow, and nicely round- ed garden beds. They spend much labor, but they get large returns. The wheat and rye fields looked beautifully green, and millions of vines are planted all over them. The work must all be done by hand for there is no room for cattle or machinery to move about. The country in this immediate neighborhood is covered with groves of olive and orange trees. The harvesting of the farmers is just being
 finished and you may see many busy picker gathering the dusky little fruit, which It is hard to detect amidst the dark foliage of the trees. The orange harvest is just commencing, the fruit being hardly fit to pick until the first of January. It is not gathered until fully ripe. The trees are quite large (about the size Of twen. ty-fve year old appletree) and they are thickly covered with the luscious fruit. The finest are packed in large boxes con- taining 800 each. and are brought into the seaport towns by women, on their heads. The poor creatures stagger along, as we'll they may. barefooted, over a road which is constantly being repaired with small sharp stones. We have fresh plums and figs and raisins rolled in the leaf of the vine. We have grapes and pears and apples and nuts. We have everything to please the sense Of taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Fruits, flowers and music. yes, music every hour of the day, not music such as is ground out in New York and Boston, but real ipborn and soul-felt. Every evening we have in our anteroom a concert by violin and two guitars. They play and sing most exquisitely. and it is not only here but at Turin, and the same all over Italy.
 It would much interest some of our old
 farmers to see the various sorts of wagons and teams which bring produce into the city. Oxen are used but seldom in palrs. You will see an OK (they are all of one col or, dusky white, with immense spreading horns) with a lean horse on one side and l and little donkey on the other, or an OK with COW on one side. Milk is not
 brought into the city on cars, but the ani-
 malls themselves (goats. they have few or
 no cows) are driven into town and milked
 on the thresholds. And this in Naples a
 city of over five hundred thousand souls!
 send you this to show the contrast be-
 tween two countries in the same latitude.
 rerhaps it may interest some of your read
 CTS. Rococo.