, 1875-02-14

Sunny memories Of delightful days spent in vi
iting thess: charming scenes, In company nit
our we1l-kpomn Chicago sculptor, ", AZ
family, hannt NY mind ~ VIC glide past an
enter the Town OF Veuetri. This WAS an ancief
city Of the -Volscaana,: but, contains little {
interest to the traveller, except It's ruined medic
val walls and towers. Beyond We enter the ds
files Of the Tolscian Mountains, leaving th
Pontine Marshes to the right, On the other sid
Of which CLEANS the blue Mediterranean. Te
nontone is the next town Of importance, mos
| picturesquely ,perched On an isolated yolcani
| e1ninence4
Here we enter the :Valley Of .the 6acco, whicl
| Il bounded on escb eide with mountains upward
t Of 4001 feet in. height. 81 whore medieval town
ara whfte on every hillside, and where ever
| mountain-crcss.ia IN EtruCi ian or q Roman. wall
Hero stands, on the lett, the ruined castle o
! Piombinara, which. looks down upon the .spo
! There.
MAn1us WAS DEFEATED BI sYLLA.
soon We pass antique Segui perched on the sid.
Of the mnuntain, wherethe last Tarquin founded
q fortress to keep in check ,Rome'a unpleasant
nelghbots, the .VolBci and. Hesnici., Extensive
rnins Of the most massive polygoEal style stil
are traced. Four miles farther. and
There il Anngni, where Pope Boniiace
Waa dragged with contumely from his throne.
This Was tho ancient capital OF ths Hernioi,
and described hg.; Virgil as q wealthy city, IL
the middle ages it Was = favorite residence OF
several popes and Anki~Popes, and where some
Elk or esven we're born Among these last WAS
Boniface .Yln.:- mentioned: 10 the poeu- He
quafSaled with that powerful family. the
Co1opnas, and With Philp-le.Bel OF France, who,
united, sent their forces against him. The gate
the French and their allies entered the city, soct.
7, 1905: crying, "Vlye Is Roi de- Ftauce; ct
meure Bonaface!" At the frat alarm the Pope
had put On hia robes, and Was sitting in the
Pontifacl chair when the conspirators entered,
They, wore: 60 struck with his. aga and
venerable, appearance that the boldest OF
their party Taa aNed And:no ono vantared to
lay hands On bis person. After three dnvs
the people recovered from their surprise, drove
out the allies, and set the Popo at: liberty,
Fastening to Rome, he threw himself under
the protection Of the 0rsinii,. the hereditary
eoou found poisoned 10 hia bed-a mode OF
disposipg Of inconyenient persons quite COM
mon IN thnsa days.
Beyond Anasni we pass several stations moro
OF less important until
There is Ceprano, where = renegade
Was each Apuian, great Dlnte saith,
When Manfred, By his men-at-arnns betrayed,
6puTred on to Benevento and 10 desth.
The poet here refera to the period when
Charles OF Anjou invaded the Kingdom, in 1866.
who was left at Ceprano to defend the passage
OF the Garlsliano, retired at the approach of
Charles, aud the strong fortress Of Rocca d'Arce
nns also
TREACHEnousLY Oh cowAnnLy SURRENDERED.
This place will be remembered by former
tourists as tue frontier tdwn between the Papal
and Neapolitan States.-a division that, srse
the union OF Italy is completed no Logger exists.
It is situated on The Lria, nurse Of rushes and
reeds, which, short distance be1oy, on
it's junction With the Tofero, becomea
the Garigliano- The Understanding down
to Monte Casino on one side, aud mp the Valley
Of the Liris, embracing the picturesquely-si
ated Town Of Rocca d'Arce, with tie distant,
anow-capped peaka OF the Apruzzi Apepnincs.
while some six Or seTen towns are romantica1ly
perched along the spurs Of the morntaius-
makes this, aken together, extremely interest-
nE..
Bevond Ceprano comes Isoletta; then Rocca
sacca, with it's fine old ruined castle overlooking
he town.. Hare the celebrated Thomas Aquinas
6aa born. Thep
There .s Aquinum, the dld yo14cian town,
Where Juyehxt Was horn
And. = few miles farther:
-Upiifted like passing cloud
That pauses on 1nountain-summit high,
Monte Casinos content rcars its proud
And venerable. wails agafnat the aky.
The cars stop at San Germano or ancient Casi- |
,um, and visitors aiigh here who wish: to v4sit
MONASTERY or MONTE CASINO,
Thich is situated on the summit OF the noun |
ain, back of tho town, and between q aud 8 !
piles distant.
This caainum would be of itself place worthy |
II visit, for It's extensive remains Of antiquity;
ut its more Interesting neighbor absorba the |
mind o6,thn traveller, 70 the: neglect Of thesa:
eseer objects Of interest,"
We ciimbed tle" stony pathway" Leading to I
Is gate, not "on foot" hn4 asttide q snail
onkey, which bore MS sto wly, and patiently TO
s portal. when We entesed the grandest. mo- I
astic establishment in Europe: founded; many
antufies ago by st. Deneack, who. q fleeing
rom the gates Qf Rome" sought these noun
Shd laid tae foundation Of an
Institution that has ezerted a widespread in
aenee = throughout: Chrlatandosn for hundreds
years. lite mouasteryis =. massive pila OF
reht extent, but exceedingly slmplein style OF.
rchitecture. The entrance-a low, rocky pas-
sge-:s said to have been tho cell of it's founder.
o part, except this. OF the original structure or
10 several that auc6eeded it III the middle
cen completed in l727. The 'arrange-
,ent is BY courts connected By arcades.
he central one has fine fountain Of living
atsr, adorned with statues OF st. Benadick aud
IA slsteE, st.schoast'ca. A square place higher.
?. inclosed.uy columns from an ancient tempIo
Apollo that once stood here, nov is occupied
: the church. Over the door,
A'LATTS INSCRIPTION.
'cords the foundation Of: the Abbey, zud itn
lbsequent ricisstudes up to the year 1873.
The church built BY St. Beuedick vaa
,stroyed towards the end OF the sixth century
!! the Iongobards :; rebuilt in the eighth Uy the
blot Pet1onaces; burnt by the Saraceps in s83.:
paired By the Abbot. johannes, aud again Re,
tilt by tho Abbot Desideriua in 1865. 1t was con-
Grated in 1071 BY Alexander II. It was totally
stroyed bv an earthquake in 1919, and restored
1865 by Urban Y. In 1649 it fell down in con-
ouence of the ueciI0euce of the ynrkman /
lting some repai1s- ToWsrds the close Of the /
yentsenth century it was cnce mora rebuilt,
th greater nagnincencc, in its present form. !
WIS completed in 1727, aud consecrated By
,nedick XIII"
The cectro door is II bronzc, co. At Conatsn-