The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-09
ORR LETTER FROM ITALY.
Fierence-Its Streets, Pavemenfs ana fonS
CaYriages-The Celebrated Ufizi Gallery
Of Art-The Niobe Group-The venus de
MedIci-Cabinet Of Gems. etc.-Obsef VA.
lions Of a New Orleanian Abroad.
European Correspondence Of the Bulletin.1
FLORENCE, December, 1875.

nave not Deen extraordinarily prosperous
the way of legitimate sightseeing, for 1t
Sunday and things are little dull. Brow
has letter of introduction to prominer
American sculptor living in Florence, and
We could have got hold Of directory thi
morning we should have made it our frs
business to hunt up our countryman, in orde
to bore him with questions and light talk
after the manner of Americans; but as far a
We have been able to learn, such thing as
general directory for the use Of the public ha
not vet been dreamed Of by the people o
Florence.
American artists are somewhat numerous
in this city, and happening to encounter the
sign of one, while strolling at random in the
streets, we determined to interview him and
to inquire whether he could not give as the
address desired, but this scheme. thong
highly promising and boldly carried out
failed, for the reason that the artist was a6-
sent at the time and his people could tell us
nothing that was likely to be of any assist
ance So we concluded to wait until the NOR
row and then to make application to the
American Consul, who should have the ad-
dresses of the most noted American artists, If
any one.
Therefore we wandered rather listlessly
about until 10 o'clock arrived, and with it the
opening of the great Uffizi Gallery, when we
at once posted off to visit this world-renowned
art collection, eager with anticipation, and
INT, nj IN,
store for us this time, as the reputation Of
this gallery is so great, containing, as it does,
the Venus de Medici and numbers of other
works scarcely less famous. In our walk
upon the streets we were delighted with the
superior manner in which these are all
paved, as we'll as with the handsome and
tasteful architecture of the houses that bor-
der them.
In Germany where we have been SO long
the streets are VIGOROUSLY wretched, the side
walks being in many places not more than
two or three feet wide, SO that the pedestrian
has to tramp along on the rough cobble stones
of the street if the way is al all crowded, and
in most Italian cities we have seen the case lie
delightful. In the first place, the sidewalks
are Of proper width and elegantly paved,
while the streets themselves are perfect mar
yels of smoothness and cleanliness. These
streets are laid with square stones that fit like
the slabs of mosaic floor, and the carriages
roll on them with the smoothness of tram
way. In such a place it is 80 pleasant to
walk that were it not for distance one could
veil dispense with the use Of carriage, save
in bad weather.
The Florentine people seem to have mania
for pony carriages. have scarcely seen hun
dlred full sized horses in the place, but every
body goes dashing about in elegant little turn
outs, drawn by spirited ponies, and the speed
they make over these heavenly pavements is
Astonishing. / have been nearly run
over several times by stopping to gaze after
one Of these vanishing equipages, regardless Of
another approaching at the same speed from
behind me. We had no difficulty about find |
ing the Uffizi Palace, and after paying certain |
fees, contrary to the assertion of Baedecker, |
Who announces laconically. "open daily 8 to |
3. Sundays and festivals 10 to 3, no fees" we
passed up broad staircase, guarded by busts
of the Medioi princes, and began the work in
earnest.
There are two great corridors, each $50 feet |
in length. connected at one end by shorter
one, and upon these open number Of cabi-
nets and saloons, each bearing name that
refers in some way to the works of art it con-
tains. Thus one of the largest and most in
Eeresting is called the Sald della NioJe, from
,ontaing the celebrated series of statues repre-
,enting the mother and her fourteen children.
whom she vainly tried to protect against the
arrows of Apollo and Diana. Another is the
hall Of antique bronzes, another is the Etrus-
can Museum, and so on. In collection so
vast, it would be fruitless to attempt anything
like description Of separate objects; there
fore, shall simply generalize, and leave the
such an extensive work.
We were SO surrounded with works Of
merit, so overwhelmed with production of
the highest order of art, that we could hardly
do full justice to the more noted paintings
and sculptures for want Of something ordi-
nary with which to compare them, for it is
fact no less true than deplorable that, sur
rounded by an unbroken series Of works, all
in the highest degree admirable, the human
mind tends to rank them all toward mediocre
ty rather than superlative excellence, which ,
single masterpiece placed in the midst of
works possessing merely an ordinary
degree Of merit, strikes the eye at once as
divine by comparison with its less attractive
neighbors. Thus it was that we found our
solves calm almost to Indifference in this gal
lery, where we had expected to be thrown
into rapture and admiration, and we passed
The art treasures of half world in review,
Without feeling our breasts moved with the
highest enthusiasm.
We did find ourselves little moved when