The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-03-01
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA. MARCH |, 1877


for its ply slcal welfare and comfort, wtcthe
he succeeds in Keeping off the fees or docsn
care for them. And Mark remembered tis'
proyerb in which the Italians group dog
and English and sunshine together.
FAIR FLORENCE.
sof al, tho fairest cities of the earth is II
fair as Florence.
IT'S u gem of pnrest ras; and what light bFoiA'
forth
When II emerged from darkness. Search wAhn'
without; all is enchantmentt
IT'S the past contending with the present. and IL
turn, each has the mastery"
1t is very fair and stately city that has II
the middle Of its Appcnine walled valley OH
the bank of the Arno. But the poetic ane
historic stream, although doubtless rolling
wild torrent to the sea in the spring foods
Is ordinarily y meek looking creek, flowing
through great wastes OF gravel and, as It
passes Though the heart Of the city, and be
tween the ,Laaso Arlia. o. hlsb. embank'
ncnts with pro,ncnadps on top, which wall Il
In on either hand, its waters are kept at al
apparent show OF fulness by series OF dams
las an eminent Michigan statesman tried to
keep the election,) but when it escapes be-
low, it relapses into its original insign'a-
canoe. After Paris, Florence is doubtless the
best paved city in Europe the broad, smooth
fiaestonea that cover all the streets from curb
to curb, were laid down in the enterprisln2
days Of the Commo nwealth, and about
the time Of the discovery Of the new world,
when the streets OF the other European cap
itals were gulies, pit-holes and open sewers.
Over these smooth stone floors, vehicles roll
smoothly, swiftly and almost noiselessly, but
It is hard work for the poor horses to keep
their footing, and the narrow sidewalks,
built In the days when trottoirs were rare
luxury, obliged the crowd Of pedestrians to
take the street, which they do at their peril
from these smootfl-running vehicles, almost
always driven at speed. 1t Is not possessed
Of many blocks and streets OF ancient build
ings unsltered since the middle ages, like
Nuremburg and Lubbock, FOR Florence has
ever been, and is, a thriving, stirring. grow
ing seat OF great manufactures but here
and there, about the Older parts of the city,
/ THE HUGE, MASSIVE. PRIsoN-L1TE PALA-
CEs OF ARIsTOCRACY
OF the turbulent Commonwealth days,
built when every mans house had to be his
castle, in fact as well as in legal fiction, and
when each neighbor was likely to be an
enemy, frown down upon the streets below
and dwarf ali the surrounding buildings.
!, They look as il they were well capable Of re-
sisting sudden attack, and, perhaps, OF
standing quite siege, and are nearly all OF
! the same peculiar style Of architecture. The
/! lower story, from thirty-flve to forty feet
high, is built Of huge, rough dressed blocks
| OF stone, almost Cyclopean in their size q
| measured many OF the blocks which were
| five and six feet by two and half,) with
small windows high above the streets usual
! ly about eighteen feet from the water-table.
and heavily barred. Above this half fort
resa, half prison looking basement rise two
| more stories Of smooth-dressed stones, all
the stories being Of great height, far higher
than can be seen anywher slse, ~ that ons
OF these three story palaces, 1.-THE usual height
| here) is as lofty as five or six-story build
\ ing elsewhere. Some distance above the
ground and at regular intervals apart al
| round The building huge iron rings. ahou
eighteen inches in diameter, are attached K
staples deeply set into the walls, the pur
pose OF which have not yet been able t.
| find: perhaps 1t was for barrtcading the mar
| row streets with chains in case Of attack
and, perhaps, to hitch horses by in case o.
entertainment. Very wide cornices, cl
broad, overhanging caves project from the
| lofty SUBMITS, and great coats and escut
eheons Of arms carved over the principa
portals indicate that they were nearly al
built in the thirteenth and fourteenth cen
I; turtles, the palmy days Of the Common
4 wealth and the days when its mobiles wer
the richest in Europe. And these arms ant
escutcheons are worthy of study and sugges
curious reflections. For these wealthy arts
eocrats, instead of being ashamed Of TIL
1 sources from which they sprang, were prou
of the means by which their ancestors mai
the wealth which had ennobled them an
| enabled hem to build these naughty man
sions. and were careful to perpetuate thes
means upon their crests, quartered with tn
arms Of the noble and princely families witt
whom they we're allied. Thus you may still
see all over the city the six boluses or jail
4 Of the medici or physicians, the ladder Q
the Scalas and the cap ct the Cspponl
Above the broad cornlces and battlement
the tops Of the walls are machicolated o
pierced with apertures TO fire through, an
these Manifestations show by their aquar
or swallow-tale tops the quite importan
fact in these days whether the family be
lnnged to the Guelph or Ghibeline faction
For the same amiable purpose a bell towe
used to rise to great height above the roc
Often to all elevation Of two or three hur
drcd feet p, from which those amiable ger
tlenen blazed away at their neighbors wit
whom they might happen to have it'll
coolness or misunderstanding, with Mango
mel, Arblast, Catapult or Harquebus, as
pleasant way of exchanging calls or leavin
cards, until finally the signiory or sumsm
power or Tered them al. to be RACED down t
a height not exceeding ninety-six fee
which was done with all except n very FEY
Of the Oldest, whose owners had lnhuenc
enough to preserve them; aud so they stan
to this day, in their quaint, unique original
ty, objects of interest to the tourist and ,
study to the antiquarian. The others, trur
Gated according to law, have been turne
into ssloggies, or opened covered portico
within whose cool and lofty shade the occ
pant could take exercise and enjoy all u
| air that was moving over the hot city below
Within these massive walls is large cour
open to the sky, surrounded by the bale
MES Of the second and third stories; for Il
first or ground floor is devoted to domest
] offices, carriage houses. stables, ETC., whit
frequently open on deep arcade, while u
door above contains the principal apar
, ments, and the highest OF all, the chamber
opening on a deep, rooted piazza, whit
4 catches every breath Of air that is stirrin
Flights Of steps lead from the tiled or ma
BILE floor up to the sill OF each deeply er
bayed window. The PaIazzo Strozzi, bu