Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-09-12
NOTES OF EUROPEAN TRAVEL.
Interesting Extracts from Private
Letters of Miss Kate MilIikan to
her Family.

HOTEL DE PARIS, PossIDoNUs, ROME,l
Sunday, July Is, 1873.
We were up early, Saturday morning,
trunks packed and carried down at six in
the morning, and at quarter past seven
we all piled into carriages and wended
our way, as fast as the miserable raw
boned horses could gallOp, to the station.
italian horses know no pace between
walk and a gallOp, and are usually at the
latter; and how shamefully they are
abused, too. Mr.. Bergh would find
wide field here.
Piling into the cars, twenty in each
compartment, back to back and face to
face we made the complete half-circuit of
Florence, approaching the walls at Parta
Santa CrOee, with hills, villas and olive
trees; the trees festooned with grape
vines, as formerly. The PratomagnO
mountains were visible on the east after
half an hours ride, and then we wound
along the Seine, and crossing it we re-
ceded along the Armo, shooting in and
out of tunnels-sixteeI. 1 counted in two
hours. Then the Apprentices were distant
ly observable in the east; more like low
long cloud than mountains, while castles
and ruins of castles were everywhere
visible. The fields were like those of In
diana and Ohio, especially like the fields
between Lancaster and CircleviIle. And
the herds of cattle, with white bodies and
black heads and tails; or, if their heads
were white, the horns and tails were
black. Such contrast to the cattle of
Switzerland, with light tails and fawn-
colored ears and legs. The hogs are as
skinny as young calf, and look as weak
and lanky.
At MOntevarchi we left the valley and
took our way through hills and tunnels,
SO numerous that I no longer dared to
have my head out of the door, as here
tofOre. You are aware, no doubt, that
these railway carriages have no windows
and the doors open at the side, like a hack.
Arrezo is strongly walled town and I
could not see anything of it, as the rail-
way does not enter the town. The town
has been destroyed and rebuilt, times
| without number. The fortress of Mon
techio is on a rocky wall, with olive trees
around it. Then we passed for some dis
tance along Lake Tarsememes, for nearly
| thirty miles. The scene of Hanibal'S
victory over the Romans. The next place
remember was OrvietO, (which is situa-
ted on steep cliff, 700 feet high, and no
visible way of getting up to it. This was
one of the stronghOlds; the southern part
had been battered down, as was also part
of the castle. Here we were winding
along the yellow Tiber-no wider than
the creek at the meadow hole. Beyond
Castiglione the barren, dreary mountains
are visible, and we cross and recross the
,Tiber, as it rolls over its yellow sands
Then wide meadows come in sight with
herds of cattle, and fields in which Amer
lean steam threshers are at work. AS we
neared Montosso we had glimpse along
the valley, nearly to Rome. Directly af-
terward, with my head out of the door, ]
espied an isolated hill with Il single house
on its top, and the next moment, directly
behind it, the dome of St. Peters came in
sight, We whirled along Notifications,
moats and draw-bridges without number
and dashed through the great wall, so ft
high; and here [ got cinders in my eyes
which effectually prevented my seeing
another thing till we halted at the station
We had passed the ancient temple of Mi.
nerva, but the cinder in my eye prevent
ed me from seeing it.
We were piled into OmnibuseS and rat
tied off through Roman streets, the archi
lecture of which is a snare and a delu
sion; it is all stuccO, not bit of homes
brick and stone are in it, as in Florence
The hotel is splendid, and have such
lovely roOm-all to myself. My room i
crimson and gray, with the west window
looking into the courtyard, in which ar
growing oranges, citrons, figs, lemons
oleanders, double and single white an,
red pinks, with wisterias climbing tn
corners, and no end of the rarest tropica
: plants, in the open air. The east windOV
: looks upon the terraced "Pincio,'' Q
which 1 can never, never tell you; it wa
begun in 1400, by the wife of Claudiui
f Here you find the night-bloOming ceruS
: thirty feet high; great aloes, with thei
single stalks rising up like vast candle
q I bra, with many branched blossomin
n arms OF flowers, like Solomon's candt
e bras of the temple; the flowers are of
s delicate lemon-yellow, but so high up,
f could not tell what they looked like
t Cactus in bloom, with leaves as large &
n those of a cabbage; sensitive plants
Il large as our locust trees, and in bloom
= o what paradise it is-but for the monl
e and priests everywhere-who,w with the
If sly, leering, cunning CLEANS from Il
4 corners of their eyes, and their crue
If treacherOus faces, spoil it all.
> After dinner we went out riding-ha
d ing just had a descriptive lecture fro
Of the Doctor on what we were about to sc
& We went first to st. Peters, passing tt
10 old shacks of temples of Vesta and Fo
is tune. st. Peters stands on the site of t
a Circus of Nero, where so many Christia
e. were martyred. It was founded in A.
s. 80, and has been demolished and rebu
De number of times, and is not finish
a yet, although it was dedicated in 162
IS and it was the sale of indulgences, I
he money for this building, which led to t
reformation. 1t is so vast that was Co
,ts pletely lost in it. There are four rows
no granite columns from the Simplon pa
ed each being one solid block, and, l belize
h six feet in diameter at the base, and Is
ch high, says the guide-book. The altar
m. columns of oriental alabaster on ma
&c. chite pedestals, presented by Nicholas,
as Russia. There is something wOnderi
It about this cathedral; everything is mi
est bic, of the costliest kind; the floor is bls
TO- and white marble, in block designs of
to rious kinds. We passed the palace
to Caesar, one vast pile of ruins, the arcl
no and windows alone remaining, with fir;
* ments of sculpture-and two exquis
on verde columns, standing alone.