Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1878-08-03
the house and room where Galileo was
born in 1864, Feb. 18th.

Cn9 mouse ana room Wnefe ballleO was
born in 1864, Feb. 18th.
After doing Pisa we pursued our
way to Florence, form erly the capital
of the Italian Kingdom and regarded
by many as the ;old city of Italy.
We spent the morning after our arri-
valin driving around the city and
looking at her places, stopping oc-
caslonally to look at an interesting
object which we would probably not
visit later. The principal object of
this kind on our drive was Michael
Angeles house. His designs are all
preserved here as are some Of his
works Of art. Florence is called the
City Of Art and she is worthy of The
rame, for she has the finest paintings
and sculptures to be found anywhere.
In two days, the limited time we had
to spend in that city, we could not
see all of Ter beauties and had to
content ourselves with a hurried
glance at objects that ned weeks of
study. We visited the same day the
Pitt Gall"ry of paintings which con-
tains works by all the famous artists.
Leonardo di Vinci, considered by the
knowing ones as TIE greatest of all,
and whose works are said to be lost,
has three ascribed to him. Notwith-
standing the tine of the year, the
winter being the principal season, the
gallery was thronged with visitors
gazing at pic tres, old but still new.
There were many artists engaged in
the galleries copying the most cele-
brated paintings, One can have no
idea of the immense labor spent upon
an oil painting until he sees the ar
tist engaged in painting it. It re-
quires a great deal Of P ence to ex-
ecute one of th ese pictures and the
slightest mistake will often destroy
the whole work. They copy excel
lently and to all appearances the copy
is exactly like tt e original. The pie
lures painted represent all kinds of
subjects mostly pertaining to relig-
ion, our Savior and history, of which
the guide-book explains The gal
lelies of sculpture contain the finest
works. All the mythological person
ages were sculptured, as well as those
Of the different Roman Emperors.
/ would advise those contemplating
viewing these excellent works of art
to study up the subjects before hand,
in order not to feel the pangs Of sor-
row, which ignorance Of them brings
Florence also has her magnificent
churches, n my Of which We visited,
We found them, IKE the others, large
aud 50 beautiful that the English
language will have to receive fresh
stock of adIectives and superlatives
to deer be them further. The tower
belonging to the Cathedral is built Of
black and white marble and is consid-
cred the finest in the world, but l
like the style Of Pisa better. From
is summit we obtaire ed an excellent
vies, of the city, every house Of which
he til"d roofs, which are perfectly
fire p. oo. The Ba istery has the
celebr ted bronze doors, which alone
are enough to make the city famous.
They r present SC ,es in tie life of
Christ and thei, 'iko have never yet
been P CDR cd. The Charel of the
Medicl family, the ruling family of
Florence a few centuries ago ard
which is now entirely ext ct, cost
100000 lires, or 24,000,000 It is
built Of the most elegant marble and
is what its name implies, as it is not
any larger th n one ofyour churches.
The Boboli Gardens are an attraction
for every stranger visiting the city.
They are laid out in the handsomest
manner, and the trees are old and
very large. They have also giant
cypress trees which are to be seen all
over the gardens, They were laid out
in 1850 by Co-Mos I, and belonged to
the uling family before the nationali-
zation Of Italy. They are no in the
hands of the government, as is the
Pitt Palace adjoining them. Victor
Z nmanual resided here in 1855, when
Florence was still the capital. The
Santa Croce church Of Florence is,
like the Westminster Abbey of Lon.
dou, used to receive the ashes of IL
lustrious Italisls. Unlike the Abbey,
however, it is used every day.
An mong those buried here is Michael
Angelo and Galileo. There is also
oenotaph erected to the honor of
Dante.