St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-10-31

arms of the lake and Cadenabbia. lust
opposite, are fashionable resorts, and
here in either public or private collec-
tions are some fine specimens of modern
art, including sculptures by Thorvald-
sen and CanOva, and frescoes by Bern
ard Luini. We go on by steamer to
Como (tOwn,) and thence to Milan.
This is well-built, prosperous city.
Its Gothic cathedral rivals that OF
Cologne. If the latter is more impos-
ing, the former is more elegant and
more symmetrical. 1t has SO turrets
and 1000 statues on its exterior. Its
dome commands magnificent prospect
stretching far over the plains to the
east and south, and embracing all the
higher ranges of the Alps on the north
and west. The view is much the best
at early morning, since later the PEI
culiar haze of the Italian skies is likely
to thicken. just outside the north
western gate of the city, is an imposing
Triumphal arch, begun by Napoleon L.
as the monumental terminus of the
great Simplon road, but finished in 1888
by Francis /. of Austria. 1t is sig
nifcant commentary on the uncertainty
of all earthly things that the inscription
on this arch has been twice changed.
1t now commentaries Italian unity.
Some other memorials are more lasting
than those of either stone or bronze.
Two famous pictures are in this city,
Leonardo da Vincis' Last Supper, a
frescO on the wall of the dining hall of
an old monastery, and, in the Gallery
of Fine Arts, Raphael's Nuptials of the
Virgin. The former is much damaged
and in the course of years will be quite
ruined because painted on the plaster
of brick wall.
Five hours by rail brings US to
Verona. The vineyards along the way
are very pretty. The vines trail chiefly
over pear trees which are planted so
thickly that the vines run from one to
another and with their ripening fruit
hang pendant between the trees, or
with the heavy weight bend low their
branches. Verona is a thoroughly Ital-
ian city, old, crowded, dirty, and noisy.
Early in the morning, we were wakened
by the trundling of carts, and the halloO-
ing of fruit and vegetable hucksters.
After trying in vain to get additional
sleep, l felt bound to get some compen-
satiOn for the clatter, hence dress quick
ly, sally forth, interrupt a bawling ven
der and secure quantity of delicious
fresh figs and grapes. The fellow was
quieted for about one minute while
weighing the fruit, and then his re-
newed cry of .tfchi (figs) could have
been heard fully half a mile.
The one thing worth seeing here
after the city itself-is the old Roman
amphitheatre, erected in the third cen
tury. 1t is 600 feet long, $50 wide
thus elliptical in fOrm-and 100 feet
high on the back. One above another
rise 40 tiers of seats, each 1S inches high
and 26 inches wide, the whole substruc-
ture of rough stone and concrete cover
ed with grey marble and capable of
seating 25000 spectators. Except as to
the high outer wall, this arena is nearly
perfect. and it is better that the travel
Ter going to Rome should visit this be-
fore the Colosseum, since the latter is
much more ruin.
A fine Italian sunset had expired and
the lights of the city cleaned across the
wide sea-marsh as we approached
Venice. 1t seemed any thing but Jour-
ney's end to leave terra firma and en-
bark on a gondola, and more like IL
dream than real life to find ourselves
gliding along between rows of gas lights,
or in the shadow of high walls, or under
dark arches, especially when propelled
by an almost nOisless oar. These gon-
dOliers who live on the water, often
sleeping in their boats as well as work
ing in them, become exceedingly ex-
pert. They always row standing and
with a single oar. The gondola is
shaped like brch-bark canoe, fifteen
to twenty feet in length, three to four
wide, with prow-beak as high as the
awning of the boat, and always painted
black. At first sight in the day time it
looks as if made for Charon and use Oh
the river Styx, and one involuntarily
thinks himself shade not willing to
embark on the black stream. But,
really, after one is fairly on the water,
whether in canal or harbor, it is the
easiest, most luxuriously delicious loco
motion in the world.
1t must be confessed that the first full
daylight sight of Venice, is disappoint-
ing. First, the streets are not all
canals; secondly, the houses are not all
palaces; thirdly, the palaces, like dirty
table knives, need securing; fourthly,
the smells are not all briny. But when
one has seen the square of St. Marks
Illuminated, and full of gay prone
naders, or ascended the Campanile and
gazed on the Fair Adriatic with hel
island portals, or visited the splendid
churches, OF the court and spacious
rooms of the Ducal palace, above all
when one has stood without and within
st. Marks church and examined will
careful eye and glass its burden O