Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-19
THE POPE'S PRIVATE GAR
DEN.
The Pretty Pleasure Ground I'm
Which Pious IN. Sought Re-
lief from Captivity-Beautiful
and Restful SeclusiOn.


A Rome correspondent writes: Its
particular interest is in the TACT that Tor
years the Popes have not stepped out Of
the Vatican Palace except togo into this
garden, and naturally it Is iealously Sc
Guided from profane intruders. How
ever. we bribed the officials and were LEI
into the garden surrepti0usly with per-
mission TO remain an hour, and we i'm
proved the time to the utmost. Until
recently it has been only place to stroll
about in on foot. But now the Pope Is
having a carriage road made through it,
and has just had an elegant landau con-
strueted in Rome, with the papal escut-
cheon upon it, expressly to drive about
the garden in. ...t
The principal avenues are bordered
by fiat edges, and in passing along you
catch glimpses, through green arches, oil
the sweetest little sylvan retreats that
you can imagine-birds singing, foun-
tains bubbling, light and shade playing
through the hickering leaves, the air
full OF the scents OF orange blossoms and
roses, shady. paths winding in and out,
up and down, in the most distructiy
way, the ground covered with thick
mating OF deep leaves, the accumula-
ton of years. Here. an ancient sarco-
phagus, with seulptured figures in re-
lief; there a marble statue, gray with
age, and something inexpressly weird
in the twilight gloom, the solitude and
air of neglect and decay. Again, you
emerge upon open, sunny spaces, and
the promenade skirts quadrangular
space sunken 10 or 20 feet, with perpen-
dicular walls, originally, perhaps, the
vaults of some ancient construction.
This laid out in an immense flower gar
den, and in the midst the gorgeous pa
pal monogram traced in living verdure,
A pretty surprise was small grotto
in rock-work, representing that OF
Notre Dame de Lourdes, in which stood
a little fancy figure of the Virgin, at her
feet little grating through which otter
ings were dropped, and three tiny
streams OF water flowing from tiny
spouts into little basin, and above
these words, 'Drink to be healed"
OF course, we applied our mouths TO
the little streams and drank OF the con-
secrated water.
We thought we had explored every
nook and corner Of the garden, but had
tailed to find the place We were specially
in search of, the famous casino, where
Plus ~. used to sit on sunny days, and
which is said TO be favOrite resort OF
the present Pope for study and writing
We met servant who went with US to
show the way, and gave US boquet OF
equisite damask roses. The casino Is
completely enclosed and hidden by
high hedges, entered by a single arch.
Following path through shrubbery,
we passed under deep stone archway,
lined with mosaics-three inches each
side filled with ancient statues-and
came upon small circular esplanade
with fine mosaic pavement, inclosed by
two semi-circular loggias or porticos
supported by marble columns, the cell
ing and inside walls covered with beau
tiful but faded frescoes and curious
mosaic and shell work, with inches oc-
cupied by busts and statues.
All around was a wilderness OF flow
ers and shrubbery, and close by the
dome of st. Peters filled in the view.
Finally, through distant arch, we saw
a vista of trees, and following it up came
out upon an elevated terrace, where, un-
der the shade of old trees covered with
purple blossoms, was a man-of-war IN
bronze, eight or ten feet long,th rigging
complete, rows of cannons projecting
from its sides, the mariners at their
posts. From this terrace was a view OF
the city and the Castle of st. Angelo
prominent in the foregroundand Monte
Marie on the left, the valley OF the Tiber
beneath and the Campagna stretching
out to the Alban range in the distance.