Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1879-02-06

| VUuCl VWAN
Of Art.
| Pisa, December %, 1878.
The day before leaving Nice, which was
the 18th inst, we paid visit to Monaco, the
Oldest and smallest kingdom in the world. I,
is about an hours ride from Nice on the route
to Genoa. This principally is so extremely
small that man can stand on one end of il
and throw stone to the other; yet it pos.
sesses palace, ships, harbor, newspaper,
several hotels and Casino, which is con-
sidered the grandest in Europe. 1t was erected
by company of French capitalists who lease
the grounds from the Prince. The Casino
has several play rooms and a magnificent
concert hall, where an orchestra of pieces
furnishes the most delightful and classic
music to hundreds of visitors every night,
Sundays not excepted. The play rooms are
gorgeously frescoed and gilded and are almost
constantly filled by visitors, many of whom
go there to crafty morbid curiosity, while
others 60 to try their luck at roulette. Gamb-
ling is carried on to fearful extent, and it is
not an uncommon thing for the bank to win
half million francs in single night. In
fact the bank ''rakes" it all in eventually, as
the percentage is greatly in its favor. So
great are the profits and percentages that the
company, after paying all the running ex-
penses of the establishment, which are enor-
nous, declare semi-annual dividend of ten
million francs.
On the 18th, after three week sojourn in
Nice, and very pleasant one it was too, we
resumed our journey southwark, determining
if possible to spend the Christmas holidays in
Rome. We took the Underground" railroad
for Genoa. Such at least shall style it, for
the reason that this road runs through no less
than ninety-seuen tunnels, varying in length
from 500 yards to four miles. The distance
is about 200 miles along the shore of the
Mediterranean, two-thirds of which, should
say, is underground, running through noun
tains from 500 to 5000 feet in height. There
are numerous towns along the route, the most
important of which are Mentone, Vintimiglia,
San Reno, Porto-Maurizio, Savona, Voltri
and Pegli-the latter the most lovely spot on
the entire Riviera. In addition to the grounds
of the Villa Pallavicini, considered the most
beautiful in Europe, there are the villas of
Doria and Grimaldi
GENOA.
After nine hours ride from Nice we
reached this city of great antiquity, and took
an omnibus for the Hotel Trombetta, one of
the best that we have found either in France
or Italy. The building is constructed of
granite and marble, and before its conversion
into hotel was palace. 1t is three centu-
ries old. Genoa contains population of
about 40, 900, and the site on which the city
is built rises to height of 500 feet, which
gives it grand and imposing appearance.
In the background rise the Apennines, now
covered with snow. The old portion of the
city is laid out in narrow, crooked streets,
but in the newer part they are wide and hand
some. The water that supplies the city is
brought from the river Bisagno. The style
of architecture in Genoa is elegant; some of
the gates of entrance to the palaces are forty
feet high. The palaces are numerous and
are said to be superior in many respects to
those of Rome; the roofs are fiat and adorn-
ed with shrubbery and such trees as the or
ange, lemon, pomegranate and oleander, re-
freshed by fountains which play during warm
days. Some of the palaces visited contain
rare paintings, sculpture and other works of
art. There are hundreds of them in Genoa,
and any attempt at description would be but
a vain ehdeavor. The principal and most at
tractive are those situated upon the Strado
Nuovo and Strado Balbi.
There are many public institutions in &C.
noa, among which is deaf and dumb insti-
tute, very noted in Italy, founded by poor
monk in 1901. Also three hospitals, the prin-
cipal of which is the Albergo di Poveri, ca
pable of accommodating $4,000 persons.
This building contains the finest piece of
in the city-the dead Christ" by
Michael Angelo.
A monument to the memory of
Christopher Columbus stands near the
railway station. At the feet Of the noble
statue, which rests on an anchor, the figure Of
America is kneeling. There are four alegor-