Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-08-19
"ROBINv ABROAD.
Lost ON the Roof of the Milan Cnths

Special correspondence Of State Journal:
HOTEL GRANpE BRETAdNE BEILAdIo.
LAKE Como, ITALY, July "a, 18S0.-Did
you ever hear of ones getting completely
lost, in broad daylight, on the roof of a
building on which were moro than 80
other people at the same time, including
several guides?
Well, then, that is the way your GORE
spondent celebrated her birthday abroad
yesterday. And for more than half an
hour she wandered on over that immense
marble roofing, meeting no one and
hearing no one-save An occasional distant
shout from one of the aspiring climbers in
the spires above-and utterly unable to
find any means of descent and epress.
Flights OF narrow, steep marble steps,
almost innumerable, disclosed themselves,
but having descended and strolled along
another long bit of roof, looking mean.
while, off over the d-tiled houses Of the
city away below to the distant SNOW
capped Alps, and having turned an angle
or two, the way would suddenly be found
to end in another flight of stems, longer
and sleeper than the others, hut loading
upwards instead of downwards And
having assembled these, it was ffepueutly
the case that the elevation thus gained
proved to have M ther outlet whatever.
and there was no way to- do but Ia r+iracr
the long steps downwards, the long bit of
roof, and the long steps upwards, To hunt
up other steps and try again
Several times | heard the soft tones IL
Italian voices, but never did l aucceed i'll
finding their owners Two or three times
| passed the upper portion of n great
stained glass window, and the swell of
chanting. bnyish voices rolled ont from
the interior so far below. with sweetest
organ accompaniment. More than once |
| was obliged to sit down-somotimea in
rush-hottomed chairs, which We're TO lie
found every now and then, and sometimes
on the gently sloplng marble of tho roof
itself, and study some more than usually
beautiful bit of carving on the marble
railing which surrounds every portion of
the roof, or on some OF the l.. 800 pima
cles-6 which over 1000 are crowned
with splendid mammoth statues.
just fancy-if you possibly cana mag
niticent great Gothic Cathedral of white
marble, from the roof of which 1000
beautiful, graceful statues point upwards
to the blue Italian sky, and you will have
a notion of the Milan Cathedral. The
guide books say that its facade is marred
by classical doors and windows. But
what thought married il the most was the
remnants of old white paper placards
which had been pasted on the great black
iron doors, and only partially pulled Off
How such dissertation can be allowed
don't ses.
BY the time l finally found the right
stairs by which to descend, had surely
gone over steps enough to have mounted
to the very top of the spire which had
declined, but the experience had been one
not unworth having and which impressed
me with an idea of the magnitude of the
cathedral which could scarcely bave been
gained in any other way. But l was not
sorry to regain terra trina and to find
myself in advance OF the others, who were
still above in the blazing sun.
was told last spring that a letter from
Milan would be incomplete without men.
ton of Leonardo da Vinci's famous old
fresco Of The Last supper But what
shall | say about II, save that it il still
ihsfe, that | saw IT, and that am glad |
iaw y because Y ~ the thing to do ?
Ev ~ hing hrs h en- said about it that
clh hr, over aoh nwr again, and wot. i'd
not d+r" criticisa it, noY would wish ia
Gush over it Il IL simply venerable,
married old relic OF what was once, doubt.
less, half n thousand years ago, a won,
drously beautiful painting
Many other places and objects of inter
est were shown us in the course of GU,
very pleasant drive around Milan, yester
day afternoon, but did not see them all
for could not miss the opportunity to cal
on our own young Boston p,jma donna
who has made such grand success il
opera here in Italy during the last two
years. You know her history, perhaps
Educated solely at the New England Con
servatory, her genius was early discovered
by DIR. Tourjee, who brought her out il
+ oratorio at the proper time. Utter success
. attended her anging everywhere, and tw,
wears ago she came abroad with Gilmore
Band. When her engagement with MIR
Gilmore was concluded she remained il
e Paris to study for the stage, bu
. her voice was At once pronounce,
simply perfect and she found tina
! she mad only to study opera
: In four months after her arrival in Italy
y this young girl of only about 70 years, All
: OF Boston musical education, WA
favored with 4 debut in the very land O
, music, and nothing but repeated sucoesse
i has she encountered. For pulioy's sake
u her fair name of Lillian Norton is know
u here as CYCLIC knfdiea, but she is precisel
!, the same bright, happy, unaifectedly lovel
American girl here that she was ut HON
y in the olden time. certainly expected t
Ind her somewhat changed, but was MOI
:, agreeably surprised, for, except that sh
u has bloomed out physically under til
kindly warmth of Italy from a sligt
4, young girl to woman OF rich and elegal
= proportions, she is the very same girl VIII
% always charmed all hearts by her Winson
. nature,
= Such wealth of trophies as Miss Lila
Ia and her devoted mother displayed TO OF
= delighted ghze, giving with each the ltt
y story attached of time and place. Beaut
= full, costly jewels of rere designs al
u elegant slken sashes which, in Italy 81
- always Topped from the flowers that N
presented II singer
t. Mother anddaughter are both tXtremei
~ busy Just now, for, although still
young, Miss Norton has already achieve
y. that great object of au artists heart, a
engagement at st. Petersburg whitbt
cr she goes in September. She has ten he
operas to learn before going, and tU
lessons daily one at . a. m. the other
=; s p. IN are pushing on the work IL
"huiope iS her uotnefs care ana bu'
,e ladies are. as may well be imagined. in
I'd state of great delight, though of son
ty anxiety as well, at the prospect Succc
ne in ut, Petersburg ASSURES success els
wh5re.
ss Last Saturday | wrot4 from NAple
going thence the same day to Rome. O,
lis leaving them on Monday afternoon Il
rt Pisa. A night and half day each
ng Pisa, Genca and Turin served 10 give
ne excellent ideas Of these interesting citit
aud to break the journey nurihward agrt
ably. On Thursday We r4nched Mia
and this morning We lett r Como, whe
We tuuk lunch, atd strulied about till h
AK afternoon boat, which brought Us by ri
is gag course over the Woba. rfully h4uut,
is. mountain circled lake 10 b iagio, wbe
we rest Tomorrow, going ~ to the 9th
il lakes on Monday, and croa.ing the S
m tfotthard Pass into Switzerland on Thu
ma day next. r..
~ surrey this spot may well he called Il
most low, iy on Lake Como TIE gre
.a ho'el is situated ON the wnter's edge, vi
T." only some we'll kept iowrr beds in frar
and nov rs | write ut NY ~, dow, hy (
~ mingled light Of the moon q, u candle. t
'ne music of fine brass t,t,t .,ntion,d
front of the u0use, add, il,, Il st charm
pg the night. Below, the plsctd lske ripu'
'ut aud CLEANS, save where II j. east In de-
Ied shadow by the strangelv plcturcsu
Use mountains on the other shore. In eve
direction, Ms far rs | chn see, the mouutai
MS loom up against the night ky. the m,