Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-08-05
"ROBIN. ABROAD.
Unfortunate FIOrence-the "Eternal
City''-DeIiRhttul Hotels add Deli
ciOus Cookery = The Ruins, the
CAtRc0mbs and the Art Galleries
Tn lao Il

HOTEL OosTANzI, ROME, ITALY, July 10,
s0-Florence WAS disappointment to
all except the art-mad members of our
party-and even they were far from
happy, because it 30 CHANGED that house,
cleaning time had arrived at the Pitt gal
lery, and the Tribune WAS closed, by order
Of the Government, that the wonders of
art contained therein might be washed
down. However, there wns quite enough
left In Florence for one days hurried
sightseeing, especially when time must be
stolen somewhere for the curiously tiny
shops that line both siden of the Ponte
Vecchio, or the Jewelry Bridge, as it 10
sometimes called, wneru dantiest tempta-
tions in mosaics, precious metals and
jewels baited the unwarv Tourjean.
A disappointment Yer, because it was
SO hot and so feartully dusty that, though
Florence may be very beautiful, it was
Impossible to 10 See it with eyes that were
blinded with the white simmer Of the
soorchiDg sun reflected from yellow walls
and pavemrnts, aud through au atmos-
pherr thai was thick with dust particlep
However, the representative of Gaze a.
Son, who conducts US, planned ine day IN
well as it was possible, and arranged tor IA
ride about the city, of which The dust ard
heat were the only unpleasant Incidents
But II Florence fell below our espeota
tioxs, how far above any that we dared to
form rises the Eternal City! Benihcent
arrangement for our welfare, indeed, was
that which gave us but days pause in
the so-called City OF Flowers (the bios
SONS were represented to us only by an
old and very ugly woman with the
broadest-brimmed hat | ever saw, who
persisted in thrusting a big bouquet of
withered flowers into our railway coach as
we left the city), and brought us directly
here, where fresh, cool breeze blows all
the time, where fountains of delightful
water gush forth at almost every corner
one turns, and where the very sun himself
seems more chary Of his rays. Our hotel
is charmingly situated on high land above
the city proper and the rooms are SO large
and airy III to be perfectly luxurious /;
the vast, cool drawing room below, and the
dining hall where food is served that
seems wonderfully toothsome after our
long penance and fast in Germany-heave
defend me from German cooking in the
future just fancy carawsy seed in your
potatoes aud spearmint and sugar in your
green peas; bread literally as hard as rock!
We arrived here last Thursday after
noon, and We leave this afternoon for
| Naples. Congratulate us, gentle reader
on our long rest in Romel 1t is genuine
breathing spell; for, although we have
done wonders III the way of sight seeing,
We have still been given possible hours of
rest. Breakfast at 81 the carriage at
500; back at ~ 80; lunch al l.; idle
hours till 30, when carriages have again
been taken, to return barely in season for
the O'Clock table d h0te, after which one
was at liberty to 90 straight to bed, thus
making up sleep that has been lost all
along the road behind us. 1t would be
useless to attempt giving you our pro-
gramme OF sightseeing here, for it has
covered all the usual ground, or at least
far more of it than would DO supposed
possible in the time that has been ut
our disposal. We have been doubly
favored IN the matter of guides, for NOT
only have We had our own very compe.
tent conductor, hut the special services OF
Mr.. \. Russell Forbes, the Archaeological,
were secured for us, and what with the
familiar talks which no has given us in the
drawing room each evening on the ground
to he covered the next day, with his per.
sonal attendance and explanations ION the
spot, and with hia terse and well-wrtter
little guide book, SIX Days Rsmbles in
Rome" of which everybody has COPY
we have protited greatly by this piecs OF
good fortune-or rather, of good manage
ment on the part OF DR.. Tourjee. BY tn.
way, you may have an opportunity oil
hearing Mr.. Forbes lecture on Rome
where he has been studyingthe antiquitie,
and watching the researches for the pas
10 years, as understand no intends visit
ing America and making lecture tour OF
the principal cities, in the fall
Among ruins, and cataoombs, and ar
galleries, we found time for half hour a
the Quirinal Palace, the abode of royalty
and that royalty itself had but jus
vanished at our approach-and no wonder
for nothing would have been left of hi
Highness had our 20.odd women had I
chance at him was plainly manifested
by the half smoked cigar and scattere;
ashes which one Of our curiosity hunter
discovered on table, and, | presume
captured as "a souvenir. 1t is beautiful
, place, this home of the youthful King ant
Queen of Italy. We went through Ions
vlstas of gilded and frescoed apartments
with furniture of gilt, brocade, marble ant
many other valuable materials; but a few
tribes were to be seen which seemed in
congruous For instance, brussels carpet,
a were occasionally seen, SO worn in place
that the threads Of the foundation wer
Z plainly visible, and in other cases tn
/ breadths were mismntched-very badl'
, mismatche6, 80 that half of leaf or howe
4 would be placed against half of scroll o
! other design looked quite as it tn
carpet having become worn, the breadth
had been changed at last cleaning ds,
a so as to put the worn ones under tn
! furniture, and thus the wrong ones pu
! together. In other rooms the more com
Portable chairs and lounges were fadet
, aud rubbed, while the more stately one
a were in all their pristine glory, just as
/ the case in your house and mine, goo,
! friends. Then | wondered much wha
was the capacity in the royal household
[ of the very shabby young man VIII
opened doors in advances of us an
kept his eyes on the vaiusbes. II
contrasted strongly With tho ae1pio u
huge guards who passed us on the stairs
in their gorgeous uniform, which Wa
: topped of with steel helmet from whie
n depended thick horse-hair switch, a
J, least yard long. The head gear @
I
: quite as remarkable. being
\ very broad-brimmtd hard felt hat-usuall
a black, but noticed on Sunday they wer
4 covered over with white cloth-worn O
a the extreme side of the head, and deco
a rated with an immerse bunch of very Ion
n cocks plumes, which entirely covers tn
:, hail and blows into their faces and tiekl
?, their ears and NOSES As one Young spri
!. of the military turned his head to gaze n
u our party the other day, breeze blew tn
whole mass of feathers directly Rcross hi
q face, which they utterly obscured, an
n from which he only emerged by Yer
a vigorous shake of his head and gesture @
4 his hands. Wonder il he used swea
wordg The strangest attired people, how
a ever, are the Swiss guards of the Pope
! who in their verli ally striped clothes G
black, red and orange, in 6qu,
= parts, look 80 like harlequin
~ that it is impossible to help stai
4 staring at them. The Pope himself is nc
, receiving, so we cannot stare at him. Blu
4 the monks and friars and priests thu
II throng the streets are quite enough
~ never before really believed in the skis
y ence of bowed, white haired men, ciothe
!, in long, scant gowns of coarsest brow
), sackcloth tied at the waist with piece {
!, rope, and supplemented only by oil
a sandals out at the toes, and b. "a brow
!, pointed hood for the head. Poor oil
"a Capuehinsl We visited yesterday the
a strangest of all strange burying Ilacr
~ the sepulchre of three or four little room
~ under their Monastery, wherein the bnn.
q. OF numberless defunct Oapuchips are di
= played in most fantastic manner. A