Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-12-03
Bisfellarrenns.
Country Life in Italy.

ian LADY, whose education had been COM
pleted At most fashionable convent asked
me II it was really necessary to cross the
sea in order to get to England. My ex-
PLANTATION that England was an island did
not enliphten her at all, for she did not
know that '.island'' meant land surround
ed by water. The boys are very thank
ful when allowed to exchange the priests
dress they are obliged to wear at their
school for secular garments. but they are
often kept in the s.seminario'' to be out Of
mischief until past twenty. The father
finds them. on their return, singulariy de-
void OF all useful information and all
practical ideas. The only occupation to
which they take kindly is ''la caccia, :"
and they seldom, through life. pursue any
other avocation with much Zest.
One, maybe, has abilities-ambition-
wishes To do something in the world but
it is too late now to take to profession.
lie has wasted the best years oi his youth
or, rather, they have been wasted for
him-and he complains bitterly that he IS
fit for nothing but apriest. A priest he
will not be; neither is he content to re-
main ut home, with nothing but his mis-
cradle younger sons portion to live up
on. (Half the entire fortune goes to the
eldest son, and the other half is divided in
equal portions amongst the remaining
children.) This son, naturally the best
endowed. too often turns out the
black sheep Of the family. The
daughters. on their return from the
convent are subjected to discipline al
most as strict as that Of the nuns. They
may never leave the house except with
their father, neither mother nor brother
being considered escort enough. They
are not allowed to read any books but
fashion books, and they are locked into
their rooms at night. knew one imagi-
native girl who employed the time during
which she was locked into her room in
writing thrilling romances; which before
morning she burnt When emancipated
by marriage from paternal control, she
broke out, but only in the way OF iitera-
ture. She cared neither for balls nor the
aires, but literally devoured books. and to
her credit, be il said, she did not confine
herself to novels. History, science. met
Understanding came amiss to her
What must not an intelligent girl. with "A
taste for reading. have suffered during
twenty years Of such unnatural repres-
sion! The serious occupation oil the ltil-
ian young lady is embroidery for her
rousseau, or 'corrcdo.' rs she would
call il; and many bride can produce
hundreds Of chemises, petticoats. etc, all
deliberately embroidered. and arranged
in drawers each dozen tied with different
colored ribbon. She will tell you that
she began this work ut seven years Old.
In spite of the size OF the house, the nu-
merous family Cfor when the sons marry
they remain with their wives and children
under the paternal pooD and the extern
sive scale on which hospitality is exer-
cised the servants are few-two or three
at the utmost-and those few find plenty
of time in which to gossip and
amuse themselves. But then. Italian
ideas. of what constitute comfort and
cleanliness are not ours. The large. bare
saloons are uninhabited except on grand
occasions The family sit in dingy
room on toe ground floor, stone-paved
and carpetless. furnished with n couple
of benches against the wall. u table in
the middle and one armchair. The stone
floor is never scrubbed; the windows are
cleaned once in generation the lurn |
ture Is busted but rarely. There are no
freplaces. and a bath is required but once
VI lWltt III tnt ttuISf VI tlIt year rue
only breakfast is a tiny cup of black coi |
fee. taken in bed There is no separate
cookery for children or servants. The !
former feed with their parents, and the /
latter eat what remains after the family /
have dined. Dinner. which takes place |
about midday. is certainly an elaborate
affair. 1t begins with raw ham and va
rious species of sausage "salami.' also |
raw then comes the '.minestra." chicken /
broth with rice or macaroni in it then the |
"lesso"-that is. the chickens of which |
the soup has been made. eaten usually |
with rice; then perhaps a dish of vege |
tabes-beans. peas, or cabbage. accord |
ing to the season. followed by an .'arros-
to-" The roast is usually either lamb or
chicken; mutton and beef are seldom ca
ten, but "manzo"-veal verging on beef
is occasionally to be seem then will
come some sweet dish or .'fritn'; then |
more meat in '.humido" (stew). until one
begins to think the repast will never
end On fast days the meat is replaced
by fish--usually the red mulet with which |
this coast abounds-ande eggs. either baked |
in dish or made into an omelet In the |
spring iunkets identical with those for which |
Devonshrc is famous. but made of ewes |
instead of cows milk. from part of the |
repast. Besides the junket, or "cuagliata. -
rs it is called. the ewes milk supplies |
other sweet dishes-'ricotto." which re-
sembles very rich buttermlk, and GUM |
cata. which is more of the consistence of
cream-cheese. and made in the form OF |
rushes. Cream-cheese there are. too. and |
when they are sailed they keep and hard |
en-. Ewes milk is the only milk used |
Cattle are kept only for work it follows
that butter is not a product of the country. |
Olive oil supplies its place, when vnu are |
used to it. very we'll. '.Ciambelle,"
made of oil, flour. sugar. and "mosto di |
vino" (that is, the juice of the grape be-
fore it has fermented). are. | believe. pc
culiar to the Marches. The wine leaves |
much to be desired. When cooked, ~ it !
often is, it is sweet and at least irinkable
but the vino crudo" is generally sour
The habit here prevalent Of gathering the
grapes before they are ripe may account
for this undesirable popularity of the
wine. Dinner is generally followed by
coffee and the family eat and drink no
more until supper at 9 or 10 O'Clock. This
meal is more simple than the dinner.
Soup is again de riqucur. but there may
not be more than one other dish besides