New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-13
ITALIANS ON A GALA-DAY.
orrrra lr 4 cnr1NrRY FAIR IN TTAIY.


N rHR LAND OF saxG-THE ITALIAN BEGGAE
At home,
lFRon Az OCCASIONAL cORREsFoEDEET or THE THIBUSNI
GAMMA, Italy, Feb. Al can conceive Of moth
ing in Italy more interesting TO a traveller who
desires to know tho manners and customs OF $40
peopls and the people themselves than an Itai1an
country fair, snch as takes place in every Italian
country town Of any importance at least once
wear. A fair was held yesterday at PIctrasanta,
little city located on the line Of tho railway be-
tween Genoa and Pisa, about fifteen miles frlm
thu latter place, and twO-thiTds as far n)m
Carrara Wehave a small colony Of Engiish-spei1k-
ing people in CarraTa. counting in the American
Consul and his wife, two American marble mer-
chants and few Englishmen who arc also III dbe
marble trade and as Carrars is of tho very DUH
est places on earth, there was no difficulty e1-
perienced in getting mp party of five to go to the
Pietrasanta fair. We went in an open carriage
drawn by two fine horses and driven by coaehman'
and we carried our dinner with in large hamper
slowed away in the drivers box. The day was the
finest we have had in this part Of Italy since
October. There was not q cloud In the sky, nor
even the threat of cloud. Such sky was never
seen in America Corsica, sixty miles ont IN the
Mediterranean, seemed almost beneath our noses.
Perhaps if we had had fielS-glass we could have
se,n the steepes of Ajaccio the city whose glory Is
that there the great Napoleon had his birth.
Our way was by tho famous road built in Napo-
Icons time and by Napoleon himself, leading from
Carrara over the mountain into the beautiful city
| of Massa and thence on. We passed through
Massa in at one gate and out at another, and then
act of through the oIiYe-lTowIng plain that extends
.outbward for many miles We witnessed the olive
pickinq as we rode along. There were men in the
trees knocking the olives of with long cane poles.
There were hundreds OF women on the ground
hollow picking up tho olives as they fell. IL was
not n picturesque sight at all, that Of the women
pickcrs Generally they were the most haggtsh-
looking women imaginable. They were picking IN
sorada fen or n dozen women in line. Sccn from
our Cartilage az We drove along, their striking fea-
tures were their bare and dirty heels and ankles,
and their ragged, dangling skirts. Ihey were
walking about shut mp like iackkniVes, with hcads
and feet on the ground Fancy tho feelings of one
~ them at tho end Of n long day Of such collie
breeding work when she receives her wages to tho
amopnt of from fifteen to twenty cen'mes, equiva-
lent in American money to from to couts! On
the other hand consider how few Americans could
aaorA 10 eat salad if these poor women were paid
| yTaars commensurate with their labor
A few miles out from Massl We passed the gate
that used 20 separate the Duchie1 Ct 80dena and
ruscauy 10 WAS ut this gate that there use'i to be
! most e1asperatug oycrhaullng OF passports and
rausacking OF luggage. An American acquaintance
Of mine who was living in Carara IN the palmy
DAYS OF this old gate, tells mo that having suffered
seyercly several times in his passages 10 and from
Leahorn. he finally procured An American buggy
with secret lookup and henceIoIlh eAPoIA'A0'"
very htti" annoyance.
hniv,pa M Pietraianta we found the fair in ful!
blast. and we mado haste to cas- our lunch and to
| cot ont uron the street. Tho heavyweight OF our
| lpncn was a sweve-pOund turkey. will warrant
no other Americans ate bit Of roast turkey u
italy regret to say that national bird Is very
lightly esteemed in this country. he Is generally
A,f. for poor people TO eat people who can't afford
chickens and game, the sort OF people who seal
their ncighbos's dog or cat and fatten him Tor
Wedding feast or other earonsal. We insisted on
having a turkey, and having procured hmm two
,veekS IN advance. we ted him till hs WIS nearly
hurst. Boiled rice. maccaruni, Gndian-meal mu5h'
soaked bread and a good basin OF gravel wero 81
vav, before him. and At the end Of fortnight he
rouId scarcely waddIe the kitchen TO meet his
fate. "
The Pictrasanta iolr is ostcusbT held for the sale
o! such things "a country people have need Of
five stock hardware and farm implements. cloths
aad clothing boots and shoes furniture, food pro
ducts and. in addition to the neccssaries host oi
ccvraw stu4 for the embellishments Of the pcrscn
ard tbc con fusion Of the stomach. Many come 70
pietrrganta 70 sell many come 70 buy, and when
are added those who como t2 find amusement and
those who Como specially to furnish the auInsc-
mcpt there figures up a towuful Probably there
were a. 600 strangers in Pietraaut9 yesterday
Starting out on our tour OF observation, We came
FIRST upon the hog and pig market. | can't say OF
what breed tho animals were. They looked like
mixture OF all the scrnb pigs Of the universe There
were no symptoms whatever OF Berkshire or 20
land China about them. Pigs three months old
DOt To
which seemed to mo very high prices. Pew buyers
took p,Oro than one pig. and few consumed lesa
than three hours in selecting aud bargaining. IL
vas difIeuIt 10 determine which were tho noisioI-
The pies that were undergoing selling and Separa-
tiou from their brother aud sister pigs or the men
and women who were fighting TO agree upon tho
terms Of sale. From the pig market We crossed TO
the praud exhibition Of wax figures admission ten
oeutiules or centa but turned away on noting the
absence from the catalogue Of the "SleePins
Bsanty1 and the Dying ZOusVe." Passing up
narroE sttoot by dint Of vigorous Glowing and
ostling we came to the principal square OF che
city. In which were located tho booths and coun-
ters OF the wandering Jews from Florence and
Genoa who make q business OK attending fairs AMI
arkets Ono booth was devoted " tho sale OF piece
,ooda cotton. linen flannel and cheap dress stuit
a. decidedly unfixed prices. Tho prlco per metre
hobbed I'D and down most bOwildeTnglY. l saw
eother sslecting some cbeckeTed flannel TO make
her daughters bridal dress. Ten metres she
wanted. and the pIico she paid was twenty pa
garones the metre, about 20 American CENTS DlO
santoB said the nsxt woman to whom the urhane
functionary behind the counter announced ths
same price. an give you fifteen" Impossible.
aiisi the fuuctionary il cost me nineteen bag2-
ronesn The old woman paid no heed TO his solemn
as.everation but reaching her hand down INTO her
bosom pnled up sixty bagarones anu denahded louI
netres of the stuff As she walked on triumPhantly
with it, the seller followed her with his eyes
TN she disappeared IN the crowd anu then' plous
sbating his head he assumed the aspect OF q
deeply wTOngcd man. 49,. .-..o. IN.
There were boots and shoes ut the next counter Tor
men and women; for tho men rough, untanned,