Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-02
Cheap Italy.
CornhiH Magazine,

Italy remains of all countries in Europe
the cheapest. Money goes very far there
when people spend it nationally, but
English families who want to live eco.
nOmicallY must be very careful not to let
it be suspected that they are rich, else
they will be fleeced with shamele sness
hardly to be credited by those who have
no: witnessed it. An Italian becomes
utterly demoralized when he sees
chance of making money out of a SIM
pleton. If he succeeds in one overcharge
his only regret will be that he did not
ask for more; and he will move away
grumbling, 50 that the more you give
him the less pleased will he appear to be.
Partly from ignorance, partly from vul-
gar OstentatiOn, Englishmen and Ameri-
cans in Italy pay for many things
ten or twenty times more than they
ought to do. The basket of fruit which
the Marchese living sumptuously for
9100 year in the upper rooms of his
ancestral palace may buy for sOldi will
be sold for as many francs to the
SignOra Brown, who will declare it
cheap, reckoning by Covent Garden
prices; and the same discriminating
lady, in bargaining for apartments, will
allow he head to be turned by accounts
of the distinguished persons who have
inhabited those apartments in old times,
and will readily pay three times more
than the rooms are worth People who
mean to live in Italy must do business
on very different plan; they must take
pattern by the Italians themselves.
Most of the Italian gentry, sporting
high sounding titles, are not only
poor but misery. They dress
well out of doors, frequent
the theatre (Which can be done
for a small cost by taking yearly sub
scription, and now and then they are to
be seen driving about in antiquated ba-
rouches; but in their homes they make
no show, and they bargain for every
article Of food they buy till they reach
the lowest sum at which the seller will
part with his merchandise. II an Eng
lishman wants to make quite sure of not
being cheated, he had better begin by
offering one-third of the sum demanded
of him for anything, from house to a
bunch of grapes. When he has been a
little time in the country he will discover
that even IN this way he will be made to
pay considerably more than a native. 1t
may happen that at first his offers will
be refused, as tradesmen will be anxious
to prove him: but if he perseveres he
will quickly acquire the reputation of
being a sensible man, and will get the
fat Of the land for Its marketable value.
Rome, Naples, Turin and Florence
should be avoided by people with small
purses; but there is only an embGrras de
choIg with respect to other cities suitable
for settling There are twenty towns in
the peninsula which have fallen from
a high estate and abound with empty
palaces. Genoa, Milan. Venice, Pisa,
Ravenns, Terrara, MnGena, Parma, Be-
logna, Siena stand in this case, and the |
further you go south the moro opportu-
mites have you of renting lands, as we'll |
as houses, on low terms. The country |
wears look of ruin, but it is wonder
fully fertile; very little capital is needed |
to work its rich soil, and many of our
countrymen who carry their money
to America or Australia at great risk |
of getting no return for it would find |
a much safer investment in those sunny |