Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-10-25
Gales aud Skftfhes.
The Lake Of Como.

der the dense shade of adouble avenue OF
great sycamores, which frame long gal
lery of pictures; soft green mountains.
punctuated by dark expresses and lndented
with little BAYS and coves, bright towns
summing themselves and throwing their
doubles on the blue water. am conscious
of abiding to these frames and settings
much too often :but they occur continually
and always with new combinations. Turn
wherever one will. the variety is endless,
and removes the odiousness of comparison
between the villas, each OF which has its
peculiar beauty and phyisognomy. The
Villa Giulia, once the property of the king
OF Belgium, is the most lordly of them; it
occupies plateau between the bays OF
Como and Lecco, which is reached from
the former by wide flight of hundred
and fifty granite steps. bordered on each
side bv line of towering expresses in
close rank, opening grand perspective
from the top OF the stairs. On my first
visit to this villa in 1871, among its chief
ornaments were the cameilia strawberries ::
twelve years afterwards found that they
had been almost entirely cleared away by
the new owner, an Austrian nObleman, to
make room for regular English ribbon
garden, in style which has already fall
en- out of favor in Great Britain. with mi
tials and ensigns armorial in geraniums
and colored leaves. However. as the
ground is level. 1t makes fine, free plat
form for glorious view of Lake Lecco.
and the principal walk edged BY orange
and lemon trees in huge terra Gotta pots
of Etruscan shape is an admirable
decorative arrangement. The head
gardeners of these great places are
often men of great taste in their own
calling; the dignified person who holds
the post at the Villa Giulia looked with
respectful contempt at the floral devices
on the lawn. which are fancy of his en-
ployer, Count B. Like many Italians of
his class. his manner was at once stately
and deterential, but on our asking if
Count B. were at home, he volunteered
the information that he was absent per
quistio1e di n1atrimOnio, adding that he
had eight sons to marry. My companions
and laughed little among ourselves at
this hard bestead parent; the consequence
of which was. though we spoke English
together, that the next time we came the
gardener told us in gleeful confidence, that
1t was Count B. himself, who was trying
to marry again at eighty years of age.
The way in which he kept his balance
between what was due to his padrone.
to us. and to himself. and preserved his
propriety while making these gratuitous
communications. was inimitable. | opine
that the Italians are great gossips. from
the frankness with which my neighbors at
table d'hote and fellow travellers in railway
carriages impaired to me the affairs of
their acquaintance, of whom naturally
had never heard soon knew much
more about them than of people at home,
next door to whom had lived for twenty
years. Their want of reticence in regard
to love affairs seems to be still as great as
when Roman servant told Madam de
Stael that she could not see his mistress
because she was in love; two Italian
guide books allude to Prince Emilio Bel
gioioso's ''anaore intelice tempUstoS0" as
if it were an historical event.
The descent from the Villa Giula to
Lake Lecco is bv winding walk, guarded
from the edge of the bluff by barrier 50
overgrown with roses and Towering creep
ers, that nobody can say whether it be
iron, wood or stone; on the other hand,
there is myrtle hedge starred with tiny
white blossoms. The exit is by short,
broad flight of stone steps, overhung by
the pink masses of the finest oleanders
saw in Italy, into miniature haven full of
boats. above which on two sides, stand
small houses with terraces and pergolas !;
chasm that barred our egress was lowered
and we pulled back to Bellagio round the
head of the promontory, passing under
the perpendicular cliff from which it is
said that a wicked Countess di Borgoma-
ro threw her lovers down in old times,
one day. | do not know why all the
guide books. English, German, and Ital-
ian, concur in stating that the Villa Giulia
is no longer open to strangers, unless it
be closed when Count B. is not absent
''per quistione di matrimonio." All the
proprietors on the lake are exceedingly
kind and generous, as far as my expert
ence goes, in allowing their beautiful
homes to be seen even when they are liv-
ing at them. The sole exception that we
found was the rich Duke Melzi's villa,
open twice a week on specified days here.
after paying francs entrance fee apiece,
besides the invariable half franc to the
gardiner, we were told that the house,
which contains gallery, and some
statues by Canova and Marchesi, mention
ed in the guide-books, is no longer shown.
promised my angry comrades that
would denounce this angry greed and
fraud to Murray, Baedeker, and Meyer
a promise which did not keep, so | here
by endeavor to atone for my breach of
faith.
All the places which we saw were we'll
kept. and there is greal deal of skill in
the disposition of the trees and shrubbery,
the confines of the grounds being gener-
ally completely concealed I; it is difficult to
detect how limited they are. The most
beautiful instance of this is the Villa
Trotti, the property of the fortunate lady
who owns La Pliniana, a mere strip of
land as fiat as billiard table along the
lake, with hills rising abruptly behind it.
There are two avenues, one of sycamores,
the other of lindens, fine specimens OF
their kinds. meeting at right angles and
bounding the place on two sides the fern
cries and flower gardens lie near the
house; beyond them spreads a wide,
smooth lawn, planted with consummate
art in groups of magnificent frs, pines,
and hemlocks of the rarest species. and
with every variety of palm and palmetto.
There are no statues, terraces, or any of
the usual accessories of an Italian villa;
a fountain rises from simple marble BASIN
/ in one slender jet, mountain brook falls
! through rockery, and then by torn and
stony channel down to the lake; there is
{ mr. oil 81 a..