Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-01-23
LETTER FROM NAPLES.
The Drive to Cape posilipo-The View from
the Capc-Sights and scenes of Life
in Naples.

/
/ | am staying ut the Villa Postiglione,
which is two miles out of the city of Ma
pies, on the Cape of POsilipo. The road
is built along the shore of the bay to-
wards the Cape (Which lies west of the
city, and must rise, in the two miles,
some three hundred feet. On the left
hand as we drive out, therefore, we have
the Bay and on the right the high rocks of
the hill of Posilipo which ends in the
Cape. The rock is tufa, Il soft, volcanic,
dirty brown rock, which forms precipt-
Gus cliffs, made more preciptous by be
ing cut down here and there, as square as
the side of II house, to the road. In fact
it is the side of many houses for in places
the people have just cut out houses in the
face of the rocks, waling up the opening
with blocks Of tufa, hardly distinguish
able from the rock itself, leaving space for
"A wide door and possibly IA little window
above it, and live there. In some places
you may see such a cave house on the
level of the street. above it of course he
solid rock and above that again a house
built ON the rocks. accessible by some side
lane or staircase winding up the face Of
the cliT. Many of the houses, which
stand along the right side of the street,
(and it is pretty much all built up on that
side are built of this tuta, and the walls,
where there are no houses, are built of it,
1t is So soft stone that, all along near
the level of the street, the wind, blowing
the particles of dust against the blocks,
has cut them away. leaving the harder
mortar in which the blocks were laid.
standing ont like Il square fretwOrk over
the face of the walls. The houses stand
IN fine limo nf the street which hoso mar
,,il.,I. ,r,.,, t,,',., ,,.ii..l',''.
~" S"le"'ih' iHc9 H"N' o'ic NH'e wv
which opens on the level OF the sidewalk,
and which stands open from morning till
/ night And the household occupations
are mainly carried on in the dOOrWays or
ON the sidewalks outside. Nor do the pcO-
pie have any hesitation about thus cNhib
iting their household life To he plSSer bV.
Whether cooking, or sewing. or Washing
cObliuE or eating, or cOmbing their halr.
or putting on their stockings, or nursing
their babie, " combiug their childrpn'e
heads. all is done right in the "blaIlng
glare of puhIicity' How they live in
such dark holes. when driving ram com
pcls them to shat their doors. is Il mys-
terry. These dOOrWayS are those of tn"
common people Bat here and there we find
large and LOFTY houses which show no
sign of life, but in the centre will he an
entrance to il courtyard into which we
glance as we ride by, and see trees and
flowers. or garden walls or stairways
guarded by stone lions. which seem to
lead to regions where the life must be II
very different one from the squalidness of
the life ON the street The gardens and
court wards into which we look. show Us
blenders with their rosy punches of
flowers. or pomegrauatr, with their Grim
son bells of bloom, or vine, with thick
lpafage. or lemons with clusters of yellow
fruit, or the strange forms of the cactus
or the sharp pike point, of the Aglvp.
and over them the gray foliage of the
olive, or the needles of the pine or the
fine foliage of locust trees. which remind
us of the BURLINGTON of old or the similar
but finer foliage of the pepper tree.
Some things. we see too which bring
M food for Thought and noble assu-
Citations. On the hin to our right stands
the tomb of Virgil. which we cannot see
indeed. bnt we know it is there. and re-
member hat these waters and mountains
were familiar to his eyes. \ more mod
crn line of thought is suggested to us by
Il tablet in a wall under which we pass.
which marks the house where Garibaldi
stayed ON his last visit To Naples and from
which he departed to die at Caprera. and
which records the memory of Naples that
it was to Garihaldi that She owed her re
demption from the deSpotiSm whose exist
ence prevented her from becoming a part
Y
We cannot dwell much. however.
as we ride, ON the history of the
region. whether ancient or modern, for
our attention is continually compelled
by some sight or sound of the present
day. which is utterly new and strange to
our ewes We may see IL flock of goats
being driven to the city to furnish milk
the purity of which is Guaranteed bv the
fact that the purchaser furnishes the cup
and stands by to see the goat MIXED. Oh
here comes Il donkey with two paniers of
: vegetables across his back each as big H.
he is. or Il team of an OK and IL horse or OF
IA COW II horse and an ass harnessed
abreast. Or here passes "A troop of cavalry
or a company OF soldiers, preceded by
three or four trumpets. walking with the
uulck step which seems to be the usua
one for Italian soldiers on the march. anC
swinging their left arms in time viii
their regular step. Or here comes a fin,
carriage with a crest on its panel and !
richly dressed lady inside. Or wemay So,
a man with n fiat basket on his head filled
/ with fruit, or n woman with n pile a.
, clothes from the Washing ON hers or 4
/ hnv with a basket nf fish and If ha ShnII,