Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-21
MILDRED RUsSEL'S LETTER.
soxE oLrxPsEs OF GENOA,

IrpfCi4t corfe&poNuSnct w WV ..Nt"','i
FLoRExcE, February -, 1885.
We stayed at Genoa couple Of days
and saw the principal sights again, and
a. before were struck with the grandeur
Of the Italian renaissance as shown in
the palaces, churches, and pictures. One
Of the most interesting palaces Is the
Prince DORA. 1t is villa and palace
combined, and stands away from the
heart of the town and overlooks the
hsrbor, being only separated from 1t
BY It's own fine gardens. Originally the
gift Of the republic to their great
admiral Andrea DORA, in 1922,
il was altered and improved
by him to its present form. IL IS
. compact oblong building, with many
suits Of magnificent rooms, but does
not now contain any remarkably hne
works Of art. II is lucky in being one
Of the sheltered spots Of Genoa, and
can boast OF having orange-trees and
plants in il that cannot bear much
cold. for the winds sweep down from
the snow mountains on to the town,
and are often biting, as we ourselves can
testify from having experienced their
keenness. This makes Genoa the
coolest and windiest spot on the
Riviera, and we felt the change of
temperature considerably, though in
our last two days drive it had been
much less warm than from Nice to
Mentone. The people of Genoa are
always busy, and have not acquired
the true Italian art Of lettering around,
but still some well.dressed passerS-by
lid not disdain to stand and see us set
1T from the hotel for the completion OF
our driving tour.
FROM GENOA TO sPEZIA.
Our first travelling carriage having
been sent back 10 Nice, we took au-
other and started for the two days
drive from Genoa to Spezia. Similar
beautiful views OF sea and mountain
and picturesque ones OF villages lie
on this route as on the other. Most Of
the houses we saw the first morning
were painted deliberately on the out
side in all sorts OF designs. A fayorite
one is to have the blank sides painted
as il they had rows Of windows open
ing on to balconies or loggie. These
windows usually have some Of the
green sun-blinds partially open so as
10 allow different members Of the
family to be represented as look
ing ont or else standing aud
bending over the ratings Of the
verandah. The effect is rather strange
at first, though after a while the repeti-
ton Of the same idea, with very little
variety Of expression, becomes mOnoto-
nous. Some of the houses are hand
somely painted, but some also very
crudely, especially as to the figures.
We here came across the tallest palm
trees we had seen. They were about
twenty feet high. but owing to the
length Of long, bare stem, with only a
crown of branches on the top, they did
not look so graceful in our eyes as the
shorter ones which have their branches
nearer TO the ground.
A POPULAR TOWN.
The small town of Nervi is much
freauented winter resort for delicate
people to whom living in the open air is
a necessity. In summer the Italians go
there for bathing, but the town has no
pretension to fashionable appearance,
for it is quite small, has its villas far
apart, and is Embedded in lemon-trees,
so that it is thoroughly rural. We
lunched at Ruta, a village, to
say the least, Of modest belong
ipgs, but with a view OF the sea and
Genoa to the west that might atone
for many deficiencies. Our afternoon
drive was as beautiful as any we had
taken. The townS-especially Rapallo
and Chiayari--seen from a distance,
look absolutely as if they are in the sea.
They are placed on the fiat land between
the waters edge and the rising ground,
and in the afternoon sunlight lost all
prosaic reality and turned into poetic
daughters of the ocean. 1t was get
ting dark when we came to Sestri
Levante, our resting-place for the
night. Nolights were in the town, and our
hotel was approached by an undenia-
bly, back street, preceded by others at
awkward angles for vehicle like ours.
When We drew up it was opposite the
gloomiest looking houses, and so things
in general did not offer very attrac-
tive picture, but the hotel fortunately
turned out better than we expected.
Next morning We were of in
good time, for though this days
drive was to be only q little longer
than the others, the first half was
nearly an uninterrupted ascent.
PLEASANT DRIVE.
III not as famous as the Corniche from
Nice to Mention, it is as beautiful and
more varied in character. AS we went
up we passed masses Of ice in the
spots the sun failed to reach and
though we had no reason to complain
of the cold, We could quite un-
derstand how intense it might be.
We were told it was impossible for
travellers to take this Bracco pass
when it was windy weather on account
Of its being SO much exposed at many
places, thus adding the danger Of being
blown over the precipices to tempera-
ture unpleasantly low. In the many
windings we made, we saw some Of the
most primitive villages and people we
had yet come across. Sometimes we
were in bends Of the mountains where
olive-groves and vineyards were flourish
ing, then we made turn,
and skirted the bleaksst of mountain
sides, where not blade Of anything
grew, and went along road that seem
cd to be hanging over unfathomabl'
depths.
PRETTY HIGH UP.
We went up about 1900 feet, tn
highest part being amid bare serpentin
rocks that had gloomy, forbiddin
aspect. We took luncheon at Dor
ghetto, q primitive, uninteresting vii
isge, planted in q lovely spot. We mex
went for some time by the side 0
the yara, q mountain torren
stream, with nearly dry be,
when We passed. Then we begal
to descend steadily, and as we came to
wards Spezia the vineyards increase,