The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-19
UNDER ITALIAN SKIES.
Grace Greenwood in the Land of Sun and
Fowers-HOurs in Florence.

LUCIA. Aug. 14-Up to June Florence Is
very beautiful aud delightful-Flors, her spe-
cial goddess. holding there q very carnival. q
long. wild, baechana allan rout Of roses, but after
that time Apollo gets the upper hand, Staying
her children right and left. and making things
too hot for her generally.
We once remained in Florence till June had
well set in. and found the heat very OPP
pressive. as it naturally would be in a city shut
in by hills and dependent for fresh air on very
intermittent breszss. which drop down from the
Apsnnines. or stea, up from the distant sea-
Nobody got up aud out early enough to enjoy
the brief morning freshness, but everybody
could enjoy that of the evening, and the lineer-
ing sunset splendors. and tender lights and
shades. from the noble historic heights OF Fiesole
and San Miniato, or in that
~lovelisst of parks and riverside drives.
the Caseini Then the moonlight strolls
on the Lungarno and about the solemn old his
toric and haunted piazze and logeie are simply
hours of enchantmeut We all became wise as
owls during those last weeks in Florence. keep
ing in quiet and languid through the hot day,
and being all alive and all abroad at night. We
having many times gone through all the gale
ries and churches, had little to tempt Us out be-
fore sunset. L must confess, however, to the
weakness of having gone TO the Lungarno sew
sral times late in the afternoon, 70 watch for the
celebrated Livineston-not the piOus African
explorsr-but the rich American. who for more
than twenty years had made his horses and
drag a popular show in Florence. He
first began. 1 believe. modestly. driv-
ing six-in-hand, then eight, then
ten. and. finally. actually doubled
the last number of beautiful blooded bays I
myself have seen him driving twenty Of those
splendidly groomed and sp pointed animals
with the aid, however, OF two or three active
erooms. most of the time On foot As the
much-elongated equIpaee wound through the
narrow streets toward the Lungarno. the I'm
mense bundle of ribbons held by the nervous
but feeble hands of al elderly man. strapped In
late years to his seat, and looking as anxious as
the Gar of ali the Russiss, tlorentines looked
Tor an accident with cheerful confidence, all
ready to buy lottery tickets on the Lumber OK
people killed or injured. IL that long line of
spirited, high-stepping, jIngli ne. champing ami
mails had taken fright and broken away from
the control OF driver and grooms, there would
have been a whole chapter of accidents-'linked
catastrophe long drawn out"-but. as we with
others looked and waited 10 vain for such o sem
cation, the equine and asinine display became
monotonous, palled upon rs. and We turned
away in disgust Soon after that the ~long-suf-
feripg municipal government interfered, and OBJ
liged their eccentric adopted citizen to. divide the
one grand circus turnout into three parts. The
last time / saw him, some four years ago, he
was driving his original six-nis son. brought
up in the way he should drive, and a groom fol.
lowed In separate drags-so all his pampered
bays were out, and the show lacked only the
plGuant element OF danger. 1t - Livinestons
'fai." We all have them. 1 would not be I'M
generous. IL / had all those magnificent horses,
ks should be welcome to the "fad."
Florentines can remain latsr in the season
with comfort IN their big howl of q citythau for
eigners. because they know just how to take life
there; but all possessed of means treat them
selves to q summer change. Many 90 to the
baths OF Lueca, not very cool. but saluorious
and awfully fashionable, and TO the seaside, and
but few to the lakes, the air of which is not con-
Bidered healthy until the autumn; many seek to
the mountsins-the Apennines, the Tyrol. the
Engadine-ali the great Swiss resorts, while
some go every year TO the German baths. Few
Americans know what picturesque. quiet, rest
Ing and cooline-of places are to be found in
only a few hours journey from Florence among
Abe ApenDInes While the August sun was
blazing on the parched plains, we once found
Your weeks of unbroken GOODNESS and feshness
. tAbetone, amid vast pine forests on the sum
init OF that lordly mountain range. a point
reached by a FIVE hours drive from the railroad.
up one of those wonderful military roads Which
srs among the few benefcient results of war.
Things at Abetone are much in keeping with it's
ambitious sltitude-the winds, the pines, the
hotel charges, and the sirs Of the walters Life
is pleasantly primitive in some respects, in
others too artificial: at least 10 the best hotel,
where we only endure the style and ceremony
for the, sake OF cleanliness and good living.
Among q crowd of sl nstionalities we found
three Americans-a youth just from Harvard
but more English than the English in dress,
manner, face and speech; and two young
brothers. artists, handsome and full Of charsster
and talent. as they well might be, being grand
cons of Colonel Benton and nsphsws Of Mrs.
Fremont.
Among the Italians, l most distinctly remem-
Der 3 large family of Hebrews from Ferrara.
said to be exceeding rich. The father was o
portly. stately. dismond-studded parsonage.
evidently bursting with prosperity. but quiet
enough; the mother was pretty and accom-
plished, fineing modern languages right and left;
hut ali. the childrenl When they fled into the
dininc-room, We exclaimed: Behold, q troop
comethl' And it was like a troop of horses.
Through their noisy, tumultuoue ways and ex-
ecrable table-msnners, rsvanche was taken for
the impositions OF Pharaoh. and the tyrannies
of the ducal Este family, who used 70
and noisone ghetto. There was .
baby Jewess, who. from her little
high-chair, ruled all about her with the very rod
OF Moses. If anything went against her will or
within she would set up an exceeding bitter cry,
which pierced the head like Jaels veneeful nail.
The presence of this tempestuous infanE at table
was protested against by several Of the guests sc
our end of the table, but mine host could do
LOtBlnE v lchE VI oncIalDs SuCu Eic pdlfOuS.
There is no doubt that ths chosen people rule
Europe by something mightier than the sword
the power of gOld-to which must in fairness be
added the force OF a peculiar genius-astute,
Persistent patient. ! hope to have no narrow
Christian prejudiees. For my part, l never for
get that our lord was a Hebrew of the Hebrews,
aud yet there were times at that table dihote
when / wished that there still existed q ghetto
for the Hebrew children"
At Abetone there were positively no amuse-
ments. so-called-no riding, very little driving,
no dancing. no lawn-tennis. We did nothing
for fun but tramp the woods-those intermina-
be piue forests, solsInn and sonorous as the sea
full of lonely paths and delicious hooks. aud
exhaling odors enough to swseten a continent.
Between Abetone and the railway arc several
picturesque mountain towns frequented by wsll-
TODD Italians. English and Americans. during
the summer heats. At San Marcello Is a charm
Ing villa kept by the clever and accomplished
Madame Piccioli, whose pension in Florence is
DO popular.
People who 90 summering to the Italian lakes
will, If they are wise, keep indoors during the
heat of the day. taking their walks in the early
morning and their sails and rows in the even
ing. AL that nature can do TO uplift and cheer
the STRANGERS heart. whose lot. according to the
penslve Hemans. Is "a yearning anguish is
done on and beside those glorious lakes. They
mirror the most exquisite skies and the loveliest
hills In the world; they are enchanting pictures
framed In q marvellous mosaic of foliage and
flowers.
But sometimes the most enchanting scenes
Hossess a double euchantment for tha MANDARIN