The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-10-30

the Swiss and the Italian lakes, the
former are so much more beautiful. The
railway crosses the lake near the lower
and narrow end, affording many fine
views; solid structure of stone like a
street, carries both the railway and the
, highway. The small steamer dropped
her smoke stack and shot under the
arch Just as we passed above. At Como,
Lake Como, the celebrated was passed.
1t is 15 miles long and very narrow:
two railways on the pattern of that on
Pilatus are built up mountains near
Como, the outlook from these submits
must be fine. All the streets in the Italian
towns are made very gloomy by high
walls, which extend often some way out
into the suburbs, they looked queerly
after the countries through which We
had passed, where even hedge was a
rarity, and they make riding or walking
very disagreable, as there are only the
blank white walls to look at. 't
From Como to Milan the railway is
built through a level plain, with the
great wall of the Alps half way around
it: how grand the mountains looked in
the rays Of the setting sun. Milan is a
very large city built on the plain; the
railway station is outside the fortifica-
tions in the new part.
The hotel omnibus entered the city by
one of the gates, and was stopped while
the soldiers examined the inside to see
| if they could find anything there that
had to pay the uetrOi This tax is
peculiar to the continent, particularly to
to Italy and France. Every city, town
or village, has guards stationed at all
the gates or roads, who examine every
person and every vehicle that enters the
place. Nothing whatever can be carried
into any place to be sold, without paying
toll for the privilege; even in Paris it
was so and it looked funny enough to
see soldier search every tram car that
entered the city. The streets of Milan
are somewhat winding, though most are
fairly wide, while some are broad and
straight. The payements on nearly
every street are the Oxford style of
petrified kidneys, one or two rows of
flat stones according to the width OF the
street are laid for the wheels to run on,
carriages roll smoothly enough unless
they have to turn out for others, then 1t
is rough. 1t is the nOisiest city have
ever been in, carriages ratified steadily
past the hotel every night until nearly
| ~.
about one quiet hour in the "a.
The famous Cathedral 500x1S0 feet,
faces an immense open square, which as
the front has no tower, dwarfs 1T, giving
lit squatty appearance. 1t is built Of
white marble, and as it has been build
ling for centuries, the material shows
plainly the length of time it has been
there, by its more or less blackened and
weather beaten appearance, as various
stages of high water in lake leave
shaded lines on the rocks of the shore.
1t is splendid building; the very
numerous spires and pinnacles being all
crowned by statues of which there are
about 1000 on the exterior of the build
ling, all of exquisite finish. These, as well
as the splendid Architecture, can be best
seen from the tower which is at the
rear of the Cathedral, the easiest one in
Europe to climb, as the way lies up a
broad fight of steps from the marble
roof, and then through the beautiful
open work spire, you are nowhere shut
lin as you climb. The prospect is very
fine; the whole city is plainly seen,
and miles of the surrounding country,
bounded on one side by the Alps. The
interior is very dark on account OF the
few windows, but grand withal. The
ceiling is groined and painted so that it
is next to impossible to tell it from a
lace work in stone.
The great square was made by pulling
down large number of old buildings,
on narrow crooked streets; process
now going on in various parts of the city.
At one side of this square is the entrance
to the handsOmest and largest arcade in
the world, built in the shape of cross,
and covered with an arched roof OF glass
at the centre each of the four corners be,
low the dome are beautifully frescoed. In
little square at the further end of the
arcade. stands large statue of Leonardo
da Vinci the painter of the Last
Supper" Occupying one side OF this
SQUARE is the famous la Scola" theatre,
closed for the season, but well worth
visiting to view the immense stage which
has room for 1000 men and 40 horses t.
perform at once; the theatre seats 400C
people and has 200 boxes in six rows
which are different from any boxes
have seen, having q sofa on each side
seating six persons the ends of the sofa
toward the front of the box. The stage
was wilderness of scenery, ropes, ant
other apparatus.
. Milan has the same style of houses We
found every where in Italy and France
great castles, many stories high and very
wide, built about an open court; the en-
:, trance in the middle consisting of driv'
way for carriages closed during the da.
!, time by ornamental iron gates and a
night by great wooden doors outside thu
gates. The court yards are sometimes
paved but generally beautified witt
= grass, flowers, shrubbery and fountains
:, occasionally there was a second inne
= court Passing along the streets durinl
= . the day many charming glimpses ar
: caught of these courts, but at night tn
q great closed houses make the streets yer,
= gloomy. These buildings are let out il
= flats, sometimes fifteen or twenty room
. on one floor; all the dwellers pas
through the great stone paved hall AM
. out of small doors beside the large gates
= the entrance is always guarded by maj
: called a PORTER or concierge. The door
: are closed and fastened when the portie
I lretires at night, and if any of the peopl
! are out late they have to awaken him be
= fore they can get in. In none of tn
: large cities on the Continent did see
y house for one family as we have here
y people do not stay much at home, the
y are to be found almost any evening o.
!. the streets or at the cafes. In many Q
~ Jne SJIeeJS Jnere are ITO SlueWdlhht I'll
Y pavements sloping toward the centr
y from each side, while at short interval
=, in this central gutter are perforate
= stones through which the water flow
into the sewer below.
! The great Cathedral square is the Gel
" tire from which nearly every tramway !
4 the city radiates; very nice device
- used to inform those not familiar wit
-, routes, in which direction the car
y headed, a small tin sign hung from til
~ ~ car roof in front of the driver on eac
y, ~ side of which is painted the differer
~ terminii; on arrival at either the drive
y, reverses this sign. These trans were eI
y tered from the rear, like an omnibus, a
o arrangement saw nowhere else.
The Simplon Arch, began by Napoleo
| and finished as a memorial to Kin
= Victor Emanuel as liberator of Italy, is
., grand structure, think finer than eithC
~ ~ OF those in Paris. 1t is about 100 fe,
~ high, so feet wide and 40 deep, having
~ magnificent arch, on top of which is
\ colossal bronze figure of Victory ridin
y, in q chariot drawn by six horses, whiC
;" appear to be leaping from the monumen
= onS-half of their bodies being in Il
air, giving the group splendid au
very life-like appearance.
Close by are the great cavalry barracl
and stables, covering many acres I
ground, and beyond these are others nea
ly as large for infantry; all facingan in
mense drill ground. We saw here (,
the Arst time, though frequently afte
ward all over Italy, the protected scaffolC