Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-03
PICTURES FROM ITALY.
Sieily's Capital One OF the Most Beauti-
ful Cities OF Europe-Its Sea Drive.
Santa Bosali, Patron Saint of Palermo "A
Beautiful Legend Woman as Free as in
Ameriea-santo Spirits.
corresponderce Of the Gazette.

Correspondence OF the Gazette.
NAPLES, ITALY, April 4.-Palermo,
the ancient Panoramus of the Phoeni-
clans, with its quarter million population
Of to-day seems TO my eyes to be one OF
the brightest and most beautiful cities of
Europe. One gets away from lava aud
scorie in Palermo. II hundreds of
brigands are harbored in the heights of
M1silmeri, only eight miles away, such
barbarous dangers are shut from the
consciousness by the gaiety and splendor
of the Sicilian capital. And here one is
even partially relieved of the presence of
the eternal stone monuments and dead
age remains which almost have the
power to in turn render the European
traveller possessing q Students mind, a
Numbering sentimentallst, driveling
idiot, or worse, classic pedant and
cyuic.
Beautiful as is the winsome city itself,
its site is far more lovely and enchanting.
At the northeastern extremity of Sicily,
huge precipices throw protecting arms
nearly around Palermo on the north.
EsIhese almost mountainous heights to the
right and left descend to the sea in deli
| cate lines and with tlnts of rarest tone.
| Between the headlands lies the deep and
dreamful harbor. Then, the city on
gently rising plain. Behind this, encir-
cled by a vast mountain loop,
shaped almost precisely like the horse
shoe arch of the Moors, stretches far and
far away that most famous of all Italian
valleys, Conca d Ora, or the Valley of
the Golden Shell. 1t is vast and mar
velously fertile pam, a glorious and
never-failing garden. massed with the
noblest orange groves of the Mediter-
ranean, with olive plantations world
famous for their yield, with orchards of
palm, almonds, fig trees, even of dates,
of locust trees, and of the strange nespole
or medlars, whose fruit is only eaten in
| state OF decay, and like one vast Persian
canpet of bloom-indescribable roses,
flowers, Judas trees, and the ravishing
flora in endless variety-until, from
March to December, every zephyr float
| ing across it bears the remotest nook and
Granny of the charmed and charming city
languorous perfumes in endless
PULsrNGs OF GLORIOUS CHANGE.
Palermo itself is bright, dainty, SPLEEN
| did, in architecture, in promenade and
garden, in balcony, gallery, monument
land fountain, and in all the lightsome-
taiess of figure, habit and expression
which distinguish the more Southern of
the Latin people, especially when welded
| with the exuberance and elatlon which
| prosperity and prideful consciousness in
surroundings always entail. Intersecting
| the city at right angles are two magnii-
cent thoroughfares-the Corso Vittorio
Emanuele, a perfectly straight north
east and southwest street: and
the strada Macqueda, running from
the northwest to the southeast
| in q straight line. The northeast
terminal of the Corso touches the splen-
did bay; and at the intersection of the
| two, the business, social and geographic
center OF the city, is spacious, octagon-
al, circus shaped space known as the
! Quattro Cantoni. The facade of this
comprises magnificent series of piazzas
adorned with massive colonnades
and superb statues. Noble gates stand
at the four terminals of the Corso and
Y the Strada Macqueda, as well as those of
many other important thoroughfares
| within the four very nearly equal quar-
| tiers thus formed, from any portion OF
which divisions the main arteries of the
! city are easily reached.
/ So, mountains enoircle and protect in
| the rear; vast and fruitful valley of
1 bloom anu perfume 5lAOASHCo AAOA1 hhS
| city g gates, then the bright and beauti-
| full city iescends gently to noble har-
Dor; and. as If to perfect the lovliness of
| the entire scene, art in the splendid
Marina-the most gigantic and massive
! sea drive and promenade possessed by
| anv European city-to the right, and
! nature in the preoipitous cliffs called
| Monte Pellegrino, to the left, join IN
| forming at once the most beauti-
! full and glorious harbor entrance
4{o be found on any European
kshores. No wonder the Palermitans are
| proud of their Marina, or that Sicily, the
! birthplace of pastoral poetry, should for
get the mountain sides, valleys, streams,
| herds and shepherds, in singing songs to
!sfhis most beautiful and deliriously dan
/ gerous spot for the human heart in all
| Italy. 1t Is divided into the upper and
| lower Marine, and extends from the
| Corso, which, in turn has come in
straight line from the royal palace and
| citadel at the edge of the valley of the
| Golden Shell, to the magnificent botanic
| gardens and the battery beyond, nearly
| mile in length. The upper Marina is
boraered by magnificent houses, with ex-
| ouisitely tile-paved courts, separated by
| delicate iron and bronze ratings from the
pre1nenade, The latter is broad, mas
SIFsiy walled esplanade, broken here
land there by splendid
| TIERS OF STEPS
descending to the lower Marina, where
there are, first, rows of tremendous
shade trees, from 200 to 300 years old,
then drive of immense width and per-
feet paving, then massive protecting
walls with frequent semicircular pro-
! jecting esplanades, and, at last, along
the seaside, paved and lighted footway
of the greatest natural and artificial
beauty. BY night the Marina is scene
| of most extravagant luxury in dress aud
equipage. BY day it Is place for Ian
gorous, lazy siesta and dreams. Then
the quantity habited fishermen of the
bay and idle stragglers are its only occu
pants. Seward hundreds OF pictur-
esque sails speck the sapphire
waves, and across the ripping bay
looms Pellegrlno, another Gibraltar in
coatour and holiness, sacred TO Santa
s6salia, the adored patron Saint of
| Palermo
The legend Of Santa Rosalia is very
dear to the Palermitans- Descended
from Charlsmagne, she was born in
l1so, and though reared in the utmost
| raRnar,.ant md l,,wurv she fled from har