The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-11-06
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.

I FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.
Public Buildings OF Venice = Dreamy
4 Sunlight and Scenery military and
Naval Station - Art Museums and
Churches-The DoRes Palace and Prison
Venetian Senate Chamber - The
"LiOn's Mouths, and the Inqnisition-
"Bridge of sighs''-Bathing at the Lido
veuice by MoOnIight-ThrouEh the Apen
nines-Florence and snrroundiDgs-Pub
lie Buildings and Cathedral.
Especial Correspondence Of the Bdnner.l
NUMBER vi.
Most of them have a canopy (which
can be taken down in moment), to pro-
tect the passengers from the suns rays,
although some have a low cabin: all are
painted black throughout, as they have
been for several centuries, for in 0lden
times the mobiles spent such vast sums on
their gOndolas, in order to have them
handsomer than those of their rivals,
that the government ordered them to be
of this uniform and funereal color.
Originally the "Rialto" the great stone
arch over the grand canal, was the only
bridge crossing it, but now there are
several, so that one can go all over the
Ol.dl
devious and narrow ways; in about 10
minutes time a person could lose himself
completely. Our hotel was formerly a
palace occupied by one of the nobility;
in the grand old diniug room we took
our meals and occupied one of their
sleebinp apartments. We wondered
what the old noble would have said if
he had come back and found his ances-
trail halls swarming with tourists, mostly
Yankees. The next building was known
as 'Desdemona's Palace" and was con-
nected with our hotel; in the room ad-
Joining ours, Desdemona is said to have
been smothered
In front of most of the buildings on
the grand canal, are large wooden posts
set in the water and projecting about
u feet above the surface; painted in
various colOrs they look like BARRIERS
poles, and serve as buffers for the gon-
dolas in landing, and to fasten them out
side the entrance. There are about 1000
of these gondOlas in Venice, there were
more, but the introduction OF small
steamers plying through the grand canal
reduced the number greatly. Most oil
the gondolas are propelled by one man,
but good many have two men, standing
one at each end sometimes lady VS.
itor, usually English, can be seen work-
ing one of the oars, and the boatman tne
other There is not a horse or cart IN
Venice, they could not be used If there
were. The first night of our stay some
thing special was going on, the gondolas
were decorated with several lanterns
some colored, instead of the single one
always carried; many bands of fserenaders
wereout, and as we sat on the porch III the
moonlight with the water tapping on the
steps at our feet, looking ont over the
grand canal where hundreds of gondolas
were silently fitting past, the whole
scene was like fairy land, we could mol
make it seem real.
Next morning a gondolier took us the
whole length of the grand canal, under
the "Rialto," past the railway station;
then under the great railway bridge and
out into the lagoon, the water like bur
uished mirror, and the sunlight OF tha'
peculiar dreamy sort which charac
terizes all paintings of Venice, notably
Turner's. We crossed to an island sur
rounded by a high wall, where is the
great cemetery. A large church useo
for funeral purposes stands beside the
great gates which admit to the grounds
TIE whole place several acres in eXten
is set closely with a multitude OF smal
monuments, all hung with those mon
strosities of metal wreaths, and was
more gloomy and forbidding even thar
those places usually were; we were glat
to leave and go back to the city.
Venice is great military and nava
station, 1.-THE arsenal is a large collection
of shops where all sorts of work is done
a large man of war was building ther,
at the time. The entrance is remarkable
for the splendid sculptures about it, ant
the colossal marble lions brought iron
Greece are wonderful. The museum i
the only part that visitors are allowed
to see; it contains fine collection o
armor and weapons, and great numbe
of models of various kinds of vessels
The most interesting were a large mode
of the ''Pintan one Of Columbus ships
about 25 feet long, and rugged complet
| inst as it crossed the Atlantic, and
! large copy of an old Roman galley
showing us exactly the kind of vesse
on which Ben Hur was imprisoned.
1t seemed very queer whenever W
wished to 90 anywhere, to step TO TN
door and call gondola as we would
cab. and go about noiselessly, stoppin
here and there as we wished
Most of the Venice churches are yer
plajn on the outside but magnificer
within; colored marbles and valuabl
stones being lavishly used. In one wa
pulpit of stone set in the side of til
church, from the top of which curtai
fell away from each side in graceful fold
the whole, finishing tassels and al
b from solid marble; the varied colors
!; the marble making it look exactly as
made of rich cloth. The tomb of I'll
great sculptor Canova in another churcl
| is large pyramid of marble in the sic
wall, at the door of which is sculpture
group of allegorical figures a splendi
work of art,
The architecture of st. Marks is pecl
liar, mixture of various styles, b'
mostly BYZANTINE, and as there is ov,
an acre of splendid mosaics on the e.
. terror and interior, besides precio'
> marbles and much gliding, the color an
beauty can easily be imagined. 1t fac
a large open square, beyond which is Il
broad end of the grand canal where
o enters the outer lagoon: on the right sic
: of this square looking out, is gre
= building the lower story of which is
arcade; near the outer corner of tn
stands the great Campanile or bell tow
over 800 feet high; on the left is Il
:, Doges palace, the mosaics in the bea1t
full facade glittering in the sun, and
- the rear of the square is the great clot
tower surmounted by great bell, with
colossal figure of man on each sid
One of the figures raises a hammer al
strikes the hours on the bell, in an
tremely life like way.
st. Marks may bL called receiver
stolen goods, so much of the huildil
has been pillaged from various temple
The two great pillars near the high alt
are said to have been brought from s.
omon's temple. The floor is COMPOSE
of many kinds Of stone, some very Vi
liable; but from the uneven settling
the piles on which it was built, it is fl
of undulation, very unpleasant to wa
over. Above the main entrance are I
famous horses taken by CONSTANT
from Rome to Constantinople, tn
brought to Venice, and which MAJ
leon took to Paris and put on top
the Carrousel Arch, having liter
restore them to Venice; and near t
| water on the outer edge of the square,
the famous "Lion of st. Marks" on
high pillar. Hundreds of pigeons flo
M\l II hl