The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-04
BEAUTIFUL IS PALERMO.
Charming as is the City Itself, Its
Site is Far More
Lovely.
On a Gently Rising Plain, Near
the Deep and Dream
full Sea.
Bright, Dainty and winsome Architecture
-Corso Vittorlo Emanuele and Strada
Macqueda.

Especial Correspondence of the Independent.]
NAPLES, Italy, April 4.-Palermo, the
ancient Panoramus of tho Phoenicians,
with its quarter million population of to-
day, seems to my eyes to be one of the
brightest and most beautiful cities of Eu-
rope. One gets away from lava scorie in
Palermo. II hundreds of brigauds are har-
bored in the heights of Misilmeri, only
eight miles away, such barbarous dangers
are shut from the consciousness by the
gaiety and splendor of the 6icilian capital
And here one is even partially relieved of
the presence of the eternal stone monu-
ments and dead-age remains which almost
have the power to in time render the Euro
pean traveller, possessing students mind,
q Numbering sentimentalist, drivelinR
idiot, or worse, a classic pedant and cynic.
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. These
almost mountainous heights to the right
and left descend to the sea in delicate lines
and with tints of rarest tone. Between the
headlands lies the deep end dreamful har-
Dor. Then, the city on a gently rising
plain. Behind this, enciroled BY vast
cisely like the horse shoe arch of the Moors,
stretches far and far away that most
famous of all Italian valleys, Conca d'Oro,
or the Valley of the Golden Shell. It is a
vast and marvelously fertile plain, glori-
GUS and never-failing garden, paassed with
ranean, with olive plantations world
famous for their yield, with or
chards of palm, almonds. fg-trees
even of dates, of locust trees, and of the
strange nespole or medlars, whose fruit il
only eaten in q state of decay, and like ons
able roses, flowers, Judas trees, aod ravish
ing fora in endless variety-until, from
March to December, every zephyr foatin1
across 1t bears to remotest nook and cram!
of the charmed and charming city Ian
guorrous perfumes in endless pulslngs o
odorous change.
Palermo itself is bright, dainty, splendid
in architecture, in promenade and garden
in balcony, gallery. monument and foun
tain. and all the lightsomeness Of figure
habit and expression which distinguish tn
moro southern of the Latin peoples, espe
oiaily when Welded with the e3ubersnc
and elatlon which prosperity and pfidefu
consciousness in surroundings always entail
Intersecting the city at right angles al
two magnificent thoroughfares, the Cors
Vittorio Emanuele, a perfectly straigh
northeast and southwest street, and tn
6trada Macqueda. running from the north
west to the southeast in straight lint
The northeast terminal of the Cors
touches the splendid bay; and at the intel
section of the two. tho business, social an
geographic center Of the city, is spaciou
octagonal, ciEcus-shaped space known Q
the Quattro Cantoni. The facade Of th
comprises q magnificent series of piazza
adorned with massive colonnades an
superb statues. Noble gates stand at III
four terminals Of the CorsO and the Strad
1acqueda, as we'll as those of man
ether important thoroughfares within Il