The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-01-03

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With q yagarous impulse Of adventure,
turned aside fnom the paved mountain
way and, with the cartman's son for
guide, skirted the mountain, coming In
two hours tramp through dense forest
OF beech, chestnut and pine, with her
and there a blackened opening wher
trees had already been burned, or SUM!
space, where sportsmen and shepherd
snare the mountain birds, came to
charcoal burners camp aud was hospit
ably received for the night.
These carbonari form a distinct Clas
among the mountains OF Italy. The!
generally live in the villages, the vii,
and daughters engaging in the vine
yards, gathering olives or chestnuts, ant
often as shepherdesses with small floCks
The fathers and sons 20 from one fores
to another as the owners desire charcoa
made. The landlord secures the fellinG
and cutting OF the trees, and the car
bonaro simply attends to building aud
firing the pyres and watching day and
night their smouldering progress. IL
tins labor the sons share, and regular
watches are taken. The logs are stood
on end in round piles Of perhaps eigh.
teen feet in diameter, covered and
chinked with messy earth and then fred
in q central hollow which has been
filled with chips OF dry timber, fir cones,
chips from the logs and dead leaves and
and grass. Once well ablsze, this fam.
ing funnel is covered with moss and
earth, and the pile is then left to smoul.
der for five or six days. When reduced
to carbon or charcoal, the carbonaro
delivers it to the owner, packed in
sacks, two sacks comprising donkey
load, for which he receives about ten
cents, or about So Tor each burning,
yielding forty SACKS. AT this camp, an
unusually largo one, score or more
carbonari were at work; and, as the
burning was to be for an extended Pc
.iCd, some six or eight Of the carbonari
had built temporary huts and had re.
moved their entire families to the forest.
This gave life and picturesqueness to
the scene, especially at night. A few
iron cresssts had been fastened to the
tree.trunks, and the crackle and Earrings
of cones and knots lent weird ColoriDgs
to the motley groups Of women with
dazzling teeth and eyes, aud men gtimy
and swarih beyond all description. l
could not repress the feeling that l was
at my old wanderings with my Gypsy
friends again; and as the night gathered
close its sable wing over the mejestic
torest-trees above, and, one by one some
strange instrument OF mpsiC was pro.
duced from the shadowy huts, while
melody and dancing added their fascina-
ton to the wild, strange scene, thou
sand recoilections OF days with the Rom
many swept back on Pratomaguo's
darkened heights. Deeper still grew
this feeling as l was shown to couch
OF fir branches for sleep. 1t came not
for hours; for in the gentle soughing OF
the frs, the calls Of the watchers to each
other, and here and there through the
camp, suppressed tones OF melody, as
those who watched grouped together
and reassuriDgly sang low and colt the
aornelG Of Italy, | was with my loved
Vagabond friends by their witching
camp-ires in my own loved land.
When the morning came, after q
breakfast OF pan unto. bread fried in
olive oil, and many @ kindly "addiow
and "valep from my grimy hosts, l
found my own way back to Tosi. On
such June morning "a that in which /
journeyed, the songs Of birds, the
Eolian music OF forest breezes, 60 be-
witch one all the way from Tosi, that
suddenly and without warning you are
at the enchanting mountain eerie OF
Vallombrosa. The spot itself comprises
but few acres OF level meadow, through
which runs long avenue OF stately
trees. Attic end of this avenue stand
the itchened and gray old buildings. On
one side OF the sunny opening miles on
miles Of frs rise in serried ranks TO the
very top Of Pratomagno; on the other,
thousands OF chestnut trees glow in their
golden ioliage. Behind and above,
hosts OF sturdy bseches climb the
mountain. There are still standing
10000, planted by the busy priors'
The monastery itself is huge quadrang.
ular structure, with spacious inner
courta. The ancient church, completely
robbed Of its former treasures Of paint.
ings-saye an Assumption by Frances
chini, and the cupcla ftescoes, by Fab.
brini-standB in the center OF the courts.
Its massive square tower rises grim and
lone above the half-deserted buildings.
Perhaps a score Of folk, plt iessors stu.
dents, signal bureau agents and govern
msnt foresters who act as sort Of noun.
tain police about the sequestered proper.
ty, abide here, suriy, fnhospitabte aud as
ii doggedly conscious Of the sacrilege in
their pretense ofscholastic life. The old
monastery bell still sounds the hours,
but it speaks only to silence and decay.
The great water basins which held the
monks trout preserves are filed with
dead leaves. The wondroIs old kitchen,
mighty trgncated cone, where, swing.
ing from a huge tirnspit, the oxen once
were roasted, is cobwebbed, cold and
tireless. The Mettata, where an hun.
bred COWS were kept, is untenanted.
Paradisinc, the ancient hermitage on
the cliff above the monastery, with It's
celie, tower and church, are stripped,
and transformed into q hayloft. The
halt-ruined mill, underneath which
rnshes the VicAno, is deserted and still.
Marvellous indeed ia it, that the Italy Of
to. day has left one hint Of the old life
here. But there is just one. In the
church there 10 an deliberately carved
silver reliquary. 1t contains the reliCs
OF San Giovanni. How the one brown
bone which has miraCulously escaped
decay must haunt the grave professors
Of the "Collegio Forestale," as Valom.
brosa now 10 called.
One thousand feet higher than where
ancient Yallambrosa stands in its nest,
like valley 5000 feet above the sea, rises
the lrcrowned' summit Of Fratomsgno
From this point the most ravishingly
beautiful view in all Italy Is presented
What wondrous associations are con
iufed in contemplation Of the fair, iai
Uasentino galley With its boundary be-
yond, formed by the LOFTY ApeAines
where are borne historic Tiber and en-
trancing Arnol Tuscany, home Of thu
dream-breeding vine and fairest women
stretches sunnlly to the westward. Tht
msjestic Dgomo glitters down there i
the center OF the purple, vineyard
cheCkered valley where Florence stands
And far, faint aud magically seer
through the passes oil the uttermos
Il ,-iaat.e 1Aan1y n