Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-25
A Young Lady's Jaunt in Europe and
Along the Mediterranean
Coast.
Through a Wonderful Subterranean
Passage Way Cut Through
Solid Rock.
Some Picturesque Towns and Villages
OF Old Italy, and Quaint Ihdi-
vidualities.

pell that we all know 50 much about We
are not only drawn there by its tragic his
tory but Bulwer has In vested it with TO-
nance, and romance is dear to the heart
of even go.ahead, sensible, nineteenth cen
tury Americans. But why do you turn
back here? Why not go to La Cava,
village near the Mediterranean. There you
find cabs waiting to take you over that
wonderful road hewn in the rocks. and
frequently supported bygalleries and vast
viaducts, along the shores of the Mediter,
ranean through many thriving Italian
villages to Amalf. Those who have tray
eled over this road remember it as
dream of enchantment. On one side of
you lies the great shining sea, changing
color as it moves on its journey of endless
rolling. Near the land It's waters
are pale emerald, farther out they
deepen into blue, then Into purple,
and again toward the horizon line they
fade into misty gray. On the other side
the shores rise above the sea in bold
precipices, worn into fantastic shapes by
the action of the waves. As the road
winds round promontories whose noun
tain-heights are crowned by white villages
square watch-towers (erected under
Charles Y as protection against pirates
now 1nany art used IN dwellings,) and
silvery olive groves, every now and then
you came upon rapid, rushing mountain
streams dashlng recklessly down from
above you into the enchanting sea. The
steep hills seemed piled up to the sky and
although the stones are generally so
what bare In many places they are laid
out in terraces cultivated with some form
! of Vegetable wealth or planted with vines,
olives, lemons an other fruit trees, the
untamable rocks are covered with crimson
gilly- flowers, golden broom and other
wild things, You pass villages whose
gardens and orange orchards make
the air heavy with their
perfume and rose hedges sometimes fall in
a cascade of bloom over the walls. Every
where there is dreamy stiffness and your
heart goes out in awe and thankfulness to
God for the wonderous gifts. As the sun
sets and sheds its last pink rays on all
around you, you are first thrilled and then
you seem to be filed with that "peace
which passeth all understandings From
Salernor the road ascends and near Veitri
crosses valley by stone bridge. On a
hill is Anito, the next village is the pic
turesquely situated fishing village of Cetara
extending along the bottom of narrow
ravine, it is mentioned in the history of
| the invasions of the Saracens and was the
| first place where they settled.
You pass through MAORI, with its ter
raced lemon plantations, and MINOR, a
clean little village which was once the
arsenal of Amalf.
Near Minori lies Atrani at the entrance
| to ravine, one Of the largest and most
picturesque of the villages through which
you pass An odd Pile of houses huddIed
| together in heap, set off by campanile
or two and almost in tie sea. What a
| fancy Italiars nave for living in punches.
Not fer from Atrani is Amalf. Whoever
dreamed of place so quaint so different
from all the world as is Amalf, nestled in
| the rocks on the coast of the Mediterra-
mean. Longfellow wrote:
"Sweet the memory is to me
OF a land beyond the sea,
Where amid her mulberry trees
Sits Amalf in the heat,
Bathing ever her white feet
In the tiaeess summer seas. -
Our hotel, the Alhergo del Cappucclni,
hung over the sea, and as | stood on the
| veraDda, looking down upon the broad
stone landing, which was dry as the sea
was calm. | could see a score of Italian
babies, chaperoned by brothers and sisters
| not much older than themselves, in ali
stages Of filth and poverty, happy and con-
tented as they scrambled and fought over
the coppers thrown to them by some Amer
lean standing near me. Many of the lit
tie girls who had not noticed the coppers
were sitting in groups and playing
jacks with some stones, as our little girls
do. An old monk came along irving to
lead small but stubborn mule into
the bay. He pulled one way, the
mule tie other, which amused
me immensely, but the monk was
rot at all amused, and he was still pa
tieniy pulling when | vas called away.
We climbed the steep hill on donkeys to
the old Capauchin Monastery, now deserted
by the monKs and used as part of the no.
tel There we found a long walk with
broken columns On either side and shaded
by grapevines, the walk, and the magnif-
cent view from it of the surrounding
mountains and rocks, the many terraces,
the ancient cathedral built Of alternate
layers of black and white stone, and rest
ing on seven antique columns from Poe
STUN and its campanile.
The old monastery, the many quaint
peari-white villas and the restless sea are
indeed worthy of the enthusiasm of artists
and poets, and no wonder our Longfel'0w
loved the spot. Amalf is a smllI bit live
" town with 1000 inhabitants, whose
chief occupations are The manufacture of
paper, soap, and malceroni, In the early
part Of the middle ages II was prosperous
seaport, rivaling Pisa and Genor, and had
$4,000 Inhabitants. Flavio Gioja, who is
said to have invented the compass, was
born here. When we were ready to leave
Amalf we found large row boat manned
by four sturdy Italian oarsman ready to
take Us to Prajano. We climbed In and
were soon moving rapidly along to the
music of an Italian ballad sung by the
strong, rich voices of our oarsm The
one VINO led the singing was tall, strong,
splendid specimen of manhood; his black
curls peeped out from under fur cap and
clustered around his ears, and formed a
little fringe over his forehead; he wore
gold rings In his ears, and his great black
eyes grew melarcohlly or mischievous &C
cording to what he sang; now and then he
dropped his oar and illustrated his song by
gesticulation.
MerriIy we glide along, an Italian flag
flying at one end Of the BOAT. our Amer1-
can flag at the other, until we reached
Prajano. The crew seemed as sorry to
part with Us as we were to lose their sweet,
rich voices, so full Of passion and pathos. |
The Adonis of the crew kissed my moth
er's hand and begged her In Italian 20
recommend him.
Itseemed short drive from Prajano to
Sorrento. The old town is on high pla-
teau which stretches into the sunny waters |
IF the Mediterranean; 1t IS guarded on |
; ,trlT,n