The Portland daily press., 1892-05-24
FOREIGN LETTER.
The Fame and Traditions of the Cities Of
the Adriatic Coast.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
BAsLE, SWITZERLAND, May S.-The
route by the Via Emilia which COM
mences at Piacenza and extends one hun
dred and fifty miles to the Adriatic is
most fine as well as classic. Where this
Via Emilia leaves off at Rimini, the old
Via Flaminia which led from thence to
Rome commenced, or more properly the
Via Flaminia commencing at Rome also
ended at Rimini.
On summers day this route must be
most beautiful, when instead of cover
ing of deep snow in It's not too lofty
mountain cornice, it would be thieket
of grateful verdure.
Every city along this route has some
thing especial in literary or historical
direction. At Reggie the poet Ariosto
was born. One would think Parma.
which looks SO new and is so old and
aristocratic, modern city, but for it's
lake dwellings of the bronze period and
its cathedral with its wonderful dome,
covered with frescoes by Corregio which
are dimmed by age. Maria Louise ruled
in Parma after Napoleon's Punishment,
and at little later period the duchy con-
tanned million of people.
At Modena Brutus was besieged by
Antony for four months and it was at one
time noted for its sculptures in
terra Gotta. It has also famous picture
gallery and slightly leaning tower. of
which there are SO many in Northern
Italy. All along the route to Bologna
people were engaged in clearing and cart
ing away the late snow, and this city
itself was damp and cold from the snow
lying about and resting SO deep in the
mountains above.
Bologna.
Here l found a room actually heated
by register from some kind of an ap-
paratus, since told the man on arriving
at the hotel, that, notwithstanding his
delicious italian climate, was almost
frozen to death. was glad to be warm
once more and settled down with fam
lily of French speaking children on each
side. The children's talk amused me,
i'll the dumps as I was, although under
such circumstances one does not take the
trouble to translate, since childish talk
like scolding and kissing is the same in
all languages, only that kissing in Italy
seems to be chiefly a masculine accom-
plishment as I never saw two ladies en-
brace each other anywhere along the way
but the gentlemen at the stations and all
places of meeting and parting kiss each
other on each cheek with hearty en-
brace extra in bidding adieu.
Bologna every one associates with
Bologna sausage and it is also noted for
its Maccaroni, fine soap and good cook
ing generally and it has an old univer-
sity of which literary people may per-
haps have heard the most 1t has also
many other points of interest. 1t is a
pleasant and comfortable city to visit,
the people being sympathetic and kind.
1t lies at the base of the Apprentices and
is not so very far from the Adriatic
coast. It was the ancient capital of
Emilia and Roman colony one hun
dred and ninety years before Christ. 1t
receives it's name from the Boil who
subjugated the people five hundred
years before the Christian era, and made
Bologna their capital. 1t was an
nexed by Napoleon with seven other
provinces to the Cis-Alpine Republic and
with these provinces became part OF
Italy.
1t aspired at one time to possess the
largest Cathedral in Italy, and had the
edifice called San Petronio begun in the
Gothic period, been finished, it would
have rivalled ST. Peters in Rome, at least
IN size If not in magniticence and gran
deur. Bologna was the home of Gal