Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-11-30
FROM ITALY.
Genoa, III Superbp; Milan and Its Cathe-
dral Venice.


as Burlington. the difference in climate is
equal to the difference between Vermont and |
Florida. We find here roses and camellias |
in bloom, orange and lemon trees in bear
ing, magnolias, palms and other sub tropical |
trees and shrubs every where abundant. |
Genoa is quite unlike Burlington or Wi |
nooski. or Essex Junction. II is built upon |
the sides of an amphithcatre of hills, rising
so sharply from the water that the founda |
tions of many of the buildings seem to he
resting ON the roofs of those in the tier be
low. The main streets wind irregulary |
about the hcmicycle. keeping nearly on |
level. but the cross streets, or rather alleys, |
for most of thnm are not over - feet wide |
are stairWayS or steep inclined planes |
The city calls itself "The Superb and it is |
also called Tho City of Palaces having
more of them than any other city in Italy.
1t seems, indeed, to consist chiefly of palaces
and churches. We have discovered very
}fcw small or low houses; and its 200. 900 in |
habiants. all rich and poor, appear to live
in great six and eight-story buildings
Genoa canuot turn up its ncse at the White
city i'll Chicago, ON the score of plaster
architecture, for the exterior of almost all
these palaces and buildings is stucco. many
of them having ontablatures and architec-
turai ornaments moulded in plaster. but
more of them presenting plain surfaces. ON
which the mouldinEs, corniceS, mcdallions
and ornaments are painted like the houses
in Il theatre scene. The stucco it should hc
understood. is of pretty durable kind.
having lasted ON some of these cditiceS for
hundreds of years, 1t is plastcrcd upon
walls of thick masonry: and when YOU pass
within these succeed eXtcriors, you find
solid marble sair-CaSes floors of teeSclatcd
| stone or polished mosaic. and partitions Of
masonry. two feet in thickness \ wall
with massive ramparts. seven miles long,
surrounds the city. and the hiltops which
| rise above it are crowned with for tiiicatonS.
| The city is full of objects of historical and
artistic interest Ruhens and Van Dyck
lived and painted here for portions of their
| lives, and the palaces and churches contain
many notable paintings byCtudo REM Titan,
| Domenichino and other masters. sculptures
| of the school of Michel Angelo, and no end
! of elaborate freacoes. We have wandered
| through half dozen of the Renaissance
| palaces of the GenOese nobility, filled with
such treasures and the splendid Royal pal
| ace: and have visited an equal number Of
churches some of them dating back to the
! 10Th century. In the great and old cathc
| dral of san Lorenzo | entered the chapel of
| St John the Baptist As all women are ex-
cludcd from this. i'll punishment for the sins
of Herodias and her daughter Mrs Il. could
not be allowed to enter. Passing behind the
| altar, was shown marble sarcophagus.
| containing relics of John the Baptist. and
was permitted to touch the iron chain with
which the saint was bound when he was be
| headed This was brought from Palestine
| by the crusaders. and as ! was assured of
its absolute genuinenes, in good Italian. by
! ,-itb q ard at l.I .bI
the portal to all feminine feet. and who ac
cepts gratuty for his information, do
not venture to doubt it. The chain is about
the size of a logging-chain and must have
been burden to the saint. OF course We
| have seen the house where Columbus passed
his youth; and relics and curiosites not
| few. among them being the sword of An
drea Doria and Paganiuis violin. We visit
| ed the Campo Santo which contains. it is said.
the greatest existing collection of mortuary
statues and sculptures and were fortunate
not only in having bright and lovely day
! for the drive thither. but in selecting for it
the Festival of All Saints Day The entire
population of Genoa appeared to be out on
| their way TO, or in or returning from the
| cemetery. The women We're barohcaded.
| and thousands Of them We're carrying flow
ers and candles with which to decorate the
graves and tomhS. The latter fill the sides
Of immensely long galleries. open on one
side to the light and air, through number
less arches. The statues. lfc-size or larger.
upon and about the tOmbS. are over 5000 in
number, and many of them are beautiful
and touching. We have seen also the Villa
Pallavcini at Pcgi. seventies from Genoa,
which is called one of the most costly and
elaborate country seats in Europe: its grounds
filled with trees and shrubs and flowers of
every continent and cline and much more
which | cannot take time to describe We
leave Genoa to-day for Milan.
VENICE. NoV. 13
Milan is a much more modern looking city
than Genoa; and the city to-day is in fact
more modern, it having been DESTROYED more
often and rebuilt, tho last time at a later
date than the former city. 1t is twice as
large as Genoa, having over 400 coo inhab-
tants is ON level plain; its streets are much
wider and you see more stone and less stuc-
co. Milan's great attraction is its cathe-
dral. This was the first Of the great gothic
cathedrals of the Old World that | had seen
and its marble magnicence and grandeur
fairly took my breath away. 1t is the third
church in Europe in size, st. Peters at
Rome and the great cathedral at Seville only
exceeding il in this respect In imposing
beauty ii is unsurpassed, and As il seems to
me indispensable. 1t is, alone. worth a
Journey across the ocean to sec Descrip-
tions of such a structure amount to nothing
| could tell you that it is of white marble.
$50 feet long that il has 9S turrets and
pinuaclcs, each topped by statue. and that
the marble statues upon the faces of its but
trcsses anduponits roof number 1000 or 5000
The guides and guide-books 10y the way, do