The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-19


 petition to enjoy a walk rather than 6 talk.
 From the station which we have now
 arrived at we can continue for two
 miles right along the Arno's bank and
 soon reach the Piazzo degli Zuavi
 where we first started upon our expedi-
 tion. Let us walk through a net work
 of streets and lanes, passing on our way
 churches, palaces and homes of the
 poor; we notice many shops where an
 tiquities are sold, ancient glass and
 china, majolica and terra-cotta of won-
 derful design, carved furniture of great
 Solidtty and marvellous beauty black
 with age, rugs, hangings, priests robes
 of cloth of gold cut into small draperies
 bric-a-brac of every singular sort, ar
 mor of remote antiquity, pistols and
 daggers, church lamps and medals and
 coins! What an array of the above is
 constantly to be. seen in the shops of
 Florence. Ships could be loaded with
 them; they are very lovely, very old
 and in many cases quite interesting in historical point of view. Of these are many buyers among the English and Americans. As we pass through the streets we perceive they are nicely paved and there are no sidewalks; we must look sharp or some of those fast tWo-wheel wine carts may crush us; they are Just the sort of object for a pretty picture and ought not to be per mitted to rush through the streets. The single horse in long pair of shafts is very far in advance of the vehicle, the wheels of enormous diameter, the driver dressed as gaily as g natador, Is either fast asleep or singing merrily; if we escape death at the fellows hands we must still beware of the fierce dri- yer, for they are high rollers, and their driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for they drive with great rapidity, and 1t matters not to them whether their course is straight ahead or around sharp corners; they herald their approach by constantly snapping their long whip thong, the noise of which is like the crack of a pistol; to hear the snapping of dozen or more of these drivers whips is like perfect lieu de joie." But travellers go softly, for the din of the whips causes every one to look sharply for his own safety
 The private carriages in Florence and Rome, too, are very elegant affairs, and as for the horses and their handsome drivers and footmen, know of no city which can furnish better,
 Our marrow street has now led us into the Piazza Signoria; we will cross diag onally between the Logia and Palazzo Vecchio and enter the very busy street Via dei Calzaioli, which leads us straight to the Duomo; this street passes quite near Dante's house, which has been so entirely restored that if Dante should return in the flesh l think he never would know his old home again. On our left as we proceed is the singular old church of St. Michele in Orto, so called from garden which once was here. In 1284 a grain ware house stood here, and in 1886 the pres ent church was built; service was held on the ground floor, and the corn ex- change was above. There are many statues on the exterior. "St Luke" by Giovanni da Bologna, John the Baptist by Ghiberti St. Mark by Donatello, are few of the statues. It is a singular fact that the great cost of these statues was de- frayed by twelve guilds of the city of viz; Merchants, judges, cloth dealers, silk weayers, physicians, fur riers, joiners, wool weavers. money brokers armorers, brick layers, carpen- ters, masons, smiths, shoemakers and butchers; pardon this long repetition; it is a snap shot of Florentine civiliza- tion of six hundred years ago, The re- markable high altar by Andrea Orco- qua is to be seen just inside the church doors; this consists of a profusion of precious stones and marble reliefs rep resenting scenes in sacred history: it was executed about the year 1860, and it is one of the grandest objects to be seen in Florence. A few minutes after leaving this old church will bring us to the Piazza del Duomo, and we behold which seems too grand for this earth, for right here are situated no less than three wonderfully beauti- ful buildings, viz: the Duomo or cathe- 1ral, the marvellous Campanille erected by Giotto, and the Baptistry which originally was the cathedral of Flor ance. These three structures situated m close proximity to each other form a magnet which constantly attracts an endless throng of visitors and worship oers; and as St. Marco in Venice is the very heart of that city, SO is this col ection of sacred buildings the heart whose pulsations thrill every part of he city of Florence. We will enter the first; it was originally the 3asilica of St. John Baptist; it is an oc- agonal building which was built in the seventh century from the materials of ! pagan temple; this was the cathe- iral of Florence about 113O. There are hree beautiful bronze doors here which | Ire world renowned, and have been ranging here for about five hundred | vears. One of the above was completed | ,y Pisano in the year 1880, after twen- l y-two years of constant labor. Many | cenes in the life of John Baptist are epresented in bronze and the detail ofiI he work is most intricate and marvel | us. The second door was completed in | 424 by Lorenzo Ghiberti; that remarka- 'le man was twenty-one years toiling | t this wonderful work; he was only | years of age when his lans were preferred to those of the rst gentuses of that time. There are sections representing the istory of Christ the apostles and early athers, and the execution and detail of his door has always been considered |