The herald., 1896-01-12
CLIMATE LANDS
BY ABBOT KINNEY

Italy Is, believe, generally thought of in
this country as the great climate resort of
Europe. 1t has not, in the whole peninsula,
as matter of fact, one visitor for climate
alone to ten in the lit.le Riviera belt of
France. Between San Reno, the principal
Italian health resort on the Riviera, and
the bay Of Naples, there is not, in my rec
objection, one established climate resort.
The nearest to climate stations in this wide
belt is, strangely enough, in the extreme
north under the aanks of the Alps. In the
beautiful Italian lake districts the air is
generally mild, and there are many pro-
tected hooks. Semi-tropic vegetation is
more common than in portions of Italy far
to the south. Great expense is gone to in
some places to secure delicate flowers, trees
and even economic plants. I remember a
lemon orchard on terrace over the lake
of Garda in which there were numerous
brick pillars. On inquiry l learned that
these were supports for glass cover in
winter.
Lake Como is the gem of this lovely
country, and it is on this shore that is
placed the ideal home of Mignon, ''where
the orange flowers bloom.' Prince Tru-
betzkoi's wonderful plantation of eucalyp-
tus renders the district especially interest
more renowned and accessible points in
Europe, have lost in individuality of set
ting in recent years. Dress of natives and
of visitors, hotels and railroads, are more
and more alike every year all over Europe.
Today one may make the usual tour of
Europe always in the same kind of hotel,
served by the same type of walters, sur
rounded by the same sort of people and
without any other language besides Eng
lsh. There is much lost from the ideal or
artistic side on account of this comfortable
monotony. Every traveller should run off
for at least a few days into unfrequented
byways, as long as any such remain, just
to obtain the old individual character of
the country. In Italy. for instance, take
trip to Rimini with Dante. The
city of Milan stands at the main
outlet of the lake region. The place is
celebrated the world over for it's magnifl-
cent lace work cathedral with its thousand
spires, each one surmounted by statue.
The royal palace has special place in my
recollection. 1t was my first inside view
OF palace life. with all its ceremonies,
courtiers and servants and all it's factions.
jealousies, corruptions and intrigues. Half
occupied or idle officers and servants,
toadies and hangers.on crowded stairs.
anterooms and halls and became abso-
lutely oppressive. 1t has never been a
difficult thing for me to understand, since
that experience, why nearly every strong
charac cred ruler OF the world has sought
opportunity to escape from official ceremo-
NAL life. Haroun al Raschid OF the Ara
bian Nights in his Bagdad adventures, Vic
tor Emanuel in the Alps or among the
peasants, Henry ~. of Navarro in his reck-
less love affairs. the Hohenzollern at the
little Potsdam villa away from the grand
palace at that place, Queen Victoria at
Balmoral, King Leopold in his frequent
and spicy incognitos, and in fact many
more, illustrate the fact that regal cere-
mony is full of distressing limitations
to even an ordinary enjoyment
of life and instead of being a
thing to be desired is thing
to be avoided. We can thus understand
how Cincinnatus or Washington so
readily lay down the fascinations OF power
wher all it's oppressiveness goes with it.
The wonderful riches of the valley of the
Pc stretch out beyond Milan to the Adri-
attic. The great Austrian quadrilateral in
the nearly forgotten Padua, Mantua and
Verona, together with the battle fields of
Napoleon, interest here the military man.