The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-19
(From the Baltimore Sum-

(From the Baltimore Sum-.
As one approaches GENOA by sea he can
lsadily imagine why she was called
Genoa la Superba when she was In the
height of her power. From the deck Of
your steamer, for miles away, through
your marine glasses. you can see the oity
rising like an amphitheater. with its two
converging moles, its enoirolinR fortilca-
lions, it's piles Of palaces. its promenade
of the Apennines and the ice-covered
peaks of the Alps in the background.
On closer examination you find that 1t il
one of the best fortified cities of Europe,
for not only is the large semi-oircular
harbor defended by moles. but the city
is entirely surrounded by double wall,
the smaller snoircling the inner city
BY ramparts. detached forts, redoubta
and extensive outworks. Although had
visited the oity some years since, de-
cided to spend another week within her
walls. studying more carefully her peo-
pie and palaces.
Nearly all Of the streets are narrow,
irregular and steep, paved with smooth
slabs of lava. with pathway Of differ.
emit material in the center for beasts of
burden; but certain modern streets are
wide, well paved and compare favorably
with the chief thoroughfarss of other
commercial oities Many of the palaces
do not retain their former artistic riches,
but they display splendid architectural
design and the internal and external
frescoes are we'll worth Studying. The
Palazzo Doria, overlooking the sea,
constructed in 1929 by the renowned
Doria, prince Of Melf, while it is almost
abandoned, retains striking evidences of
its past beauty and richness; and the
ducal palace restored in 177S after designs
by Simone Carlone, formerly the deposi :
tory of famous works of art, is elaborate
~ decorated, and gives one vivid idea
of the glory of the reign of the doges.
AS my room was located snort distance
from the Via Doges, which is lined on
both sides with the palaces of these old
rulers, my mornings were spent. under
the direction Of a competent guide, in
visiting these magnificent buildings. You
step Immediately from the street on the
ground floor of the palace, which is com
posed of wide, handsomely paved pas
sageway, with large rooms on either side
and over winding stairways you ascend
to number of floors, where the cham
bers occupied by the royalty are still in
excellent preservation. One OF these
palaces is now used as the hall of the
town council, where bust and auto
graph letters Of Columbus, the violin
of Paganini and other interesting objects
are shown. Wall paintings and elaborate
room decorations were very popular dur
ing the reign of the doges, and some Of
these that are on exhibition in these
palaces on the Via Doges cannot be sx-
eelled in the world.
In legendary traditions the history Of
Genoa can be traced to time proceed
ing the foundation of Rome. At the
beginning of the second Punic war, Livy
mentions it as having friendly relations
with the Romans, and during this war,
having been destroyed by Carthaginian
feet, the Romans built it, and it after
wards became Roman municipiun.
Because of its location Genoa has been in
all these centuries the center of
severe struggles on land and by sea.
During the rise and fall of the republic
its internal connections, caused by the
parties of the plebians and patrioians
and the external warfare in which 1t
has been SO often engaged with neigh
boring and distant enemies, have been
sources of continual perils and distrao-
tions. Party struggles assumed such a
bad shape during the first half Of the
18th century that the dogate for life was
instituted (1339) with the exclusion OF
both parties. But there swere ceaseless
quarrels between the doges and anti
doges under the viscontis Of Milan and
under the rule of France, until, in 1928,
the celebrated Admiral Andrea Doria
delivered the republic from the French
and established new constitution,
which lasted for many years. This form
Of government was strictly aristooratio,
and the nobility comprised the Grim
Adds, Fleschis. Dolias, Spinolas and
many others whose names are familiar
to the student Of Italian history. The
doge was elected for two years, but the
power of the state had long since depart
ed and the beginning of the end was fast
approaching.
The first year Of this century Genoa,
under Massena, sustained a siege by the
Austrians and English, but the Aus
TRANS, who hold it for a short while,
were obliged to relinquish ii after the
battle Of Ma1engo. After the coronation
of Napoleon Bonaparte at Milan tho last
of the doges, Durazzo, went to that city
and expr sssed the desire of the people
for change in government. The re-
public was merged in the French em-
piro and formed the three new depart
ments of Genoa, Montepotte and the
Appearances. This century has witnessed
many bloody struggles and many politi-
cal vicissitudes in the province of Genoa,
and the picturesque city on the gulf is
associated with one of the most remark
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