The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-27
THE POPE'S HOME.
Ancestral Estates in Car
pineto ON a Peak of the
Lepini Mountains.
INTERESTING FAMILY PORTRAITS
Big Bazaar Now Open at ST.
Bridget's Among the
Churches.
INTERESTING FAMILY PORTRAITS

Count Ludovico Pecci, nephew of Leo
Kill. and his wife. Donna Vittoria, have
given, ia honor of the Pope's name day,
a great reception at Carpineto. the birth
place of the Pontiff, where they live.
Carpineto is a mountain village with
about five thousand inhabitants, and is
picturesquely situated on the top of a
peak of the Lepini Mountains. Being
surrounded by points much higher, and
snow-eapped at some seasons, it is. really
very beautiful. 1t is far from railways.
One has to drive five hours in the dill
gence in order to reach it. and it has thus
kept much of its primitive character.
The Inhabitants are very poor. mostly
shepherds. The women, starting out
early in the morning. sometimes go fifteen
miles to gather wood. When they are
employed in cultivating the land they do
not earn more than four or five pence a
day.
The present village was, in the Middle
Ages, a rather important town. It was,
with its surroundings. a duchy, first un-
der the Caetani. to which family be-
longed Boniface VIII, who had his ears
boxed by a Sciarra-Colonna at Anagni;
and later. under, the Aldobrandini, to
pClOll6 IL t1I1s 49,
turtles, however, the most important fam
lily there has been that of the Pecci,s al
though they originally come from Siena.
The Pecci own the only building which
can be called a palace, and half of the
environs. From their palace. which IS
is grand toward the mountains. and pic.
turesque looking down over the roofs OF
medieval town. The interior is mucn
more sumptuous than one would expectln
hot half MILD district There are VAST
ante-rooms and magnificent halls, hung
with tapestry and large family por-
traits.
The portrait of the Pope's mother rep
resents her as handsome and dignified.
and that of his father, in his uniform OF
colonel Che served under Napoleon L., as
q good looking man. in whose features
can be found traces resembling his cele-
brated son. Leo is also there. The ike
ness is an exceedingly good one-more
san be said of his brother. Cardinal
age OF eighty-three, a rigid Jesuit, who
had a rooted objection to posing in any
form for his picture. Among the por-
traits there of persons not belonging TO
the family is one of Duke Loubat, an
American. ennobled by Leo Kill. who
has erected three or four statues of the
Pope in different churches.
The room occupied by the present Pom
tiff when he resided in Carpineto (his last
visit there was private in 1850 is still
called Camera di Monsignore,' and has
very modestly furnished, having a little
iron bed with curtains, a small writing
desk near 4 window. d picture of the Ma
donna, a portrait of the Blessed Marga-
ret Pecci. an aneestress of his, and a few
chairs.
All the notabilities of the town and en-
virons. together with several bishops and
archbishops coming from their respective
sees, gathefed. ~ tne Countess Peccis re-
ception. ana were treated TO very fine
music and poe.i@.ts revitatioAs, fo.!owed
by refreshments. An incident occurred
attracted general attention. The ED
est SON OF Count Ludov:co presented Mgr
Ciasca. secretary OF Cardinal Ledochow-
ski. Project Of the Propaganda, with q
was Interpreted by all as Il pre- |
ahnodncen1snt of the elevation of the for
tufiate recipient 10 the purple at the next