Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-05-11

by Constantine to Constantinople, and
brought to Venice by one Of the Doges.
| Napoleon carried them off to Paris in
1897, where they decorated the triumphal
arch in the Place du Carrousel. Emperor
position in 1915.
| From the top OF the tower there is a
fine view Of the city, the long bridge that
connects the city with mainland, the
Alps, and part OF the Adriatic. We were
surprised to find that not one Of the
canals of Venice was visible from there,
but the numerous stakes that mark the
sand banks and show the navigable
channels are plainly seen.
In the arsenal we saw small models OF
the piles ON which the town is built.
The town lies in a shallow bay (twenty-
five miles long and nine miles wide) of
the Adriatic, about two and one-half
miles from the mainland. The 1900
houses, palaces, and churches are nearly
all built on piles, and the innumerab BILE
little canals are crossed by 37S bridges.
There being no horses or carriages, the
streets are all sidewalks with stores on
each side.
On the Grand Canal, which i the main
| thoroughfare, are situated most of the
handsome houses and palaces, several Of
which have been made into hotels. 1t
used to be the street Of the Nobili, the
ancient aristocracy of Venice. The posts
near each doorway are painted with the
coors OF their respective owners. The
names of several authors and musicians
are connected with some of the palaces
| The palace Fasan is supposed to have been
Desdemona's house. George Eliot, Lord
Byron, Robert Browning and Richard
| Wagner died there. Wagner wrote his
opera Christian and Isolde" here, and died
| here in 1888
| Venice has in several of her interesting
churches paintings by Titan, Veronese,
Bellini and Palma Vecchio; among others
| Titian's celebrated "Assumption'' and
the renowned est. Barbara" OF Palma
Vecchio. The picturesque bridge Of
| Signs" is the connection between the
criminal courts (at Doges' palace) and
the criminal prisons. Mr.. Howels calls
it "that pathetic swindle'', as nobody Of
| ever crosses it.
| They say that four or five times every
winter the water rises and floods the
| whole square Of st. Marks to such depth
that gondolas are necessary.
1t Is fortunate that we have nearly fin
ished "church-seeing" in Italy, because
| for two weeks before Easter all the altar
pieces and other valuable are covered.
| The old Ponte de Rialto (Riato bridge)
| which spans the canal is single marble
arch 15s feet long (seventy-four feet span,
thirty-two feet in heightl and rests on
1900 piles. There are stores on either side.
1t was formerly the site of the old city OF
Venice, and was then the only connection
between the east and west quarters. 1t
is also the district spoken OF by Shy
lock in the "Merchant OF Venice.
VERONA.
In Verona the principal attraction was
Juliet's grave. Verona is a very quaint
| looking place, especially the Piazza
| (square) Erbe, which was the ancient
forum, but is now the fruit and vsgeta
bic market. The buildings surrounding
the Piazza are nearly all very old some
castles and some private houses decorated
by some now half-effaced frescoes.
| On one of the adjacent streets is very
| dilapidated Old house which bears the
name "Capuletti' on marble slab, prob
ably the house Of Juliet's parents; there
is also balcony projecting from one of
the upper stories, but whether it is the
/ balcony don't know. A medieval sar-
cophagus, supposed to be Juliet S tomb, is
| in suppressed Franciscan monastery.
The walls of he room and the bottom of
the sarcophagus are completely covered
by the cards of different visitors from
nearly all parts of the civilized world
some of them ten and twelve years old.
Verona has some very old churches and
an arena, built under Diocletian in
290 a. d.
| MILAN.
Milan. The cathedral and the Last
Supper" by Leonarodo oa Vinci, these
are the things usually connected with the
name Milan. The Milanese count their
cathedral as the eighth wonder of the
world. 1t is the third largest church in
Europe, St. Peters in Rome being the
largest, and the cathedral in Seville the
next. 1t covers an area OF IA, 900 square
yards, 400 square yards being covered by
walls and pillars.
The enormous stained glass windows
in the choir, which are said to be the
largest in the world, represent $50 differ
ent scriptural subjects. Perhaps the
most interesting - anyway the most
novels the roof. 1t is all of white
marble like the rest of the building, with
ninety eight turrets and about 2OO(
statues, all in marble. The tower, 36C
feet high, is crowned by a bronze statue
OF the virgin. There are flights of steps
and walks connecting each part of the
enormous cross, SO that it is possible to