Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-11-06

Upon first arriving at Verona neal
mlunlgnL, Unfamiliar with LLaIy am
Italian, YOU leeI d sense OF sCrangeneS:
NOT remote IrOm unld1Ly at the conIu
sion vi tongues ana Inc varied types o.
the individuals VINO, IN the gmse o.
pc lois, LACK6yS, eLc., Jake POSSESSION o.
your luggage and try to entlce you C
their respective notes. AZ LausL 80
make your decision ana, unuer Lne
guIuauce OF Hdny-LOngueu OncIal
you are conducted 10 a 'puS.
AS you rumOIe away from the station
ali perCurbanCn ceases; the quiet OF
th6 soone acls IKE Dam TO your ruft1e0
spirits.
NoCning seems astir but romance
You breathe Gne very air OF Romeo ana
juliet. You almost feel that it was on
just such a nIgnT, at such an nOur, she
vowed TO Montague that her bounty
was as boundless as the sea, her love
as deep" You dream, but only for a
moment.
The bus suddenly stops, a grizzly
head is thrust in at the door, while a
torrent of strange words fairly gushes
from the mouth OF an old soldier.
Hold up! Every foreigner looks in
qulrlngIy At Une other "A woman ian
American to be sure) seizeS her grip
and, pointing to the custom-house
stamp, says, Ala" Bang goes the
door, on goes the bus and you are left
to conjecture whether you were halted
for the usual "octroi' or arrested at a
military station, where all travellers
are submitted to inspection.
Within the city walls all is as serene
as summers night, but your tranquil
ity is thing OF the past. The very
peaceful impression OF the long, silent
streets is lnarred by the E1euiaeval-
like gratings at the gates and win
dows, which suggest that the VerOnese
must protect themselves. AS you rat
tie along, angry voices from time to
time break the stiffness of the night,
and, peering into open doorways, you
see the dispute is over a card table,
where liquor, tobacco and the passions
seem to reek and Wrangle together.
At length you reach your hotel, and,
retiring as speedily as possible, fall
asleep. wondering if Romeo and
Juliet" was only a fable, since the din
and Quarreling from neighbOring cafe
convince you that in Italy Diavolos can
be heard in real life as well as in
opera.
Verona is none the less enchanting
when seen under a strong Italian sun,
with no trees to relieve it's intensity.
Nothing, in fact, subdues the glare re-
fiected from the white walls and pave
ments, which at first dazzles and al
most blinds the newcomer. The in
habitants, however, seems to heed
neither sun nor heal especially the
women, who go about Dareheaded, not
Imagination envelopes every fair
italian.
Women here is used in a tourists
sense, and only refer to those who
throng the streets bent upon their
daily avOcations. The ladies of leisure
must pass their days in the seclusion Of
their courts, far from the eyes of in
quisitive travellers.
The Veronese women have neither
the languid manner nor the sweet, sad
eyes of the typical italian, for Verona
is too near the border for them not to
resemble the Australians in both color
and feature. Although less attractive,
they are not uninteresting.
It must be acknowledged the market
women in the Piazza della Erbe have
an uninviting habit Of lingering the
fruit upon their stalls, which rather
persUades an American that they are
better to watch than to deal with.
This Piazza, now the fruit and veg
etable market, is one Of the most
unique squares in Europe. Historically
as we'll as artistically, it's individuality |
stands out so you are undecided
whether to study first the palaces, with
their richly painted facades, represent
ing God the Father, Adam and Eve,
perhaps a Madonna, or to turn immed- |
3atey to the Tribnua and recall the
days when the Piazza was a Forum,
and that seat, with it's canopy, sup |
ported by columns, the place where
Judgment was decreed in the days of
the Roman Empire. The tall marble
column at the farther end was, in 1897, |
crowned with the lion Of st. Mark to
indicate that Verona was subject to
Venice.
If you turn from the Piazza della /,
Erbe into that of del Signori you will /
see the tombs of the Scaligers and re-
call the brilliant existence the city en-
joyed dI-uing their rule of 1877 years be-
fore it came under the dominion Of any /
power.
These tombs are Gothic in construc- !
ton and wonderfully elaborate in de-
tail
The ladder, which is found wrought
in every possible way into the ratings,
formed the family crest, as the name
signifies. None mounted higher than
Can Grande, Francesca della Scala,
when he offered Dante an asylum in
his brilliant court during his exile from