Evening star., 1902-03-08
ITALY IN WINTER
The Fashionable Side of
Roman Life.
A LAND OF TRADITION
PICTURESQUE FLOWER BOYS AND
GIRLS.
Fascinations Of the Pincian Hill in
Story and in Actu-
ality.
Copyright. 1902. by F. E Cark)

ROME. Italy. February IL. 1902.
Central and northern Italy are more
agreeable places for the American traveller,
both to visit and write about than the sun
nier south. He feels more at home among
the self-respecting Florentines. the sturdy
Fiedmontese and the progressive Romans
than in the more voluptuous and tropical
south
But 1t must be admitted that the winter
climate in central and northern Italy is
anything but ideal. Even in the south 1t
has very little TO boast Of In December,
January and February. and the Americans
from their tight-ceiled, furnace-warmed,
steam-heated houses feel as though they
were entering a refrigerator when they go
into the churches and picture galleries. and
even many Of the hotels Of Naples and
vicinity.
In the country places like Pompeii, only
iradequate braziers. with few glowing
Goals scattered over a quantity of white
ashes, afford little warmth to the palms
of the hands. but scarcely modify the tenn
perature of the Icy rooms. In Rome and
| further NORTH a few years ago, the same
condition of things prevailed. but the In
fux of foreigners has compelled the use Of
stoves and fire places In the better hotels.
though one still has to pay an enormous
price for small basket of wood, IL no
| wishes to keep tolerably comfortable on a
cloudy day.
In this connection 1t is interesting to read
a rare old book written by certain Mrs.
| Carleton, and published by the famous
Galignani of Paris many years ago. The
authoress was evidently nervous hypo-
chondriac, as almost every page Is devoted
! mere or less to the weather and the hy-
genic properties OF Italy.
Il heard Of family she says, who
sailed forth to Italy without any winter
apparel at all. Its members were colder
than if they had travelled athwart the north
pole with furs on
Speaking Of malaria she seems to have
anticipated the discoveries Of the most re-
cent science. for she says, 4 have also
heard that veil tied down over the whole
head and face can defend those who are
obliged to sleep near the ground, on the
principle Of the safety lamp, perhaps.
What is this but wrong explanation Of d
right principle. recently discovered, that
| mosquitoes carry malaria. and that a mos
quitO-tisht tent on the Campagna itself Is
as safe from fever and ague as hut on
Mt. Washington IN winter time.
The Italians themselves are becoming
very sensitive to this matter Of their cli-
| mate. and the healthiness of their country.
since on the supposed attractiveness Of
their climate In attracting tourists, so much
OF their bread and butter depends, or per-
| haps it would be more proper to say their
macaroni and garlic. and a journal Is pub
lished and freely circulated in all Of the
leading hotels In regard to the health Of the
as thus reaching the greatest number Of
1taly's foreign patrons, and from the pc
rusal of it one would judge that there Is no
such thing as mortal sickness in the penin-
Sular. and how one can ever die from any
| thing but old age Is a mystery.
Fine Reports Always.
From Rome from Florence from Genoa,
| from Milan. from Venice in this journal
come the same monotonous reports, every
Proyv c}f ~ oh oil
public health. Let us hope that they are
| all true. 'The health of this city was never
| better" 'sThere is absolutely no infectious
disease" THE death rate is preposterously
| low" Evidently almost the only thing you
| have to do in order to achieve an earthly
| Immortality is to take up your abode in one
| of these favored municipalities.
Even though we take these reports Of the
| not disinterested inhabitants with grain
| Of salt Rome is after all charming and
| fascinating as well as healthy spot for
winter residence, though there are certain
| drawbacks as In every earthly paradise.
| Even the optimistic inhabitants them
| selves admit that there are ten rainy days
| out Of every thirty in the winter months.
! But If there are twenty fair days that Is a
| very reasonable proportion, and when you
get out Of the cloud and into the sun 1t
seems like going from the arctics to the
| tropics. In a narrow street where the wind
| blows and the high walls keep off the sun,
you turn up your coat collar and Shivering-
| ~ exclaim. "Oh how cold sunny Italy is!'
| But you turn the corner and come out into
| the blaze of monday, your coat collar goes
| down almost automatically and you ex-
| claim: "It Is a warm day after all, and this
| is sunny Italy" Nowhere else are Solo
! mons words proved more true than in
Rome. pleasant 1t Is for the eyes to be-
| hold the SUM-
The beggars confine themselves mostly
| to the precincts of the churches and are
not nearly so importunate as in Naples. The
| cabmen do not dog your steps so persistent
| ly, or crack their whips at you so exasper-
atingly:
To see traditional Rome you must go to
| the innumerable churches, to see fashiona-
| BILE Rome to the Pincian Hill. In this way
| each are equally interesting, while the
| tist finds still another Rome an eSthetfc
Rome and can spend half lifetime in the
galleries and museums and not exhaust
| their treasures.
Among the Aristocrats.
Today let catch a glimpse of aristo-
cratic Rome. We will toll up the hundred
| broad steps Of the Piazza del Spagna. steps
|. .thronged with flower girls and fruit sellers,
each one of whom is anxious to turn an
honest penny from the troops Of foreigners
| of all nationalities who pass through their
domain. a domain bright every day of the
year with great masses or roses grown In
| the open air. with violets and lilies of the
valley, and. most beautiful of all, with the
lovely Roman anemones of various colors.
This profuse display Of Queen Flora, and
the great baskets OF oranges. which also
occupy the Spanish steps, naturally point
to the difference of climate between Italy
and America in the same parallel Of lati-
tude.
Little as most Of my readers will be in
clined to believe 1t, until they look the mat
ter up for themselves. Naples Is north Of
New York. and Rome is about the same
parallel with Boston, and yet the climate
Of the latter Is subtropical. and the former
extremely temperate, II not sub-arctic.
But we will not discuss problems of tenn
perature or climate. but leave them for the
learned meteorologists, while we notice that
the flower girls and flower boys are not
only ready to drive sharp bargain in their
fragrant wares. but are ready to pose be-
fore any American kodak that may be
pointed their way. These models get them
selves up in fancy costumes, and do moth
ing but haunt these steps for the artist or
the amateur photographer whom they may
waylay. Year in and year out they live
here in summer and winter. in sunshine
and storm. Years ago, apparently, I saw
the same models little and big, and they
have not grown day older in this long in
terval. Hawthorne tells us that In the days
of his consulate in Italy an old model used
to curl himself up on the same Spanish
stairs. he lived there and slept there.