Evening star., 1903-08-18
VENICE IN SUMMER.
The Campanile and Marangona-sight-
Seeing In the City.

Ane Campan1Ie anu maranRona-SlSnt-
Seeing in the City.
Correspondence London Globe.
This Is tha season when mosquitoes begin
to be troublesome and gOndoliers to be
jealous Of one another. but these draw
backs are scarcely to be made much ac-
count OF where enjoyments are 50 various
and so continuous. The III Doors even seem
to have exhausted themselves. There is a
good deal Of heat and a good deal Of noise:
invectives fly over the water at certain
hours and ugly groans. like those of Falnir.
from steamers about to depart. and Of
course In the evening there Is the scream
ing prima donna in one gondoia, singing
the inevitable st. Lucia" and the bawling,
quavering baritone a little way of accom-
plishing an utterly fictitious tour-de-fo force.
IN quite another key. in front of an ap-
plauding hotel. But leaving these aside the
rest OF life here seems perpetual delight.
In the early morning Gas 1t Is while write)
there Is pale golden calm over the la
goOn. and two large barges with dark red
sails. patched with rich cinnamon strips,
are pretending not to be becalmed The
gilded angel on the graceful campanile of
St Giorgio stands bright and the reflection
in the water Of the whole tower Is nearly
perfect.
II one desires to go and see the beauties
Of buildings in Venice It Is impossible. for
tunately, to lay down any law to what is
the most felicitous moment; their charms
are so various. their orientation so diverse.
Then an unexpected strip of garden with
deep scarlet pomegranate flowers and white
oleanders. with madonna lilies and purple
iris, all in bloom together. with an old
statue on rose -embowered wall. may
80 surprise one that one cannot stay to cal
culate whether this or that will be the
academic or most precious moment for en-
joying 1t. But one surrenders oneself felic-
1tOuSly then and away, anu forgets the
art critic quite easily.
Still. there are things 1 must mention con-
nected with the fallen Campanile: and first
of all let me say that In spite of the rumors
there is hope that the deplorable reslgna-
ton OF Luca Beltrami architect for the
reconstruction Is not final. He Is not the
only great architect in Italy but he is the
one Italians and their friends of all classes
united in highly estimating; and his work
at the great Castillo of Milan alone gives
him European reputation. 1t is only,
regret to say. in England where his name
Is practically unknown. Well, Beltrami is
absent taking a mountain cure. and the
foundations of the Gampanile must wait as
they can afford to do. q little while. The
work there Is government matter. At
st. StefanO 1t Is municipal one and by
the way. the tower of Sto Stefano is cased
In scaffolding and strawplatting up to it's
lantern, and work there had best make
haste. .s.g
Through the courtesy of Prof. Rupoli I
was allowed recently togexamine the re-
mains of the bells, 1.-The bronze figures Of
Sansoyino's Loggietfa, and the Roman
relics discovered notnnder, but around, the
foundations of the JCampanile; also the
brick herring bone pavement, the original
one, or the piazza (as painted in early
Bellini pictures). and handed down doubt
less from the Roman Opus Spicatum" or
Wheat-ear pattern!H which amounts to
the same thing called by a prettier name
1t was specially interesting to notice that
SanSovino worked at materials already
used by previous scutptorS On the reverse
Of a relief. ''MOenad head" Of his found
a fourteenth century Christ in a "Mandor-
lor.' or "almondy shaped sglery., The Coun-
ell of Ten. therefore. had their economies
The ''Marangona,' or great bell, miracu-
lously escaped. as your readers, I believe
already know. 1t Is not large compared
with the Moscow BELLS but stands feet
from the ground and bears proudly in
scribed on 1t .Rondo-Libn. 1900" The
remains of the other bells present a mel
ancholy sight They are past mending for
use. but might be recast when the time
comes.
The day has been spent amphibiously.
with sea and land, artists, architects and
angelS-in pictures and reality also; and
now 1t Is twilight. the water spreads out in
front of me sheet of liquid steel gray,
with the waving glimmer Of a lamp thrown
across 1t. That tower of ST. Giorgio is
still red. so wonderful Is the quality of
venetian atmosphere (as II 1t had secreted
a power of giving off its color when it ought
not to do so), and the facade of the church
next 1t Is OF intense white. while a few
black. mysterious gondolas here and there
drop with lazy, graceful swing down to
the lagoons with the happy people in them
The Madonna on the moon crowns the sill
very Della Salute, rising up in It's elab-
GRATED pyramid, vis-a-vis; but the real
moon actually stands far above her, and
no doubt out of sheer mischief, Is set at
quite a different angle