The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-15
A CITY APART
FROM THE WORLD
Medieval Picturesqueness Of Venice Remains While Ohar
Ancient Cities Have Been Modernized--A New Mecca
for American Travellers Where History Lives Again &

It is only within the past few years
| that Americans have begun to visit
Venice in numbers really considerable.
To be sure 1t was usually included in
the itinerary of those who did the
Grand Tour when that was so fash
ionable. and 1t has long been the ia
vored haunt of artists and literary
men. But the ordinary sightseer. the
every day man of affairs with three or
four months to devote to Europe. has
only recently penetrated so far.
At first this average traveller from
'the States" contented himself with
the British Isles and run over to
Paris. Then. gradually. he advanced
up the Rhine and into the mountains
of Switzerland. Even when he lad
conquered the Alps and descended into
Italy the Queen of the Adriatic was
usually too far distant to come within
his orbit Now, however. all this is
changed and at any season of the year
one will find in Venice quite as many
Americans as English and almost as
many of them as of Germans or Aus
TRANS.
The reason for this Is partly that a
yearly increasing number of Ameri-
cans are discovering the charms of
the Island City, but even more large
ly because Venice has been brought
so much nearer to us. Since the
great steamships of the White Star
line have been put into commission
between the United States and the
Mediterranean It is possible to reach
Venice in twelve days from Boston by
way Of Genoa or by more leisureIy
stages from Naples, another port of
call. through Rome, Florence. and
Bologna. Thus the annoyance and
discomfort of a long European railway
journey is avoided and the voyager
steps almost directly, so to speak,
from the American pier into the mys-
tical City of Isles with the charm of
contrast which 1t offers all unspoiled.
Certainly there is no other spot in
all the world that offers so much of
interest and romance to the unfamil-
lar visitor, whatever his tastes or
calling other cities of classic ira
ditions have been modernized out of
all romance If not out of all resem-
blance to their former selves; Venice
alone remains unchanged in all its es-
sentiaIs The means of conveyance,
the style of architecture. the churches
and palaces are still today exactly as
they were centuries ago. One can
do Venice in three days so far as
viewing its principle sights is con-
cerned. or can spend as many months
in the occupation and never weary of
it. The city Is always in season" in
est and variety of attraction to offer.
though the time when 1t is sought By
visitors in greatest numbers is the
spring.
Here is an old city that really
locks its age There are towns OF
classical antiquity which now are
nothing but heaps of picturesque ruins
and there are others that have been
retuvenated and modernized. But
Venice displays all the signs of hoary
yenerableness and, II must be admit
ted. many of senile decreptitude
Floating along the highways between
rows OF age-stained buildings one
scarcely needs to be told that here /
was a fourishing seat of trade which |
levied tribute on half the known !
world through many centuries and |
which now that It has fallen on less
prosperous days exists chiefly in the
refection of its former greatness.
The very moment of entrance into
Venice brings the traveller from the
west into a world apart. His luggage
Is taken from the railway station
lown a flight of stone steps to a gon-
lola in which he also ensconces him
self and thus makes the journey to his