Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-03-17
doNDOLIER COLLECTS FARE BE-
FORE HE LANDS PASSENGERS.
Kew. Fred B. Hill Continues His
Narrative ON s.Doing Italy,
Milan, Venice, Florence Their
Treasures of Art and Architec
ture.

Italy COT all countries!) in less than
three weeks! We next reach Milan,
where we are joined by Miss Mason,
OF Providence who is to accompany us
around the world. Milan is justly
famous for its cathedral heavy
fog shut off most of it's glories from
our gaze. The most interesting thing
to me however was Leonardo de Vinci's
"Last Supper"-the famous fresco in
the Monastery refectory. This re-
nowned work, SO many centuries old,
is still quite distinct tho time and
moisture have robbed it of much of
its former beauty, you can still see the
reasons for its name and fame. Those
faces will never die, the whole scene
becomes engraved on your mind and
heart and you seem to be in the pre-
sence of sacred event.
We visited the Brera gallery and
saw one of RaphaePs most famous
paintings "The Marriage of the
Virgin" Northern Italy is dreary
were not at all loath to leave Milan
after day there in as much as we
could not possibly allow more time ac-
cording to our schedule. So we
fastened along on to Venice, Queen of
the cities of the sea. Arriving about
dark, we were hustled into Venetian
omnibus, the gondola, and were soon
gliding along narrow canals, beneath
dark and forbidding bridge and build
ings. There was no music in the air,
Venetian winters do not produce the
far-famed gondolier's song. Only an
occasional 'halloo' to warn other
craft as we were rounding sharp
corners, broke the silence Of the night.
At last we came out from under the
Bridge of Signs into the lagoon OPP
posite the Doge's Palace. Here, only
few yards from our hotel though we
did not know that fact, the gondoliers
suddenly ceased to fly their long
sweeps. We wondered what was
coming. Very politely the head boat
winning smile, and asked for his
s'pourboire" or "Macaroni" as they
call it here. He intimated that if we
waited until we reached the hotel,
that his fee would be too small as the
hotel porters were greedy. Well
did not know what he might be
tempted to do in case of refusal, and
the water looked neither comfortable
nor clean, and so I proceeded to
hold up various coins until he saw
one that suited his appetite, then he
padded on. There is one fine thing
about an Italian on his native soil, or
water, it is that he is a perfect gentle
man while he holds you up.
The hotel was most comfortable and
intensity interesting. 1t is an old
ducal palace and for several days
we were privileged to walk about
these ducal halls and up and down
ducaI staircases. 1t faced the lagoon
AMI within a stones throw were the
celebrated Doge's or Kings palace
the nillared lion OF st. Mark and the
SNARE of the Campanile and the
oh 1rch of St Marx. Perhaps the best
knowa place in Venice is this square
of St Marks. Certainly it is seldom
that so many and so interesting and
beautiful buildings are gathered SO
naar together. Of course we missed
the Campanile which fell in 1902.
Rut they are rebuild ing it now and
already it is rising above the level
Of the street. The church OF st.
Marks is beautiful chiefly for its
mosaics The architecture is rather
mongrel, it is not of any one dlsunct
TYNE. Of the mosaics there are over
an acre inside and out and they are
,oost beautiful. There are exquisite
marble pillars and some aiaoaster
nillars over the altar, SAID TO nave
been brought from Solomon's temple
ad come from the church OF st
sonbia in Constantinople. The floor OF
The church is very uneven SO much
90 that new mosaic is being put IN.
Al over Venice we saw evidences of
sinking foundations, buildings all
awry and floors which shook beneath
tho feet. The Doge's Palace where
- n,nch of the early and brave history
- vanice was enacted is now practic-
.,,xv museum. The dungeons are
Iii to he seen and reveal the depth of
horrible torture to which prisoners
wore subjected. Some of them were
etan below the level of the water
and prisoners were often drowned.
% + said to Napoleon's credit that he
aholished the terrible methods of trial
and punishment in vogue under the
old Kings. In this Palace we saw
the largest painting on canvas in the
,uorld. It's chief glory however was