The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-08

NAPLES.
class 81 Neapolitans .eem to regard tic
tourist as his Aeg ltimate prey, and he
fleeces him whenever he has an OppOr-
tunity. .ssf 55} "a
NJ Naples Ii u populous city, boastit1g over
1000 inhabitants. It is the largest city
OF italy, and has an extensive foreign
trade. II seems strange that 30 flour
fishing q seaport has no large piers and
docks. The ships seem to land their
cargoes ~ lighters or tenders. Surely,
this must necessitate great inconveenien NJ.
|Nto&t the merchant marine But the people
appear to take this as q matter OF course.
as IL there were no moro expeditions
Rich in History.
way known. a VI 3
Naples has "a history reaching back. far
into antiquity. d It was originally a Greek
colony. being founded several centuries
before Christ. It was early taken by
the Romans however, and stood loyalty
by the Romans In the wars against
Pyrrlus and Hannibal. The city suf-
$fered, severely during the times OF the
great fnigrations. 1t passed In success
sion under the dominion OF the Nornans,
the Germans and the spaniards Then;
the Bourbons got&contrrio1 l q the city and
ruled It till 1860. n When the Kingdom Of
Naples was united to the Kingdom Of
Italy, the cityasof Naples became the
capital Of a province. ss
Yet,s despite its long and varied history,
Naples Is historically, as well as arclli- 4
stccturally, one OF the least interesting
OF THE italian q ties, as the guide books
ellssus. "a It attracts the tourist 'on &C
count OF It's position as the metropolis Of
region IN itself glorlousl7 beautiful
full OF sites OF transcendent m thologi-
cal and historical interest, and rich in
memorials OF ancient wealth. luxury and
art. 488s jai}:9 3$s5
Tho cllei object of Interest in the city
Is the museum; which is &unsurpassed for
Its historical antiquities. In this museum
are preserved we'll nigh all the valuable
collections OF the ancient stat ary and
mural paintings recovered from Pompeii
and IIerculaneum-tl those Key two ill-fatedf
cities which were buried BY: the eruption
Of YES uvius In the year 70 a. d. The COLI
lection, however, includes not only an
Client statues and wall paintings from
those buried cities (now excaya ted) but
also bronzes, papyri from Herculaneum,
coins, vases OF all sorts. weapons,5 Kitchen
utensils, articles OF food. lwories, gems.
and 50 forth. "A walk through this rl,l-
scum brings vlvl dly to y one. nlind 81 the
remarkable civilization OF ssE the q ncientE
Romans, as evidenced in the excavations
from Pompeii and Herculaneum. But
let this be reserved for our next lie ttcr.
The museum, moreover. contains fine
picture gallery. nth some eight hundred
many OF them OF rare merit
Including works by Rem bran d., #s II tian,%
Corregio and other masters There is
also fine library OF 200, o0o volumes and
1000 manuscripts tanned In this mu-
scum It would take considerable time
to exhaust the rich treasures Of this
{s ri IL n S;$E
d .The churches OF Naples are MOI Of spe-s
cial interest. The Cathedral, however,
Is rather imposing and contain ms some
very good paintings and monuments. The
royal palace is well worthsa visit, and lis
furnished. The gnificent
view from the top Of the royal observa-
tory will richly repay one for one g toil-
some climb and pains. For the building
commands. a superb view. Of the city and
the beautiful Bay OF Naples. as we'll as
Of frowning Yesuvus and the ad jacent
plain round about the volcano. You can
not afford ito miss this grand panorama
II you 20 to Naples. w
a very Interesting side trip in the I'M
mediate Vicinity Of Naples is afforded
by a. visit to ~ rgil's tomb. ~ AS every
student OF Latin literature X ows, Vergil
la a villa near N aples, and there, above
all other places. nc preferred to ~ We.
HIS villa was situated on the high ridg &c
overlooking the city Of 4 Naples. In the
village Posilpo,5 still in existence.
This high ridge of rock is pierced by q
tunnel built by the ancient Romans for
The road from aples to Pateoli (neodem
Pozzuoli) It Is near the entrance to
he grotto that the reputed tomb Of EYergil
Is, situated. Tradition tells us that when
st. Paul was on his way to 4 Romo he
turned aside from the Applan Way to
visit this spot "a nd pay his tribute to the
pagan poet, Standing over the tomb q
yergll the great Apostle is said to,haye
Wept and to have exclaimed amid Ills
tears; What a man might have made
II thee. o Vergil, had only met thee
n thy lifetime!,
This same spot was the object OF our
ona Sunday Afternoon, and az !
er much searching. we at length stumbled |
lpon 1t high upon he rocky ledge. The !
omb is in a somewhat dllapidated con-
litlon, and \ s reached only BY. a narrow
,rIdle patti. winding UP the hill. a rude
tone structure with several inches IN
IS side for funeral urns. covers the hal
owed tomb, An unpretentions marble
monument adorns the interior OF the
tructure, and the Inscription upon 1t |
eads as follows: Public Yergllio Ma
oni. Mantua mo ME gentlit. Calabria
ne rapuere, Tcucl nunc Partenopc, |
rura, duces, Il
on theBslde OF the rocky ledge facing
he tomb is also marble slab. with an
inscription indicating that this Ia tho
olnb Of the Roman epic poet. The path
eading to this sacred spot, II one may
Judge from appearances, has evidently
zen frequently trodden by the steps Of
eyerend pilgrims. III,
CONNECTION At ooRpoNsvILLE
FOR ORANGE, cuLPEPER AND