Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19
European Impressions of First Tripper
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cemetery. This is certainly the l~oveliest
collection Of tremendously organized &c
classical buildings conceivable. Here
R~omanesque, with slight Gothic additions,
triumphs beautifully. The Grecian ideal
Of simplicity and conception. and the
medieval ideal Of richness Of ornamentation
meet here in a perfect union. There IL
every reason for travel in Italy. as 1t
unites in one land almost all styles OF art
from the Grecian Of $500 years ago to the
latest Italian work, for example. the un-
finished Victor Emanuel monument. Mar
BILE and alabaster things are a~stoundingly
cheap In Pisa. We cannot comprehend
how Italians can execute those dainty
things at such low figures, but the ar
tistic genius is second nature to the Italian.
He has inherited the artistic brains of
generations Of artistic men and women.
Just as the street Italian often shows a
refinement of bearing and gesture, which
comes as a mental and physical inherit
ance, so even very ordinary Italians, other
wise illiterate and ignorant, feel quite at
home in artistic occupations. Culture is
more an inheritance than a school product.
Italy has one railroad achievement of
greater horror perhaps than any stretch
in Europe, the line from Pisa to Genoa.
Most Of this distance leads through tun-
nels that choke you, nauseate you, anger
you and test the very last efforts Of pa
tiehce at your command. As a piece Of
railroad engineering 1t may be skillful, but
travel must not only furnish speed and
safety, but comfort is also a desirable ad-
junct. 1 imagine that 1 am not the only
person that would like to ask the Italian
engineers Of hat grim road what they
meant by creating a line so unpleasant and
even terrible as this. My advice to fellow
travellers would be to sail on the sea, fly
in the air, or walk on foot, anything to
avoid the road to Genoa. 1t is absolutely
my most horrible travel memory
Genoa's location reminds one of Naples,
but cannot match the beauty of the Nea-
politan bay. l went to Genoa for one
purpose, only, strange to say, to see a
cemetery. The campo santo of Genoa is
world-famous. 1t is built in the form of
arcaded rectangular structures on a beau
tiful hillside. The general architecture is
quite good, but modern Genoa understands
money-making far better than the creation
of truly artistic sepulchral onume
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kind reigns and rules in the campo santo.
1t is q north Italian and modern enemy
Of the south Italian ancient temple of
Postum. Here and there splendid mauso-
leums come to view. On the whole the
campo santo proves how much modern
Italian art has fallen behind the great
ideals of the past.
1t was refreshing to leave the Genoese
campo santo, and its many sentimental
and utilitarian and inartistic monuments
for a second look at the miracle of death
less beauty, the cathedral of Milano, and
then for the almost matchless s~emi-Alpine
Italian axes. One advantage of travel is
freedom Of choice. You need not take
larger doses of the unpleasant than you
wish. The world is full of beauty and de-
light, in nature and in art. To choose
well is itself an art, and the art of travel
may, perchance, not be the least Of cul-
tured pursuits.