The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1910-06-10
FROM ROME TO FLORENCE.

FLORENCE, ITALY, May TN, My
ltters have irn less frequent, for
travelling slowly as we are now doing
since we left Clatk's party, thee Is not
80 much to tell.
We left Rome last Wednesday at o
O'Clock and reached here at 2 80. The
trip " very pretty through rat her billy,
broken land. orchards and vineyards
Til. women work So much in the fields
here and their bright red and yellow
dresses give pretty touches of color.
When We reached Florence we drove at
once To the pension, and found il very
nice, right on the river, which flows
through the town. dividing II into two
unequal parts. In the morning we have
the regular continents breakfast
chocolate or coffee. cold rolls and butter,
nothing else, but you can buy marmalade
II you want II. We bought it, tor dry
rolls grow mOnOtOnGut The coffee IL
very bad So ! take chocolate aud have
grown quite used to the scanty breakfast
Then we have n plent it'll lunch at ~ 80,
and dinner at 7 80. The people in this
house are all English aud OF course are
much distressed over the death of the
King, of which we heard today. They
mc all busy preparing their mourning, M
they must all wear II " they return to
England within six weeks. They seem
to think that il will be- IA sad day for
England when George V iscrowned king
Florence Is not very big; you can walk
all over u from one road to the other
Across the river are fine bridges, one Of
which IL old and covered il called Ponte
Vccchei. II IL lined On both sides with
jewelers. shops. filled with such lovely
things To-day we went to the monas.
terry oi san Marco, the one In which
Savnnarola lived and Fra Angelica also
You ring first at nn iron gate, II isl OF rnrd
and you pass into an open court, n ioun.
tain in The middle and the
walls of the cloister decorated with
beautiful frcscos From the cloister we
went into several rooms, the rcfectory
etc. Each with it's wonderful paintings.
lie size figure Of the Crucifxon, Last
Supper, etc. Then went upstairs nnl
into an upper corridor, lined on both
side with tinycells, the same the monks
Ol thOs: days occupied. Every cell had
is picture. all done by Fra Angelica, Ia
the cell Of Sayonarola were his chair, his
yestmcnts. cfucihK and rosary. besides
| several pictures Of him Il was very
intcr ling especially 50 as | had never
seen n monastery before This was sup
| pressed some yeas ago but Is preserved
ia it's original condition as u museum.
GA Ascension Day they have such IA funny
custom here. Every one goes early to
the country and searches for cricket.
This, when found. Is caught and put into
tiny cage, sold by hundreds in the
| streets. II the cricket sings that night
the family will have good luck for / he
year 1t was funny toic. every one
carrying tiny cage and cricket. They
buy II they cannot find one, second hand
luck being batter than none
MoHDAY, May 9th
This morning we startc directly after
breakfast and walked to the cathedral.
| This Is very beautiful on the outside,
covered with colored marbles, with n
very high tower at one end. with many
statue nml pictures upon Il. The IL side
Is disappointing compared with the out.
sid. We happened to ". there in he
midst 0f II funeral mass. The body was
laid on n bier and covered with n
gold cloth No coffin IL used IN this
country. In this case the face wascovrr.
ID bu, usually you zee The bodies borne
|
and often with nothing over the body
except the shrOud. II IL grucsome Ia
pass thing Ike that. A few monks
usually accompany the holy. There i,
an association called THE Brothers OIL
Pity" who have rs their special work tn,
hutial Of the poor. They dress in black
with black hood and mask with only
the eyes exposed Tomorrow we take a
long car ride to place called FiosOl,
They have there what is called n straw
market" nm open square where hats %
all kinds are sold, snl also bundles o
the straw braid from which the hats mr.,
mace. Handmade lace also and nothinl
but these things ARE sold there. Did
ttll you Of the rag markc." IN Rome
An open mir market, in which you car
buy anything from a live cow to pin
Almost everything IL second hand ant
ore must be a good judge before yentur
ing to buy any thing, Yours
N. b. M.