Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-11-27
MODERNIZiNG ROME.
Work Moves on Apace in the Ancient
City of the Emperor.
nov22d1w

City of the Emperor.
The traveller who wishes to Rome
the old Rome that dwcl!s like IL sacred
picture in the minds of ali civilized men--
would do well not to postpone his jour
ney too long, or he bids fair to be dis
appointed. At the present moment the
famous city is busily kcepiug up its
reputation of being eternal; a new
town is in course of construction. and is
rapidly springing up. with a healthy
disregard of historic associations and
characteristic absence of all tact and
taste. beside the great monuments of the
past. dating back as they do to the times
of the Roman Republic. With the 18th
century Rome began to lose its classic
character. that is - say, as far as all
fresh building enterprise was concerned
The 18th century brought with it tho
laying-out of n park on the Monte Iincio
and other kindred improvements: then
Off 60 years nog reat change took place
until. as the Capital of New Italy. a
great period of change ensued, which de-
veloped into a perfect fever of new en-
terprise of all kinds only to be brought
to a sudden termination by severe
financial crisis.
ensued and that Italy is enjoying a
financial and economic boom, the old city
is once more going ahead. New buill-
ings are. arising on every side; the great
Palace of Justice is finished: the Cham
Der of Deputies is to be enlarged by the
construction of a new wing in the heart
OF the town; new hospital of vast d.
mensions has obtruded itself into the
-.
premises arc rearing their heads on
every sisle. even along the old Corso.
that street of historical palaces where
now. on the Largo Goldini. the new
Unione Militare the Roman equivalent
of the Army and Navy Stores in Lon
don, has sprung up. The increase of pop
ulation is causing the town to expand in
every direction; the Pratt di CASTILLO at
the foot of the Vatican are entirely built
over, and quite new quarter has de-
veloped i'll the neighborho5d of the Pari-
olic Hills; OH the other side of the Porta
Pia, where half century ago the ia
nous Villa Albani stood with its max
nificent view over the mountains. there
now stands rows Of fine villas and on
the other side of the town on the slope
of the Gianicolo, more villas are to be
found.
That much has been done OF late to
bring the old city up to the level of
modern metropolis cannot be denied
The tunnel under the Quirinal, fer in
stance. has greatly improved the traffic
conditions and the wretchcd novels
along the banks of the Tiber have given
way to handsome modern quays A fine
municipal park has been laid out on the
Niaduct crossing the valley that diviucs
the Monte Pincio from the park of the
Villa GorShese c'now Umberto III II is
only to be regretted that all these varied
improvements should have been impaired
by phenomenal display of bad taste
that WAS quite unnecessary.
The beautiful Piazza Colonna, with its
! imposing Veil and Marcus Aurelus col
umns, should never have been allowed
TO be desccrated by the presence of "A
cincmatograph theatre even though il
only DE a temporary structure Tie
Jubilee year Of 1911 did much for Rome.
but also brought with il that unhappy
creation, the Passcggata Archcologica,
that unfortunate boulevard that was TO
carry the, poetry and charm of the Via
Appia into the heart of the town. And
finally We come to the Victor Emmanuel
monument, which practically occupies the
entire northern slope of the Capitolinc.
and dominates the town from all points
OF view. This work has imposed a bur-
den upon the city of 25ooO,00o lire. and
that at time of severe financial de-
pfess'on No one grudges Modern Italy
the right to celebrate its triumph in the
most prominent and sacred position I'm
tHe ancient city, but unfortunately the
gigantic proportions of the monument
are in no way matched by it's artistic
conception. and, it stands il merely
records urbi ct orbi the impotence of our
modern artists when compared with the
authors of the wonderful creations of an
1 hquity.-Boston Transcript.