The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-18

"HB third step in the Italian itine-
rary for those who take the Med
u iterranean route is the one from
Rome to Florence and there are three
ways of making it. One can take the
direct route or the coast line, which al
fords an excellent view of the island of
ISlba and allows sufficient relay at
Pisa to visit the leaning tower, the
cathedral and the famous Campo Santo.
Though not so large the cathedral is
one of the prettiest in all Europe, so far
as its interior is concerned and here is
TO be seen the renowned chandelier from
the swinging of which Calico obtained
his first inlling of the isochronism Of
the pendulum. In the baptistry of the
cathedral, which is an independent build
ing. may be heard an echo so divinely
sweet as to suggest the voice of a Sc
raph. Again and again have 1 returned.
after half hours intermission, to revel
in this play of melody till ''ail dissolH
ing in the trance l lay and in tumultous
rapture died away" The Campo Santo
is the most famous in the world and as
ali four structures are situated in the
same square ample time is afforded the
traveller for doing Pisa and reaching
Florence at a seasonable hour.
The third route is by way of Assist
and Perugia, both hill towns and both sit
of one of Hannbars terrible conflicts
+ The view from Assist is superb. The
old monastery has been converted into
hotel. from the terrace of which a vista
of wide range Is commanded. Aside from
the famouse frescoes the feature of
visit to the town is the church occupy
ing the site of the little chapel of st.
Francis. A jolly old monk conducts you
through and shows you the offshoots of
the roses that We're once briars and
changed their genera after st, Francis
had thrown himself nude in their midst
by way of pennance. The little chapel
is known as the PorZioncula.
Ones first acquaintance with Florence.
the divine, is companioned by a thrill
and the longer that he fingers within
its enchanted confines the more he
thrills. never have been so tempted to
subscribe to the doctrine of the appre-
cable communion of the souls of the
dead with the living as when in Florence
Surely those men who made her great
are not in their tombs, but are walking
daily the streets of the brightest star Of
star-bright Italy
Florence is my affinity. I love her gen.
tie people, her gloomy, but impressive
palaces, her narrow. winding streets. her
antique bridges, that have shaoowed the
srno from an era antedating the discov-
cry of America by Columbus, her tiny
bijoutry shops her nightingale-h haunted
parks and her magazines of art.
/ must confess that have never felt
for the bronze baptistry doors of Chi
hertz that spell with which Micha elangelo
accredited them and which renders them
worthy of being designated as the gates
If paradise. They are wonderful for
heir technique and mastery execution.
ut their beauty has failed to impress
e. 1t seems to me that the portal or
radise is just across the way from
mparable tower pierces the blue vault
day and the star-illumined canopy
night. | care not whether Ciambue
ound Giotto in the fields carving crude
sheep upon stones or not, J only know
that he fashioned that tower and that
suffices. If architecture is frozen music
then Giotto's creation as a CONCEALED
symphony and a symphony of which the
soul never tires.
In the Duomo (cathedraD of which the
tower is guardian, one may sense the
very presence of Savonarola, the light OF
whose halo stll fingers in cloister, cell
and baslica. So anxious were the Floren-
tines to hear the eloquence and feel the
inspiration of this man that many stood
at the cathedral door throughout the en-
tire night that they might obtain advan-
tageous position around the pulpit from
which Savonarola was to speak early
the following morning. His life consti-
tutes one of the lamps that illumne the
dark passageways of history
Next to the tower of Giotto I love to
visit the church that crowns the, hill of
San Minato. / always go there in the
morning because the sun is then shining
upon tie translucent marble panes of the
edfice. These marble windows are ths
only medium of illumination for part .of
the church and naught is softer, more
dreamy or more soothing than the mel
low rays that find channels of permea-
tion through tapistry of stone.
One is fortunate to be in Florence dur
ing the celebration of the fete held upon
st. Johns day. The city is aglow with
yyrotechnics and illuminations and the
streets are converted into seething chan
nels of humanity. The most imposing
edifice under such conditions is. of course,
the Duomo and its method of illumination
is a trifle unique. The great, tower
ing. rounded dome is filled with innu-
merable perforations and from each of
these perforations a mass Of flaming ma
terial is suspended. They resemble huge
sponges soaked In inflammable liquid and
1gnited causing the dome to scintillato
and twinkle as though possessed of the
hundred eyes of Argus,
A most peculiar and rather picturesque
spectacle is presented when the city cele-
brates the Easter festivities. A hugo