Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-08
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society


 Vfcenza, ItaIy-Tf the present ofren- sive of the Austrian forces on the Italian front develops in accordance with the predictions of military cr1- tics, the fertile plains of Vicenza, twenty miles south of Piazza where the Tyrolean border has been crossed, wifi soon be harvesting it's grapes of wrath" instead of the product of the Italian vine for which this section is famous. The National Geographic Society's war geography bulletin, is sued today from it's Washington head quarters, describes this area of hos tilities.
 Closely massed on both banks of the small Bacchiglione river, Vicenza, with an urban population of 35.0 .000, Gas been an important town of north ern Italy since the early Roman days l when it was known as Vicetia, says the bulletin. Tt has not played a 1 thrilling role in Italian history, how ever, but is noted rather for it's ar chitectural eplendor than for its achievement in arms.
 The surrounding plain, whose lux uriant mulberry trees, with their Supplanted by the cypress frondS of sorrow over countless soldiers graves, extends to the north through TEadene and Schio, two manufacturing towns in the Leogra valley. and to the east as far as Venice, forty miles distant. 1 Berici mountains, lies Verona, with its many Shakespearian associations. l Beautiful villas and blossoming fields are feature of this landscape now overcast with the shadow of invad- ing Austrians.
 making of the early middle ages was IS capital of Lombard dlc1y II was one of t1e cities which formed l the Lombard League in the twelfth century, opposing Frederick Barbaros- l ga during the several campaigns whereby he attempted to reestagblish l the Western empire on a Charlemagne scale. Tn 1236 the city was stormed and pillaged by the Sicilian emperor I Frederick II, a catastrophe which the inhabitants were able to bear with more equanin1ity after this rulers
 overwhelming defeat before the walls
 of Parma, when his imperial crowT
 was placed in mockery on the head O. Il hunch back beggar who was gfveT
 a trt1mphal entry into the victorious
 town. Early in the fourteenth cen. tury Vicenza asserted and secured it. independence from Padua, but a hun.
 dred years later it came under the ex,
 tensive sway of Venice.
 s-The most distinguished name II Vicenza.s hall Of fame is that of onl or LA6 8E66L6SI d1G4lL6CIS Q1 EQS 1Ia11aI
 renaissance Andrea PalIadio, wIas
 broke away from the excessively orn ate style of his contemporaries ant turned, perhaps too reverently, to tn
 simple, stately standards of ancien Rome. His handfwork Is pre- enninent1, dominant In his birthplace. so much s in fact that a famous American nov e1ist has complained that the coll :. hand of that friend of virtuous pov \ erty in architecture lies heavy upog X his native city. One of the most in ! | terestfng structures designed by hin efls the immense Olimplco Theatea mcdeled after the ancient taeafers
 and dedicated in 15s4
 tl Another great artist of Vicenz a I was the precocioIs peasant boy Man ! stegna, who left his flock of sheep a - the age of eleven in order to become .s great painter under ths patronage c q the unique Suuazzlone. tailor faEnou ? both as art counoisseur and feachei
 The stiffness of Aankegnass draperie
 IS said co be accounted for by ny hi 5 custom Of drawing from models cla 4 in paper or fE gzrnmed fabrics 4 < an ensraver Mantegnass fame ia as . cured by his plate entitled Entonb Z nnent, said to have had a greater in Thence on art than any other ever ex 2 t,ecuked far it's couposfti ftipn was adopte bH Eauhael. HoIbein and DrS