The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-07-07
OLD ITALIAN TOWN
VICENZA OF IMPORTANCE IN
TIME OF THE ROMANS.
Its Achievements In Arms Rank Sec
ond to Its Architectural SpIendors
Once Capital Of a Lom-
bard Duchy.

Closely massed on both banks of
the small Bacchiglione river, Nicenza,
with an urban population of $4,000,
has been an important town of north
ern Italy since the early Roman days,
when it was known as Vicetia. 1t has
not played a thrilling role in Italian
history, however, but is noted rather
for it's architectural splendor than for
its achievements in arms.
The surrounding plain, whose lux
uriant mulberry trees, with their
armies of silk worms, so soon may be
supplanted by the cypress fronds of
sorrow over countless soldiers graves,
extend to the north through Theme
and Schio, two manufacturing towns
in the Leogra valley, and to the east
as far as Venice, 40 miles distant.
Sixteen miles to the west, beyond the
Berici mountains, lies Verona, with
its many Shakespearean associations.
Beautiful villas and b~lossoming fields
are n feature of this landscape now
overcast with the shadow Of invading
Austrians.
Vicenza's share in the history-mak-
ing of the early middle ages was us q
capital of Il Lombard duchy. 1t was
one of the cities which formed the
Lombard league in the twelfth CEN
fury, opposing Frederick Barbarossa
during the several campaigns whereby
he attempted to re-etablish the West
ern empire on a Charlemagne scale.
In 1896 the city was Stormed and pill
LACED by the Sicilian emperor, Fred
erick II. a catastrophe which the in
h%abitants were able to bear with more
equanimity after this rulers over
whelming defeat before the walls of
Parma, when his imperial crown was
placed in mockery on the head of a
hunchback beggar, who was given n
''triumphal entry" into the victorious
town. Early in the fourteenth EN-
fury Vicenza asserted and secured its
independence from Padua, but Il hun
dred years later it came under the
extensive sway of Venice.
The most distinguished name in
Vicenza's hall of fame is that of II
of the greatest architects of the Ital-
ian renaissance, Andrea Palladio, who
broke away from the excessively
ornate style of his contemporaries
and turned, perhaps, too reverently to
the simple, stately standards of
ancient Rome. His handiwork is pre-
eminently dominant in his birthplace,
so much so, in fact, that q famous
American novelist has complained
that the cold hand of that friend of
virtuous poverty in architecture lies
heavy upon his native city," One of
the most interesting structures de-
signed by him is the immense OlimpicO
theater, modelled after the ancient
theaters, and dedicated in 1884.
Another great artist of Vicenza was
the %precocious peasant boy Mantegna,
who left his flock of sheep at the age
of eleven in order to become q great
painter under the patronage of the
unique Squarcione, a tailor famous
both as art connoisSeur and teacher.
The stiffness of Mantegna's draperies
is said TO be accounted for by his
custom of drawing from models clad
in paper or in gummed fabrics. AS
an engraver Mantegna's fame is as
sured by his plate, entitled 'Entomb-
ment," said to have had a greater in
fluence III art than any other ever ex-
ecuted, for its composition was
adopted by Raphael, Holbein and
Durer.