The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-06-10
REAR ITALIAN BOOT STRAP
Fertile Region Whose Plains Are 0ott-
ed With Historic Cities

The territorial division of Northern
Italy known as Nenetia, which the Aus
trian offensive now threatens. is the
subject OF war geography bulletin by
the National Geographic society from
its Washington, d. c., headquarters.
The bulletin gives the following data
about this fertile region whose bios
soming plains are dotted with numer-
GUS cities famous as centers OF great
historic interest and custodians OF art
and architectural treasures of incalcul-
able worth:
'Venetia, whose eastern, northern
and western boundaries have been the
fighting line OF Austria and Italy since
the latter nation entered the European
struggle, is the rear boot strap OF the
Italian peninsula. 1t juts far up into
Austro-iungarian territory, at the head
of the Adriatic sea, and is bounded on
the south by the Adriatic and the ter
ritorial division of Italy known as
Emilia, of which Bologna is the princi-
pal city. The southwestern boundary
is Lombardy of which Milan is the met
ropolis. 1t has an area about equal to
that Of the state of Vermont, but its
population is ten times as great.
Among the noted cities whose liter
airy shrnes, historic buildings and
wonderful art galleries are endangered
by the far-reaching iron fingers of war
are the great mistress of the Adriatic,
Venice, once the seat of the most pow
ertul republic in the world Verona,
treasured in the hearts Of the English
reading world as the home of litera-
lures greatest lovers, Romeo and Juli-
ct; Padua, also familiar name to the
Shakespearian student: Vicenza, rich
in Palladioo palaces; Udine, the mill
tary base for Italian operations on the
lsOnzo during the long-attempted drive
toward the Austrian port of Trieste,
and that delight of artists, Chioggia,
the chief fishing port of Italy.
"Venetia is largely delta land, having
been formed by the alluylal deposits
brought down from the Tyrolean Alps
by numerous rivers, including the two
largest watercourses Of the kingdom,
the Po and the Adige. The lower
reaches of these rivers flow through eX-
tensive plains where Ievees are neces-
airy to prevent frequent inundations In
this section the Po has fall OF not
more than half inch to the mile. Ma
turally this silt soil is extremely fer.
tile, producing large crops OF wheat,
maize, rice, tobacco and chestnuts, to-
gether with mulberry leaves for silk
worms.
Many Of the towns of Venetia are
manufacturing centers, the chief prod.
ucts being glassware, wooden, silk and
cotton goods, paper and candles. Nene.
tian lace has become so widely known
as almost to have lost the geographic
significance OF its name.
The territory derives its name from
the Veneti, the tribes which inhabited
this region during the early Roman
days. When the barbarians poured
over the Alps and Atilla sacked LON
hardy, the people Of the interior fed
to the Adriatic coast, taking refuge on
the low islands which cluster around
| the mouths of the numerous rivers. II
is to this hegira that Venice owed the
initial impetus for its rapid rise to pow
er, beginning in the firth century. Her
fortunes finally waned with the dis
covery of the Cape of Good Hope route