Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-05-07
TOURISTS SHUT
OUT OF ITALY
Shortage of Hote! Room Is Keep.
ing Them Away.
COUNTRY NEEDS THEIR MONEY

Never Before Were There So Few
Americans, Whose Money Was Reck-
oned on to Relieve kinodom's Finan-
eial straits-venetian Palace 10 Set
Apart for Entertaining Visitors, but
There 10 No Provision for Lodging.
Luigi Luzzatti, formerly minister Of
finance, and Italy's most prominent
financial expert, tells the New York
World correspondent he is much wOr-
ried about the lack of American tour
lists in Italy. He says the money they
would bring In would go a long way
toward solving the country's financial
difficulties. Italian cities are crowded
but with Italians. Never were there
80 few American and other tourists.
Americans are not encouraged to
come" he explained. "All our cities
and many small towns which attract
Americans by their beauty and history
are short Of hotels because during the
war they were taken over by big banks
and large industrial concerns.
Nc Room for Visitors.
Italy used to gain more than q
thousand millions year from tourists.
Where can we lodge them now? Where
can we find sleeping room even for the
crowds of Americans who want to see
our beautiful country, our splendid art
treasures, and perhaps buy some we
can spare? l have asked big hotel
keepers this question and their answer
Is that there Is no room in Italy for
must help build hotels or give back
those 1t sequestered, that big business
houses must resell hotels they bought
for offices If the tourist trade is to
flourish once more.
Minister of Urea vry Schanzer shares
Signor Luzzatti's opinion as to the need
for attracting as many Americans to
Italy as possible. He said In the cham
Der of deputies that the tourist trade Is
essential to the national budget. The
budget for 1920 shows a deficit of
S563, 900 900 and that of 1920-21 fore
shadows deficit of S520,00O,000. The
money now being spent so lavishly In
Italian hotels by native war profteers
does the country no good. American
gold is wanted and Minister Schanzer
promised the chamber to do his best to
attract Americans into the country
again.
Venetian Palace for Banquets.
When the next prominent American
statesman visits Rome officially he may
have trouble In finding q room and
bath but he will be sumptuously enter
tanned to luncheon, dinner and tea by
the Italian government which has pre-
pared the historic Venetian palace for
the purpose Of receiving distinguished
strangers.
The Palazzo di Venezia, as the Ro-
mans call that magnificent place, was
built by the Venetian republic In the
fourteenth century to house the repub.
lies ambassadors to the Papal state.
When Venice became Austrian prop
erty the Hapsburg monarchs took pos
session of this palace In Rome and
turned 1t into the seat or their en-
bassies to the popes. and afterward to
the Quirinal as well.
Dur'0g the late war the Italian gov
eminent appropriated 1t as Italian
property and housed there the thou
sands of art treasures brought from
Venice and the Venetian plains when
the Austrians and Germans invaded
Udine and Belluno. Those works Of
art have now gone to their proper
places again and the Italian govern
ment has restored the famous palace
to Its ancient splendor, making Its
huge rooms and halls look as they did
when Pope Paul II and Cardinal Lo-
renzo Cybo occupied them In the four
teenth century and beginning Of the
Affoapfh