Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-04-06

and can better tell you of its past
than can, so i write more of its
present aspect. There are beauti.
full pieces of art every where you
turn and the shops, the people and
general appearance of verything
has the other cities of Italy beat to
a finish. We find it very cold here
in comparison to Rome and Naples,
but Florence is right far inland, in
the Apennines and has no warm sea
waters to temper it's climate.
In spite of that you find flowers
everywhere. Some are in handsome
floral shops and others sold from
baskets by women on the streets,
but everywhere one sees the same
good taste and artistic arrangement.
Some I recognized and some were
strange to me but all were of fine
quality and many varieties.
This morning we dropped into the
cathedral for services, but it was alb
solutely no use. 1t is hard enough
to follow the Catholic service; at
home, but here, where every thing
is in foreign tongue, for both eyes
and ears, could not absorb the spirit
of the devotions. Though it was
thronged with worshippers they were
either standing OF kneeling forSno
provision seems ever to be>made for
seating people in these magnificent
cathedrals.
After that we went to the Pitt
Gallery, across the Arne river, for
all the art galleries are open to- the
public on Sundays. 1t was once a
private home built by the Pitt fam
lily, but owes all its magnifcence to
the Medici family, who enlarged and
beautifed it until now it is the hand
soonest ever built in Italy, next to the
Vatican. Part of it is now a royal
palac e, and the other converted in
to one of the famous picture CALLER
les of the world. 1t has also famous
gardens, but like the Versailles the
gardens are all hidden from the
public and planted in the back yard,
if one may call palace grounds by
so plebian name.
Next we went through the Ufizi
Gallery on this side of the Arne and
connected with the Pitt by a corri-
dor one mile long, passing over the
river and the tops of houses and
shops. This was also once the prop
erty of the Medicis, being one of
their many residences, but both these
galleries were presented to the. city
by the last owner of the family, by
name Maria Ann, widow of the Elec-
tor Palatine. These splendid CALLER
les were a gift "to be used for the
benefit of the public of all nations"
on condition that none of it was ever
moved from Florence. They were
certainly a powerful family and the
world owes them much for preserv-
ing such heritage of art to hand
down to posterity.
We next visited the National mu-
scum, filled with statuary by such
artists as Michel Angelo and Dana
tello. 1t was like galloping through
them to spend SO short a time view
ing works of art on which men spent
life time in creating, but that is
better than not to have seen them
at all.
From there we went to the home
of Michel Angelo but could see only
the outside. From this really hand
some edifce we went to the church
of San Greco, where he was buried,
as we'll as many others whose names
spell history. Calico and Amerigo
Vespucci also lie there. The last
neme should be familiar, for there
is where America gets her name.
Next we strolled past the place
where Savanarola was buried, spot
kept sacred by the Florentines with
flowers, and here the passing devotee
kneels to praay. 1 could go on tell
ing you Of people and places known
throughout the world, for her sons
were ,epoch-makers and every street
corner has masterpiece, but you
would have to see it to realize the
charm of the city. Even the people
reflect the art and learning of the
past for they are far superior to the
other Italians I have seen.
I don't think any of them love US
much. We seem a wealthy nation
With M oopo oit1, to orooto hoo11tu or