La libera parola. [volume] (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1918-1969, 1922-09-23

that could be seen over the other
side: pictures that made me feel
restless with the anxiety OF a
trip to Sunny Italy, the Nation
from which my genitors came.
Many night did | dream OF
setting my teet on Italian soil
and then seeing all those things
about which | had read and stu
died. In these dreams | recalled
an the wonderful history of Ro-
me. the capital Of an empire
whose boundaries were the fur
thest corners of the world, the
civilization of which its laws, adj
ministration and discipline had
affected and is still affecting
the entire world.
And every time looked at the
pictures it seemed. as though
they were surrounded by an at
mosphere of grandeur and my
mind again took fire to pay a Vi
sit to the country from which
came the Caesars.
This summer came the culmi-
nation of my desire, thanks to
His Excellency Vittorio Rolandl
Ricci, to the Order of the Sons
of Italy and especially to the
Grand Venerable of the State
of Pennsylvania Cav. A. Jos. Di
Silvestro and to his brother Mr..
John NJ. Di Silvestro LII. D., Su-
preme Venerable of the Order
in the United States.
Entering the harbor of Ma
pies, with the "Conte Rosso' a
truly floating palace, an oil-bur-
ming liner of the Lloyd Sabaudo,
a ship which is noted for the ar
tistic beauty of the interior de-
corations, | saw a sight that for
med a lasting impression upon
me. Directly in back of the bull
dings along the waterfront rose
mountains the sides of which
were decorated with wonderful
homes and some of whose tops
were crowned with monasteries
and castels.
We soon docked and in few
hours, we students were riding,
in automobiles, through the city.
To write about all the wonder
ful things we have seen, to write
my impressions of this trip
would be to write volumes and
volumes. But | cannot forget the
natural beauty of Naples; the an
tiquity of Pompei; the beautiful
and odoriferous Palermo; and
Rome, the mecca of my thoughts
its Forum, its COLISEUM, all its
wonderful churches like st. Paul,
its Vatican, its Royal Palace and
all it's other innumerable marve-
lous buildings are sights that o.
ne cannot forget In that city we
students saw together with our
guide DR.. Alberto G. Bonaschi
and Mr.. John NJ. Di Silvestro
ESQ. His Holiness the Pope Pho
XI, who gave us all a blessing.
Mr.. DiSilvestro having fallen 81
ok and having a very high fever
was unable to accompany us stu
dents when we went to visit His
Majesty the King, nevertheless
His Excellency Vittorio R0lan-
di-Ricci and General Guglielmot-
ii explained the situation, whe-
reupon His Majesty expressed
his feelings of sorrow and hoped
that he would be we'll soon. His
Majesty. the King a most Iowa
BILE man, a very democratic per
son, was very glad to hear that
we Italo-American students CO.
uld speak Italian and he spoke
with us for over one-half hour
upon most every subject, asking
us the part of the country from
which our parents had come and
asking many other questions.
Firenze. Venezia. Trieste. Mi
lano, Como, Torino, Geneva all
characteristic Italian cities are
full with really wonderful
works of art, architecture, of ma
tural beauty and of italian life
They are full of that Italian
sentiment of which I feel proud
They are full of that spirit OF
which we saw the effects in the
war region.
In the sacred regions of Wit
torio Veneto, Conegliano, II Pia
We, II Montello. Udine, Gorilla
Monfalcone, and il Carso we saw
the difficulties Of the Italian sol
diers. I sometimes think tina
what the Italian soldiers did a
the front was impossible, but tn
spirit in their veins, in my veins
in the veins of all US Italo-Ame
ricans was the factor that eau
sed the downfall Of the Austria
forces. When we saw General D.