The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-12-07
THE EDwYL RnDDING LETTERS
Florence, Monday, Oct. 16, 1922.

see Dy my diary (arent you glad
am keeping it stilD that my last
letter was mailed Wednesday, 80
guess it is time for another.
Yes, we are still here, but think
one more day will finish it up now,
and then we go to Rome, where I
know l am going to have some let
ters. There is much to see here, we
can't begin to see it all, as it is.
The day after wrote you we went
to see Giotto's Campanile and Cathed-
raj and Baptistry. think told you
that the exteriors are all marble Of
different colors in designs, with much
sculpture everywhere. The dome Of
the cathedral is higher than st. Pc
ter's in Rome. The whole thing
stands out above everything else in
panorama view of Florence. We
went to another museum to see Della
Robia's Singing Gallery" and also
one by Donatello. These are marble,
about ten or twelve feet long. Then
to another church, St. Croce, called
the Pantheon of Italy," where are
monuments of the most famous men
of Italy, and famous paintings of Gil
otto, and others. We have seen so
many churches the last month. OF
course they are all Catholic, too.
have been reading signs (every-
thing is in Italian, but one can guess
at good deal of it from similarity
to Latin, English, and French.)
Leginska is to play here (piano re-
citaD next Sunday. She plays in
America a great deal, but l never
have heard her. should love to, but
we can't stay for that.
One interesting thing we saw on
Thursday was the famous Medici
chapel, with Michael Angeles two
tombs (two of the MedicD each with
statue of the man seated, and below
were symbolical figures-day and
night for one and twilight and dawn
the other The figures are all more
than life size
| have picked up few little things
here and there, but I think you will
enjoy seeing them (such as they are)
lots more if l don't tell you about
them, so unless it is something es-
pecially interesting, I won't tell
about it.
Friday we went to gallery whers
among other things was Michael An
gelo's David" a very large marble
statue. 1t, stood outdoors several
hundred years. but is now in the gal
lery and copy is outside in the old
place. = .rt
Another interesting church ian old
monastery was the one where Fra
Angelica painted a picture on the
wall of each cell for his friends. In
the same place was Savanarola's cell
with the familiar portrait Of him by
Bartolomeo. Later in the afternoon
we took lovely car ride-a circle
trip around Florence, ending at a
park. Then we walked home.
Saturday we went to the church
where Mossacio had painted about ten
pictures on the walls of little
chapel (about 14th century, then to
very large and interesting Museum
of Natural Science. There was a
wonderfuE collection of animals from
the most primitive up. Also beauti-
full birds. We saw some animals and
birds from America Qooked good, if
they were wild.) Other churches, too
numerous to mention, we went to
each day. Saturday afternoon we took
rid r.. L -
where Fra Angelica was born, little
town, but a lovely ride, and such a
good view of Florence and all the
surrounding green hills, dotted with
buildings (homes l suppose). The
hills are quite high-in fact, some of
them mountains, tho l don't know
just where we draw the distinction
between hill and mountain.
We had a nice day Sunday. We
went to the Uffizi art gallery for an.
hour, early in the morning, and then
went to a Scotch Presbyterian church
for service. 1t seemed SO nice to hear
everything in English. OF course it
was a small chapel, had a tiny organ
(pumpeO but was nicely decorated.
The minister preached nice sermon.
fiowery and deliberate, but
very sweet and simple. There are
only few Protestant churches and
most of them are Episcopal. They
are supported just by voluntary con-
tributions, with, / suppose, a very
changeable congregation.
After dinner as no art galleries
were open, we went out to park,
and walked n long WAYS. There were