The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-07-07
ROM e, ITALY

piazza before st. Peters, we looked up
above the colOnnades to behold por-
ton of one wing of the Vatican. A
Hash of color at a window was made
by the brilliant uniform of a member
of the Swiss Guard, the official pro-
tectOrs of the Pope. Proceeding to the
entrance To this great treasure-house
we started our journey through few
Of the eleven thousand rooms of the
Vatican. Long galleries filled with
sculpture, paintings, china, silver and
gold objects, gifts to the POpes, huge
medieval maps, exquisite tapestries,
priceless books and innumerable art
treasures are perfectly fascinating and
offer to everyone his particular field
of interest. Though some of Michel
angeles decorations were visible, we
were keenly disappointed to be for
hidden entrance to the Sistine Chapel,
which was closed on the Saturday be-
fore Easter.
Returning to our cars we drove up
to the Pinchon Hill for view of the
city and later visited the church of
San Giovanni in LateranO, where the
coronation of the POpes formerly took
place. The octagonal Baptistry adj
joining the church Is the oldest in
Rome. Not far from the church in Il
small building is the Scala Santa, u
flight of steps supposed to be from
the house of PLATE and to have been
assembled by Jesus. Many devout pill
grims were making their way up the
stairs on their knees, praying at every
step. a fine modern structure crown
q Al. 4.
capitol building. A rather amusing
touch was Il cage containing the sup
posed descendant of the protector of
ROmulus and Remus, which one of our
party very irreverently leased until it
howled.
AS the shadows We're lengthening we
drove to Il point above the Forum and
looking down over stone wall covered
with wistaria and pink blossoms, the
beautiful and graceful ruins of the old
Roman buildings were restored before
the eye of our Imagination and the
streets peopled with the wearers of the
toga. Above and beyond the mellow
columns and stone cornices rose a hill
covered with the fresh beauty Of bios
soIning fruit trees.
The pleasures of modern Rome oc-
cupied us during the remainder of the
day. Tea dancing at one of the larger
hotels was quite as entertaining as in
New York and even more so because
of the interesting people of variety
of natlOnalitieS. In the evening we
Joined the crowds entering the huge
heavily perfumed opera house. The
scenes We're well set on an immense
stage. My lack of knvw-edge of the
italian language was doubly exasper
ating since the opera of the evening,
Kovantscina by Modesto Mussorgski.
was not familiar to me and was, of
course, sung in Italian. The program
containing the resume was only more
tantalizing beacuse it too was in Ital-
ian and refused to be comprehensive
to an American.
Easter morning we arose betimes be-
cause we We're scheduled to leave for
Naples at noon and we had more to
do in Rome. Hiring a car. we offered
the driver Il bonus if he would take
us to St Peters and back in time to
join the rest of our party for the
mornings excursion. Though arriving
mt the great Cathedral at a time when
no service was in progress there We're
many people already gathering One
of the objects of our hurried trip was
to see Michelangelo's exquisite Pieta,
which like all other statues and paint
ings containing a representation of
Christ. had been yelled during IA GER
tain period before Easter.
After joining our party we drove TO