Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
BY CARROLL BINDER.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago d
News. Copyright, 1929.

News Copyright, 1929.
ROME, Italy, February "A journey
in Italy is one Of the richest experiences
that can befall traveller. He who can
make the tour In an automobile Is thrice
fortunate. On'.. the motorist has access
to quaint towns like lowered San Gil
mignano, which has changed but slight
ly since the poet Dante visited 1t as
Ambassador of the Florentines 600 years
years ago and which has been profaned
by neither railroad or factory.
There are in Italy scores Of Isolated
churches. gardens and castles contain
ing gorgeous frescoes, rare tapestries,
priceless wood carving or statuary or
Landscapes of sublime beauty which
only an automobile can hope to visit. A
motor car Is necessary II one Is to see
such glories of the ancient Magma
Graecia and the modern Italy as the
Sila forest in C9labria, where shepherd
lads who might have stepped out Of the
and pursue their tranquil existence.
Far be 1t from me to decry q rail
journey through Italy. No rail travel
could be more agreeable or profitable.
But he whose voyage is circumscribed
by iron tracks must forego the precious
experience Of glimpsing little-visited
places of the beaten tracks. There are
parts of the world where most Of the
worthwhile places are touched by the
steam or electric railway, but Italy,
happily, Is not one Of these.
Home Of Venerable Civilization.
What Is now Italy has been the home
Of successive civilizations extending so
far back into history that there are
countless towns which today can lay no
claim to railway service, but which once
were of such importance as to occasion
the erection of some building or object
of great beauty or historical significance.
If one takes the pains to visit the spots
by automobile one will be amply repaid
and incidentally one will discover how
little touched by machine civilization is
o large section Of this stored country.
can imagine no more felicitouS time
than the present for motor journey.
There are many thousands of miles Of
roads quite suitable for motoring
Wholesome food and comfortable lodg-
ing may be had at convenient stages of
the Journey. And yet the road Is not
overcrowded by fellow motorists who de-
eide to make the same journey at the
same time.
Such q spectacle as one sees on the
main thoroughfares leading out from an
American city on a week end-endless
streams of recreation-bent motorists
breathing each others gasoline-is al
most uncomfortable in cotemporary
Italy. One must enjoy unusual position
to possess a motor car in Italy.
Italy FrOwns on Imported Cars.
The readers will be asking about the
flies In this ointment. They exist.
There are certain formalities about
bring foreign-made and particularly
an American automobile into Italy.
It can be done, but the motorist
will have considerably more trouble than
II he brings In an Italian-made car.
The government wants assurance that
the foreign-made car will not be sold
while in Italy and exacts deposits at the
frontier. These can be recovered when
the car is taken out OF the country.
Any one contemplating bringing his car
to italy would do well to consult the
nearest Office of the &C. I. r." (off1cial
Italian tourist agency regarding regu-
lations.
An American license Is not valid In
Italy. The services of the G. I. r.
should be invoked in the procuring of a
license for the car and also a drivers
license If one expects to drive ones own
car. the car owner who expects to
drive, but does not possess a reasonable
command of italian, can hardly expect
to have the maximum satisfaction out
of his visits to out-of-the-way places
English Is spoken at the principal hotels
along the main Travelled highways and
one may hear English In the most UNI
expected places, but there Is no assur-
ance that 1t will be possible for the nom
Italian speaking rnotortst to ask direc-
ton or understand the explanation Of a
| custodian at some shrine of the beaten
track.
Simplest to Hire Chauffeur.
Most would-be motorists will find it
simplest to hire an English-speaking
licensed italian chauffeur to drive their
car. It will be even more convenient to
hire car from some reputable agency
with the agency assuming responsibility
| for the car, driver and such accidents
as may befall. There is then less pos
sibility Of being held up in some town
| while the authorities are determining
the extent Of damages inflicted upon q
chicken killed or pedestrian injured
and less likelihood of detention over vio-
lation Of some local traffic rule (there
| are traps" for the motorist in italy as
well as In America, though my own ex-
perience has been that supervision is
less rigid here than in many parts of
the United States).
Gasoline costs $50 lire liter, which
means about SIS cents gallon. A chauf-
fetJr'S Wages however are less than in