Smyrna times., 1932-12-14
MARSHES BECOME
VALUABLE FARMS
Famous POntine Marshes of
Italy, Covering Vast Areas
Are Reclaimed
CROSSED BY APPIAN WAY

as q breeder OF malli Al, are DelHS
reclaimed in one Of ltaly's major
engineering projects. Vast areas Of
fertile land only so miles from
densely populated Rome will be
thrown open to colonization as soon
as roads and rural centers can be
built in the newly drained sections.
The land will be sold on easy terms
in an effort to make the project
pay for itself.
"While the POntine marshes lie
within committing distance of the
capital of Italy. and are crossed
by the Appian way, one of the
worlds most famous roads, the re-
gion has remained one Of the
strangest and least-known corners
OF Italy" says a bulletin from the
National Geographic society.
'The Via Appia (Appian way),
built by Appius Claudius about 800
years 3. c., starts from POrta San
Sebastiano, the southern gate of
Rome, and leads toward Naples.
For the first 65 miles it runs as
straight as a taut string. until it
reaches the town of Terracina,
where it passes under the cliff Of
Monte SAINT Angelo that overhangs
the sea.
Old Roman Monuments.
1When you leave the Eternal city
On this classic road, you pass at
first along a wonderful array Of
old Roman sepulchral monuments; /;
then you climb up the Alban hills,
extinct volcanoes of prehistoric
times, and from there you gradual
1y descend upon a great plain, some
thirty miles from Rome, known to
history as the Pontine marshes.
"On the left, you travel toward
Terracina, are the olive-covered
Lepine mountains, of gray lime
stone, that at sunset are yelled by
that beautiful purple haze one sees
so often reproduced on the back
ground of the early Renaissance
paintings. To the right is the
Tyrrhenian sea. along the border
of which runs a large sand dune
covered by an oak forest some
thirty miles in length. Between
the dune and the sea is a series
of lagoOns.
"At the extreme end a solitary
mountain rises, to all appearances
from the sea. 1t is Mount Greco,
nH Nhn Dnntfnn
marshes. This mount was an is
land in bygone ages. as geologists
have proved, and Homer, eight cen
turies before Christ. speaks of it
in the Odyssey as an island,
though probably it has already
ceased to be so in his day.
'9The large quadrangle formed
by the foothills of the Alban vol
canoes, by the Lepine mountains,
by the wooded sand dunes of the
coast, and by Mount Circeo. meas
uring some 10000 acres of extraor-
dinarily fertile land, embraces the
entire area of the POntine marshes.
The water. hemmed in on all sides,
EOulu uOl hOM Ouls
Breeder of Malaria.
"In winter the mountain streams
poured their fOaming, muddy tor
rents upon this lOwland, flooding
thousands of acres; the rich mud
slowly settled. coating the fields
with a silt which Is the finest Of
fertilizers; then the waters grad
ually ran out through narrow chan
nels until. in summer. only the
lowest portion NJ tile land. that
which lies practically at sea level
remained in swampy condition.
"a dense. luxuriant growth Of
water plants sprang up with the
approach Of the warmer seasons !;
the stagnant. lnkewarm waters
teemed with life Of every descrip-
foin. and toward the month OF July
the treacherOus anOpheles mosquito
dropped its filmy larval veil rose
out of the marshes, and. flying
around in search OF q living for II
self, sowed death upon humanity.
''By stinging malaria-infected
person the mosquito infects itself,
and then, stinging some healthy in
dividual, it communicates the dis
ease to him. Malaria is not deadly
in itself, but its repeated attacks
so weaken the human organism
that frequently fatal illnesses take
hold of the fever-stricken body.
'"The inundations in winter and
the malaria in summer drove the
population out Of the plain; but
the unparalleled fertility Of the
soil enticed some people back to
defy the disease. The lowlands Of
the Agro POntinO are deserted /;
there are no cities or villages. but
some lonely hamlets and, scattered
here and there. farm buildings. In
which a few persons live in sum-
mer.
"Many centuries ago most Of the
inhabitants fled To the mountains,
built their towns on some steep
hills. and from these vantage points
made dashes into the plain TO work
the fields and tend the cattle. Soon
4hasa naonIa yuf1 no able IN take