Evening star., 1952-09-21

lean wife Frances, is quite a
change though historically not
so many centuries apart. The
foundations OF Villa Poggiobello
on the outskirts of Florence were
laid in 1920 and only its ancient
beamed ceilings in its three
front rooms withStood the allied
bombardment during the. war.
On the hillside next to the villa,
Calico had his observatory
where he conducted his expert
mentS.
Gems. Mark Clark and Alfred
Gruenther were frequent visitors
at Poggiobello during the slow
up of the Italian campaign the
winter of 1944-45. The Rossos
had returned to it to find every
door and window blown out,
every single piece of furniture
damaged and a hole in the roof
from a direct hit. The house it
self had been occupied by vari-
GUS armies five different times,
Now it is perfection again and
the scene of the delightful gath
erings characteristic Of 'Floren-
tine society.
Florence charms the visitor
because it is so chock full OF
the art of Michaelangelo, Leo
nardo da Vinci, Raphael, etc.
brought there by the Medici
family, and so full of cultivated
people who are the product OF
centuries Of elegance. It sup
ports an easy-going life that
appeals mostly to the age that
wants to take things easy. Pep
pered with dukes and duchesses
and counts and countesses OF
long lineage. it's a chic and
cosmopolitan society despite its
unmetropolitan size. Everybody
of Importance sooner or later
visits Florence and everybody
"in the know" knows everything
about everybody else in town.
The CocktoiI Hour
If you want to see a friend
in Florence, you simply walk
along the Via Tornabuoni be-
tween 1880 and / o'clock. All
are either en- route to or from,
or sitting in, Doney's or Le-
lands Bar having cocktails.
The Doney's here is much older
than the one in Rome and so
well established that it's never
had to add an iota of decor to
draw its titled clintele. Having
exchanged the latest news,
which is salted with the usual
Italian humor, all disperse
promptly at / for lunch to meet
again for bridge or canasta
games in the late afternoon
and for cocktails after 7. True
to its en- masse motion, Firenze
society for the most part deserts
town early in July and doesn't
return till the middle of Oc-
tober.
Hence it was chiefly an
American group at the small
cocktail party given by the
Rossos the other afternoon.
Since they spend six months
of the year in Washington care
returning this year on Novem-
ber 30, they are oath to leave
their villa in the summer ex-
cept for occasional jaunts to
the coast. The Marchesa Maui
rigi, who stayed in Washing
ton with Mrs. Sterling Frost
during the war, was there and
American Consul Charles Reed
and his wife; Frances Reynolds
Oertling, daughter of former
North Carolina Senator Bob
Reynolds; Mrs. "Slats" Schlat-
ter, wife of the U.S.A.F. Com
manding General of the Medi-
terranean area, and young
Delphine Suarez whose Air
Force husband had just re-
ceived his first star at the same
time Gen. Schlatter added his
third. The two generals were off
on business, but Delphine
brought Brig. Gen. Hunter
Harris and Col. Ken Gibson
who were fresh in from the
Pentagon and en- route to Ra-
bat.
Frances Oertling, who has a
charming villa on top of a hill.
was recently visited by her
father and her little half-sister,
Mamie Reynolds, daughter Of
the late Evalyn Mclean. Her
house Is also her studio where
she is turning out fine paint
ings recently classed by a noted
critic with some Of Matisse's
IyyNvl