Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1955-04-26
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air 10 Rome was Drllnanl ana
beautiful as we flew from Bar
celona to Nice to Milano. to
Rome. The Pyrenees faded
into the west and the Italian
Alps took up where the Py-
renees left off. We flew very
high-at over 10000 feet-just
above intermittent high clouds.
We landed at Rome after fly
ing completely around the city.
We did not go into the city but
came directly here by what is
known locally and information
ally as an "autobus" us"-bus to
you!
The trip and the change has
done us a great deal OF good.
The stop at Nice was enlight-
ening as we got a glimpse of
this famous spa. Milan we did
not notice as we will return
there soon. Rome from the air
at sunset is really something
you must see yourself but
what strikes the newcomer
most is the contrast of a Doug
las DC6-B as operated by L.
A. I. (Italian Airlines) and the
doings of a fiddler of a few
hundred years ago. The con-
trast is a think-stopper.
Our tour bus is operated by
an Italian travel organization
called CIT. (the Italians go in
for initials just like the Amer
icans) and our guide, Emilio,
is a fine young man who stu
dies medicine in Rome. He is
coming to the States next year
as an exchange student and
will study medicine at one of
our universities - he doesn't
know which one yet.
After landing at Rome air.
port in the pink sunset, we
passed through customs and
the customs officers seemed
weary after an apparently
hard day and let us pass with
out more than a shrug.
On the way down from
Rome to Naples, we stopped
at a smelly, noisy and gay
italian "ristorante" where we
had really wonderful lasagna,
fish, veal and spumone-Amer-
ican style! Wonderful and the
first highly seasoned food for
a long time-Spanish food be-
ing bland and on the sweet
side. And then to our hotel in
Naples for sound sleep and a
bath.
Early next morning we shove
off for a trip around Napoli.
The main part of the city Is
comparatively unmarked al
though the south part of the
city shows a great deal OF ar
tillery and bomb damage.
Here and there are the Ger
man pillboxes upon the high
ground where they kept our
men at bay for weeks from
Salerno all the way to AnZio.
Marshall Plan money is doing
a great deal, however, to re-
build the damage. The Italians
seem cautiously friendly to the
Americana" but you have the
feeling that they do not genu-
inely like us here. Perhaps
this feeling is we'll founded
since we were partly response
BILE for the damage.
Stroke of luck on one of the
crazy buses here brought us
a little man named Luigi who
works for American Express
here. Luigi had some free time
and gallantly volunteered to
show us around and show us
around is an understatement
when Luigi does it. Brother,
we saw it ALL!
But getting back to Italy
and Italians-these people are
q happy lot and the Easter
celebrations are the best for
them. Hundreds of thousands
jam the streets and highways
using every conceivable con-
veyance. Donkeys, horses, mo-
tor-scooters, bicycles, trucks,
carriages and midget cars
flood the thoroughfares and it
is a pure miracle that no one
is manned or killed. Such a
ringing of bells, honking of
horns and footing of horns you
have never heard. Women ar
que with the police and the po-
lice argue right back-no ar
rests are made and everyone
seems to enjoy the show.
Our hotel at Naples, the
"Brittanique," is a second class
hotel but is much nicer than
many of our first class jobs.
Always there is the garden
with the shaded orange grove
and the brilliant flowers. All
are old and well kept. The
oranges are great. They are
dead ripe and are gathered
each morning as they have fall
len off the trees. Oranges cost
nothing but they will charge
you as high as 40 cents glass
for juice. The hotel food has
been fine throughout the trip
and stomach aches are confin-