pocket guide to italian cities

8/3/2019 Pocket Guide to Italian Cities

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WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, D. C .

PO CKET G UIDE TOITALIAN CITIES


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For 'U~e / ilIilita.ry Personnel 0111y . Not to be1'epublislled, in 101lOle01' in part, without th,eoonsent of the lVar Department.

ARlll INFORMA1'ION BRANCHI~'TORI\!ATION AND EDUC.\TION onISION, A. S. F.

UNITED S'I',\"I"F:S ARlHY

ATTENTIONAbout the only thing in this booklet that can be guaranteed is theterrain. The rest of it is up to the fortunes 01' misfortunes of war.Many of the towns and cities described here have been bombedand shelled by us as we approached, and shelled by the enemy ashe retreated. And mnny of them will still show the marks of the

destruction visited upon them when these lands were being con-quered and occupied by the Germans.The short historical notes and city plans concerning most of thetowns are correct as of the outbreak of the war. But the changesof wnr were still happening in many places when this pocket guidewent to press.You mny find that art treasures described and located in thesepages have been looted 01' destroyed, and it may be years beforethose that can be restored are sights to see again. On tho otherhand, some of them, by n'stroke of good fortune, may be left in-tact, and you will be able to enjoy them.And another thing: if some of these towns should be declared


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ofl' limits, you'll bypass them, of course. Perhaps later, they maybe open to you.Food and drink are discussed here, so that. as times gradunlly re oturn to normal, you may be guided in the tastes and customs of theCOHntl'Y' But be sure that you are not encouraging a black mar-ket01' bringing hardship to the native civilian population if you takeadvantage of what the town 01' region has [,0 offer. You will receivedirection from t.he proper authority in this matter.Anyhow, so far as your miliku-y duties permit, sec ns much asyou can. You've got a grent chance to do now, major expensespaid, what would cost you a lot of your own money after the war.. Take advantage of it.

CONTENTSROME 1 PADUABOLZ,\NO . .17 TlllEM'EFLORENCE ' .... 21 TURINGEXOA . . .. .37 VENICEMlI ..AN 43 VERONA , .. 87

.61

.65.. 69, .75

NAPLES .49


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ROMEROMEis almost as old as the seven hills upon which the city wasbuilt. According to the archeologists, people first began settlingin the district some time around the yeu' 1000 B. C. They wereshepherds and farmers, nnd according to the myth, the city wasfounded by Romulus, a son of MllI'S, who was the God of 'War,lind his brother, Remus. Romulus nne] Remus, according to thelegend, were put in a trough and thrown into tile Tiber River bytheir great-uncle. They came aground in a marsh and were fedby ft she-wolf and a woodpecker. The woodpecker gave themtheir solid foods. Then, when they grew up they organized allthe shepherds in the territory and founded the city on the spotwhere they came aground in the Tiber. That's the story, butscholars say it's a phoney, because there are a lot of stories likethat which were told by the earlier Romans.The seven hills upon which the city was first built are theCAP1TOLIN~ '. P,\LATINE, AVENTINE, QU[[UNAL, VnfINAL, ESQUlLINE,and CAELlUS. The hills were never very high. and during thecourse of years the tops of the hills were cut down and valleys


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built up. Now the city stretches over nine or more hills. VATI-OANHILL is one of the heights added to the city in its growth.For a number of reasons, Rome is one of the most important ofthe world's capitals. With the exception of Athens, it is the oldestcity in Europe serving as a capital. It was the center of the oldRoman Empire, which was the greatest power in the ancient world.And since, soon after the birth of Christianity, it has been thecapital of Christendom. The city of Rome for thousands of yearshas influenced the thought, art, and culture of the world. Therewns, of course, It little set-back in thinking, art, and culture underII Duce.There have been rumors recently that a great deal of Rome's artwas carted off by Mussolini's greedy ally, especially the nudes.The first sights generally visited by travellers to Rome are theCAPITOL[NEuildings, the COLOSSEUM,he PANTHEON,he BATHSOFCARAC.ULA,he FORUM,the walls and gates of the ancient city, andthe CATACOll-fBS,On the Capitoline Hill was the TEUPLEOF JUPITER and the tem-ples of other and lesser deities. There the seeresses made their pre-dictions about how important 'events would end, and foretold thefuture in times of crisis.

The COLOSSEUM.hich was finished ill the year S O A. D" was anamphitheatre, of oval shape. It enclosed an open spnce, or arena,and was 3 stories high with an upper gallery, It seated from40,000 to 50,000 persons. S~ows and circuses often. lasting :for 100days ware held there, an~ am~ng the spect~cles \~'lllCht~JeRomans~:~tI~~e:~~cl:v~~~e~!~~~:(~:~~l~~al~~~;~:~se:~ a'~~~~~;~::~~~~~~~~;~the Colosseum however wasn't wrecked by Long Toms, It gotthat way through the passage of time. It's supposed to be best tosee the Colosseum atn ight, by the light of tue full moon.The BATHSOFCARACALLAre named after the Roman Emperorwho built them. He's got a couple of other things to make bunfamous. He killed his brothel' so he could rule alone, and then,to make certain that none of his brother's friends harbored anyill feelinas he killed 20,000 of them.The R~l '>;AN FORUMwas the large open space between the Pala-tine and Capitoline Hills. It WIlS there that J~Hgepublic meet-ings and games were held. There were galleries for ~pectatorsover the porticoes, and the Forum also had shops of V(HIOHSorts.Temples and courts were scattered about the 1!0rUln, nud theSenate building W:lS there also. The tamsus triumphal proces-


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SiOI~S o~ the Roman Generals and Emperors who returned fromt.helJ',widespread con,quests passed along a winding street calledthe S~CREO ~VAY! which ran through the Forum. In the Forumthere IS a piece of masonry which is said to mark the center ofRome. It IS called the Umbilicus Romae, or the belly-buttonof Rome, and t.he base of the monument is still preserved. Therea~:e t'elllaHl~ of other ancient Roman structures in the Forum.Eight granite columns are all thnt are left of the l'E.t"'UVLE OF SAT-URN, who was the god of the sowing of seed, The temple wasulst? used as a treasury. Also in the Forum are some of the re-mains of t~1ecolumns and ornamentation of the TEMPLE os VESTAthe oldest IIIRome, and of the house of the Vestal Virgins. V e s t ;wa~ the goddess of the hearth a,nd the home, an? the Vestal Virginswere consecrated to her worship. Part of the Rcstm. from whichspoke the fa incus Roman orators, including Cicero, is at.ill in theForum.Thera are 11l1ll(~!'eds ?f churches in Rome, many of chem famollsnot onlr for t~\ell' religious and historical significance, but also

for tl}ell' a1'cllltect1ll'aJ beauty and the ru-t treasures which theycontain. The two most famous churches are ST. JOlIN L,\TERAN,

01' SAN GrOVANNT IN LATERAN, as the Italians know it, and ST.PE'fF,.R'S.The Church of St. John Lateran is the seat of the Bishop ofRome, who is the Pope. It is said to date from the, year 324, butwas twice rebuilt, once after an earthquake and agam after a fire.It has been altered and modernized several times.ST, Pl:TER'S is the largest church ill Rome. The building isabout 500 feet high, and covers about six acres, The nave is 648feet long, 93 feet wide, and 143 feet high. The transept. is 449feet long. The magnificent dome is the work of Michaelangelo,nnd it is 448 feet above the street. St. Peter's is J10t actually inRome, but in Vatican City, which is an independent city-stategoverned by the Pope.VATICAN CITY is divided from Rome by its walls. Ittakes in109 acres, In its grounds are a Pontifical Palace of 1,000 rooms,an observatory, a post office, a railway station, a power plant andradio station, and printing presses for Vatican City's own news-papers, The-Vatican also coins its own money and prints its 0\"'11postage stamps. There is :1 . mosaic factory within the walls of thecity where old works of art are reproduced ill colored glass-paste

of which there are said to be more than 20,000 different shades.


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The Vatican has its own police force, and a body of men called theSwiss Guards, made up of citizens of Switaerlnnd, who acta as thePope's escort. The Swiss Guard was founded by Julius Second,and wear a uniform of blue, red, and yellow which was designedby Michaelangelo.Many of the greatest art works in the world are in the VaticanPalace. There are the Museum of Sculpture, large picture gal-leries, and a library which contains priceless mnnuscnpts andbooks in many languages, including 700,000 printed works inLatin. All through the Palace are seen Papal guards and cham-beduins in their colorful uniforms. The SrSTINI!:CH,\PEL, whichis the Pope's pt'i\'ate.chape~, WlIS built in 1~73. In i!~ire paintingsby such famous Italian painters as Perugino, BotticeJli and Ghir-landuo. The greatest and most famous work of art in the Sistine~;l;~~~itl~~~\;~;:;~.s the great ceiling and the "Last Judgment,"The CATACOUBS OF ROUE were orginally burial places. Later,when the early Christians were persecuted, they literally wentunderground into the Catacombs, and lived and worshiped there.Pilgrims fwd visitors to Rome generully visit SAN CALLtSTO, the

best-known of the Catacombs, where they are lighted through the

llIldergroltud chambers and corridors by candles. Sometil!lCaround the beginning of the seventh century, thousands of the relicsof the Christian martyrs were taken out of the Catacombs andl'elr~,~:e~.!~~:~!a~~~~e~;~~ building in which all the ~oman godswere worshiped. The builcJ.ing is remal'kab.le for Its well-pre-served state, and because it has been used conttJn~ously as a, churc.h:for more than 2,000 years. Besides the worship of the gods, Itwas also used to mark the victory of Augustus over Mark Anthony,at Actium, in 31 B. C. It was closed as a temple of the gods abo.lItthe year 390. Then, in the year 609, it was consecrated as ~ Chris-tian church. Itis all outstanding example of Roman 1l1'Chlte~tlt.reand is also considered a symbol of the religious life of Rome, III Itschange from pagan worship to Christianity.Allover the city of Rome arc fOllll~nins,m:lIly?f them the ~ol'kof famous artists. The first fOltntllllls of the ~lty were built atthe order of Agi-ippa. the son-in-law llnd. adv!sor to EmperorAugustus. He Wt~S also th~ commander til clnef o~ the Rom~nNl lVY. Agrippa gave the city more than 200 f~ulltallls and builtat his own expense 2 aqueducts and 130 reservoirs. Many of the


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fountains were destroyed bv invaders, but they were restored inlater years by the Popes of the Renaissance,One of the most famous of the fountains in Rome is the PAULINEFOUNTAIN, Itlll 'ows five powerful jets of water from underneathfive arches.You probnblj- ~\'on't IHl~'e.he 14 to 16 days which people whoknow Rome say IS the mnunnun period in which the siuhta ofRome.can.~e seen hastily. Whut would probubly be a g'o;d idea,~heo, IS first to make a dash around bhe c ity to get a quick look atIt nnd then later selec~ the places which YOL Iwould like to inspectmore carefully and leisurely when and if YOU have the timeIn addi~ion to tl.le places we han' described, here are someotherplaces of mrerest III Rome, The P!l'\CIO, which used to belonsr toa fal~lOlisRO.man f!lI_l)ilr nfter whom it was named. was the B " a tpublic _park 11 1 the cuy .. In the old days a lady by the name oflIfess~!Jlla) who was the. WIfeof. Claudius, a . Roman Emperor, used

to throw some pretty wild pnrt.ies there. The PALAZZO VENEZIA isone place you've probably seen many times in the news reels backhome: That's the place from whose balcony Mussolini made hisboasting speeches to the applause of his black-shirted Fascists an(.lthe la.ughter of the rest of the world. Mussolini appropriated it as

his own private office,but it is now a museum llg'llill. Opposite thePalazzo Venezia is the nntionnl monument to Victor Emanuel II.The VILLA BORGHESE, next to the Pincio, is the favorite park ofthe Romans, and, since you are in Rome, it might not be a bad idea.to do as the Romans do and spend some time there. One of themost important art galleries in the cit}, is there: and it also has a.zoo.There are civil and religions festivals in Rome all through theyear, One of the most important festivals is celebrated on April21. That's when Rome was supposed to have been founded, butyou know-Rome wasn't built in a day, There used t? ~e anotherbiz festival in October, to mark the day when Mussolini marchedinto Rome with his hoodlums, but that date, thanks to you) isn'tgoing to be celebrated :my more, , .For entertainment 1Il the evenmp. there are theaters, nWV1Chouses, and concert halls, Among the theaters are the RoyalOpera Honse, Oil the ':ia viminale.; the Argentina, on the Via eliTorre Argentina; the Valle, on the Via de l 'I'eatro Valle; andothers, The movies are all around town, Here nre some of theconcert halls; the Augusteo, on Via del Pontefici; Salln Bach,Vi~ Gregorinna ; nnd the Salu Clement i,on Via dell'Olmnta.


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Every district in Italy hils ita loca l wine. and it. would besensible to drink that wine because it. is generally the most nbund-ant a.nd the ch~apest. Any recommendation fOI' n particulm- typeof wI,ne0(' 0 vintage year would be arbitrary, because it is bettert~ stut your own tn,ste, And if you like to drink a sweet winewith meat, don't let It bother you,On some of the streets in the center of Rome, pedestrians aresupposed to keep to the left. There nre busses and streetcars allover town 01', nllywllY, there used to be, In the center of town~vh!ch, ~ddl'y, is called the "circolnre interne," which means "Lh~

inside circle, 01' center of town," is served only by busses, exceptfo~'n few str~ets nem- the Central Station, Fares are generallypriced according to the length of the trip, Busses and streetcarswhich run in the city have numbers over 100, or two letters of thealphabet; busses thnt run into the suburbs have numbers over 200.There are b~ls l ines rUllning into the outlying districts of Rome,or the provinces. Some of these bus lines used to run all year'round, but the others ran only according to various seasons.THE SURROUN DIN GS OF ROMEThe districts around Rome are full of places of hisroricnl- in-

terest and beauty. There ,flre beaches w,hich nre bordere.d by pinewoods, small towns a nd v illa ge s ,:hcre It s ho u I ,d be'pos~~ble t ? seehow Italians live, There are medieva l towns WIth historic })aI.l~es,castles, and churches, mineral spring; an d he.:'ltl~ l'eso~'ts whichfor thousands of years have been healing th~ ~Ick m ~hell' waters,and there are excavations of ancient Roman Ci t r e s 11l.Hllnnllll1erablemonuments which were erected to mnrk the triumphs of the:Ul~~::~!\re some of the shore resorts near Rome, CnTJTAYECCHlAis a. port of communication witl~~ardil~ia, Ithas good ho~elsand bath houses. and, although It IS a little more than 40 ml~esfrom Rome, it attracts large numbers ,of people fl:om the ,CI~ybecause there is-or was-an excellent ln9'hway l'llll~\]]g to Civ]~-an~cchiil nnd there is-or was-good l'l~Ilw,ayservice because Itis a. station on the Rome_Pisa_Genoa_Tul'lIllme.South of Civitavecchin are two small towns named SANTAMARlNEl.J..A and LADJSI'OLI, which are se n side resorts and crowdedwith people from Rome during the SL1l l1nle r ,sell~oll, .Not far from Ladispoli is FUEGENE, which IS said to be on~ ofthe most beautiful beaches of the Latium, which is the nnoientname for this por-tion of central Italy. And to the south of

G0543fJ'-----44-S


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Frogcne fU'C Fru~IICINOand Lmo DIRO?rA,which is about, 18 milesfrom HOIllO, Lido di Roma has a good sandy beach, and thereis a park and a pine forest there, 'I'here is tinin and bus serviceto this resort. At, the mouth of the Tiber River is the ISOLASACRA and nearby are the ruins of OSTIA A.NTICA, which wns nthriving Roman town. ANZIO,which you may have known as ahell-hole, was a resort town and an important port before the war,It's about 36 miles from Rome and is reached by road 01' trainwhich lakes about an hour. Anzio has the nIin's of II. villn. 01'counu-v home which is supposed to have been. built by Nero, finda pine wood. Nk"ITUNO. allot her peace-time resort which you mayhave passed through Oil 'your way into Italy: is not fa!' fromAnaio. One of the sights of that place is a ceetle which was builtfor Alexander- VI.On another route out of Rome! by the VIA ApPIA, which is theoldest of the ancient Homan highways, and then the rend which

l'UIiS from CISTERNA t. o LJ1"I'ORIA, there is the seashore resort ofTenrlAofNA, and then GAETA and Fonsrra. The r-uins of theancient. city of TU$CULU61 is a comparatively short walk from thetown of FIlM>OAI'f, which used to have good hotels and restaumnrs.Frascati is famous for its wines, and it, has a number of beautiful


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FIlOSIX?NE. \\'I,lich is an Imponnnt center, on the fop of II hillfrom "'.Inch a view of the surrounding plniu find the hills andmountains of the urea C:Ul be seen. can be reached by railroad 0]'by way. of the V fA PneN&S'I'INA 01 ' the V f A CA 8 IL T _r ., :A .The ViaPr'cnestrna goes through the towns of PALESTRINA Gt~NAZZANO~IUGGI ' and ALATRI. Th!:' V ia CusilillH goes tl irOl:gh CoWNN,\:'ALM?N1'ONg, FERENTINO, nnd the towns of Arl'n:NA and ANAONIru-e a !rlUe wu y o ff t il l: ' m ai n road.. Etucm. which is 2.000 fl'pt rtiJOve sea level, is i rnpot-tnnt becauseIt,~ waters nre supposed to be good for such varied nilrucnts nskrdney troubla and neumlgin and neurustbenin. There are anHtl lbc~ ' of hotels and boarding houses at Fiugg-i. The town ofFCI'~nl.lIlo has remains of pre-Roman and Roman buildiuzs lind

~ n C c 1 I C \ ' l 1 1 houses and churches. Thcre are a number of a rt ,;orksIII VAL;UON'~NE,. and at ANAGrn there are old Roman buildings,amO~lg wlll.eh. IS the Cuthedrul. und there are also somemcdievu! buildings. And fit Palestrina und Gcnneznno are Romanconstructions.The town of TIVOLI is one of. the places tourists 1"0 Rome are

toJ~ to vis!t.. ThE' town is in t.heAlliene Val l ey . and Otere ar'O theAnicne R"'el' waterfalls, the Temple of Vesta, and the Villa

d'Este. which is famous for its beauty. There is a "CI 'y good viewof the Roman catnpagna from Tivoli. On the \v~.Yto the t?,m .. bythe Via Tiburtinu. there lire ACQOE .Al.nOl.E. which has swummngpools as well 'ISsulphur baths, and the TO~1B 01-'Tat: Pk\UTI. whichis a towel' dating from the time of Augustus. Two miles fromthat place is H,'DRIAN'S VILI.A. which was the largest and mostIuxurious villa ill the Roman Empire.All the regional forms of l tnliu cookery are available in Rome,

Here .u'e some of the typical Italian dishes which it mny ?e poe-ibleto find in the city's restaurants, wine shops, and other ent ll lg places.J\hNE1STRONE is a favorite soup with the Italians. Itis a, thickvegetable soup. There are various forms of minestrone. one ofthem called MINE-'sTlU "'SCIU'ITA. which has macaroni added to it,and another has rice and other ingredients. III many cases. whatgees into the soup depends OJ) the whim of the cook. but the resultis usunlty VCl'y satisfying. In fact. some of the .ltalial~ SOUI?Sare so Iil ling and nourishing- because of the many ingredients 11lthem, that Italians often make n complete meal of a plate ofsoup and bread.


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"In a wide open valley, protected from the wind and dominatedby the legendary Catinaccio, wonderfully situntec1, surrounded byfruit ful villcynrds and orchards. lies BOT,ZANO, renowned centrefor a prolonged sojourn." That's what the travel folder4 ays-and unless there's a lot of destructive Hghting there, whichcannot be predicted as this booklet goes to press, Bolzano is all ofthat. Itis a picturesquely situated town in the TYROL-rich inhistory+colorful and filii of old art.Bolzano is the Italian gateway to the BRICNNEH p,\SS, on the mostdirect road between Rome and Berlin, and was a Frequent meet-ing place 01 the former European Axis partners.The city was Austrian until the close of the first World Warwhen the Italian frontier was moved about 100 miles north, givingItaly the large Teutonic population of South Tyrol. Bolzauo'sAustrian n.une was BOzell. The majority of its inh'lbilants stillspeak German and most of the city retains a Germallic architec-Lurn l nppearance.The story of Bolzano goes ,vay back. - It was first mentioned

BOLZANO


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If you like mountain climbing you might take a whil'l at thesepinnacles, but don't . t ry it. unless you know your sLUff,Also, don't visit Bolzuno in the summer if you can do it someother time. It's hot as the hinges of Hades. At that time of year,Bolaanians who can get away go to the R1TrEN. a lofty plateau3,000 feet above the broiling town. You used to be able to reachthis spot by a little electric railway.There are a number of interesting castles and churches, mostlyill ruins in and around Balzano. SCHLOSS RUNlULSTFJN, with its14th century frescoes, is probably the one thnt should least bemissed.You'll see a Jot of these old castles if you take the trip fromB ole an o toM F.R A N . Nearly every crag and peal, is topped with one.Ifyou land in Bolznno in the winter and like skiing and to-bogganing you're in luck. In the immediate neighborhood ofBolzuno there are plenty of heights and excellent ski-sport.Also handy were tennis courts. riding schools, a golf course andpigeon and trap shooting facilities.


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al'icultut'c wcr~ ,the, bases of indust s-ies that created one of therichest commumt,les III Europe, The gold floi-in of Florence be-cmue EUl'ope's cOlna~e s,lnndat'd, CHl'I'ying off Florentine citizensby force was a floUl'!shlllg business at one time, because the kid,nupers demanded and col lected higger ransoms tov their victimsthan they wel'~ ~ver able to ext met from the good people of otherless wealthy cines. 'The, fr-ee CitY-,State \\'USI ruled by its most affluent merchants.

Hanel III hand wlt.l! the commercial prosperity of the twelfth tothe fifteenth centurias went political ructions and fantastic familyfeuds. Dark deeds were done; heads rolled. Poisonings burn-mgs at the stuke, duels, even mortal stabbings at high ma~ in thecathedral were not uncommon.Violent as it was, Ihis combination of opulence lind intrigue II'IISthe ~t~nosphe"e III Flol'en~e that produced not only the wealthyMedici (from whose famlly.coat of arms the three-ball pawn-bl_'?~el's' ~mblem ';llS adopted}, bu~ also the genius of a long,brilliant list of urttsts, poets, and philosophers.Another word about the Medici; This family of bankers whoc.ontrolled fin,ancial matters :llJ OVN' Europs first became estab-

lished early III the fourteenth cent UI'Y, By the middle of the

fifteenth century they were extremely powerful. Lorenzo de'Medici ruled from 1470 to 1492, Although an absolute tyrant,Lorenzo the ~Jagnificent, as he was called, grouped around himselfthe greatest artists lind scholars of the age. Without his patron-age they would never have had the freedom 01' the means to producetheir immortal works.LandmarksOne wfly to see Elorcnce would be to start anywhere and keepgoing in any direction, looking at everyth~ll~. There, is so m~!cbto see, and so much to know about each building nnd Its meamngin history, that any attempt at complete coverage would run intomany volumes,As good a place as flny to start from is the P rA z zA OE 1. .L ., \SIGNORL\(Senate Square), In the days of the Florentine Republic, thissquare was the center of the political and social life of Florence.The dominating feature of the Piazza della Signoria- is thestern towel' of the PAL,\ZZO VECCHlO, which can be seen from almosteverywhere in Florence. The Palazzo Vecchio WIlS begun ill theyellr 1298 and was built for the double purpose of n residence 01'

the ruler and a town hall. I ts fortresslike appeal'll nee, made neces-


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~ftr,~b J: L it e dU.I1!!erOIlSi~11esdUl"ing which it was built, gives noindicutiou of the magnificence of its interior. The Great Hall0;: ~~~A nEI.CINQ~"CENTO~cOl,lta!ns huge frescoes by Grigo/'i~Vusari l~ndIlls I~upils showIng incidents of the wars waged bv theF.lorcntJ/les ngamst the Pisans and the people of Leghorn' andSiena. lfany of the smaller apartments are even more elaborateand we+e actually lived in by members of the Medici familc. Inthe towel' of the Palace Savonarola: the famous DominicanPi-lm-o~ the MOl,last~ry of San Marco, was confined for Gweeks beforehis .executlOI~ II! 149~. The 'yeal' before. Savonarola, in protestegmnst the immornliry and wickedness of the city, had lighteda huge b?nfire of masquerade costumes. cosmetics. musical instru-ments,_ dice boxes, bO,ok;;;and paintings of nude females right inthe m~ddle ~f .th~ PIazza del la Siguoriu. For this, he met hisdeath III the Illunltable manner of the period. Already broken onthe rack, he was hauled out into the same Piazza, hanged. andth;n burned bY_Il11lt'~e~onfil'e which was lighted under his gibbet.The whole PHlZZ!l1S In effect an outdoor museum. BartolomeoAl~m1alltHlti)sFOU~TAIN 01'NEPTUNE, just outside the Palazzo Vec-ohio, was erected 1111575. .Michelangelo's DAV ID and Donatel lo's2 '

JUDITH A::-iOHOLOFEn:N}~S flank the main entrance to the PalazzoVecchio.The Loccw DEI LANZI (Porch of the Lancers}, originally built(in 1376--83) as a plnce?f a~embly for th~ di~cus~ion of p~1iticalor commercial matters 111 ramy wenther, IS directly opposite themain entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio. It contains many wonder-ful groups of statuary: including THE R,\PE ~F THE SAlII~E~ andHERCt:W:S SLAYING THE CENT.\UR NESSUS, by Ginmbologna ; MNE-k\US WITH THE BODYOFP.\TIlOCLES_ dating back to ancient Rome;the bronze PERSECS WITH THE HE.... or ~lEo{lSA, cost in 1553 by thefamous Benvenuto Cellini. ,Ifyou go toward the Al'I1o


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Beginning with a collection of ear-ly FLorentine and Sienesealtur pieces, it graduntly leads on to the cady fifteenth century:Ftn Filippo Lippi, Vel'l 'o(;chio, Pollaiuolo. Lorenzo e li Credi, andGhirlnndaio, culminating with the groups of Florentine runsters-cBotricelli, Filippino Lippi, and Andreu del Sarto, The Umbriunnnd Venetian painters as welt as the best of ncn-Italinn musters1!I'e a lso well represented. The gallery also contains valuabletapestries lind a large coilecriou of antique marble sculptures.From the Uffizi to the PAI,i\ZZO PI'rTf, which contains anotherof the world's most priceless collections of .u-t. there is a corridorwhich crosses the Arne by IllCUIlS of the PON'l'E Veoonro=onc ofthe most frequently phctogruphed, sketched, and etched bridgesin existence, This old br-idge is no mere structure for gellingfrom one side of the river to the other, but a marketplace and itcluster of workshops as well. OP(,11to the sky along the middleof its passageway, the br-idge is lined 011both sides by a clutter- ofhouses which have been fur hundreds of years the homes of gold-smiths and jewelers. ,Pnrt of the bridge's foundn tion has existed since the days of t.heRoman Empire: but most of the main structure was built in the

fourteenth century. Tile corridor passes 0\"(>1' the tops of the

bridge-supported houses 011 the tlyst~'eam side. On its wulls hangpictures. as they do in the galleries II connects. " .The Pitt i Palacc was begun 1111440 by Luca Plttl, n : '\('I~lthycilizcn of Florence, who at that date '\'US one,of the cl~ler rl~'/l.ls0 : 1 ' the Medici. After the Inilnre of the conspiracy :lgalllst Pierode Medici in 1466, Lucn lose his power and influcnee: :lIl1l thebuildinu remain unfinished unt il it W:1S sold to t.he Medici GrandDukes ~vho gl'lldually completed it nnd made it thair rosiclencc.'rite pnlucc was occupied by the King of Italy when Florence wasthe cnpitul of the kingdom (1865-71), ,The Pitt iGallery, located in the le~t wmg of the palace, con-tnins about 500 paintings: most of which :lr~a~tel'plCCCS by ~hegreatest names in the history of art. ,1,illS priceless collectionwas formerly the property of the Me(lt ,cl, who for hundreds ofyenl'S devoted much time and l~loney to It.,. 'The Bonora G,\RDENS. extending up the hillside behind the pal-ace were planned in the sixteenth century. Cypresses, laurels,olc;~llders, flowers, marble foulltnins. and artificial illites nrc com-bined anii nn-nnged to mnke one of the most perfect oxnmples offormal lundsceping ever devised, ,Possibly the best general view of Florence IS t.obe had from the


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PIAZZALE MI?RELAN'"GELO. 011 lll,esouth ,bank of the Arne. just. eastof the Bobol~ Gardens, Th~ p1(lzz,aie Itself isn't muc-h,but is wellworth the trip _U P fur the vtew, which will help you orient yOUI'-~elf, From this elevated spot. ne.u-ly ali of the prominent build-ings n nd c hu rc he s of Florence ar e visible,StarLing. again from the PiHZZll della Signoriu, and going awayfrom ~hc river (north) along the VIA DEf C"LZAIOLI (St,l"(,(:,!,f theStocking-makers}, one of the busiest thorouahfnres ill Florenceyou wil,l find much of in teres t. To the left SblJ~dsO I l SA N M I CHELI ';'a maSl,IVC three-storied building built ill 1284--91. and rebuilt il;133i-1404" On the ground floot',there is a small chapel, the llPPf>I'story f;C[~V~ngs 11 graruu-y until ~569 and nfterwnrd ns a place~\'IH"I-efficin! re.cords \ \ '~ r e f il ed untII18S(j. The statuary and carv-"~gsam of varrcus penods, all of considerable significance in theJlIst01'Yof art,Bet ween 01' San :Michele and the VL.\ CALIl\(ARA und connected

to the {ol'mer by an archway with steps is the Tonne DELr}Ann,I)J~LA, LANA, t.he towerlike guild hall of the wool weavers. Thebudding was erected in 1308. Since lhell it has been rebuilt andrestored s~vend times. It now contnins the lecture hall of theDante Society.

The Via del Cnlzuioh ends at the PIAZZA DEL Doosro (CnthcdrnlSquare), which contains several interestiug buildings. Immedi-ately to the right, at the corner, stnnds the chapel of the Mr-SE1HCOIlDl,\, belonging to the charitable fraternity founded in thethirteenth century. The members of this society are pledged atII moment's nonce; no matter whnt lhey happen to be doing, toassist in any charitable worl . .of necessity, For the most pad" theydispatch ambulances to the scenes of accidents and perform thelast offices for the dead in poorer districts. You m!ly sec some of!he brothers in their black robes and hoods, Theil' rather gro-tcsquc costumes were designed to protect them from infection dur-ing the great plague in the latter part of the fifteenth century,when they were the only organized group who did anythingabout removing the gruesome heaps of disease-ridden corpses fromthe streets of Florence,Opposite the oratory of the Misericcrdia is the Bro.aao, builtin 1352-58. Here on this small Gothic porch, another char-itablesociety exhibited foundlings to the public in hopes that they wouldbe udoptod by sympathetic passers-by.In the middle of the Piazza de] DUOlllOstands the B.u'TTS'l'lTY01' SAN GIOVANNI BA'I"rrSTA, It Is all eight-sided structure built


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Oil tho renuuns of lin ancient Roman building, Its present formdates front a r-ebuilding in the 11th century. The choir is aconversion of the nncien! round apse. The pi llm-s Oil the exteriorangles were added ill 1293. The three w(,rld famous bronze doorswere inserted in the 14th and Idth centuries. The south door isby A,ndrca PiSlIlI,O (1330-36) nnd portrays tile life of John theBaptist and the eight cardiunl virtues. The north door was madein 1403-24 by Lorenzo (lhiber-ti, who won a contest for the privi-lege. The reliefs represent ill 28 sections the history of Christ.The east door, facinl! the cathedral, also by Loren'zo Ghiberti(14-2~1452), WHS considered by Michelangelo to be worthy offorming the entrance to Purudise. Itrepresents 10 scenes fromthe Old Testament. The interior of the Baptistry is a beautifulcombinnrion of granite, uuu-b!u, mosaic. and sculpture, even' inchof which has its !a!>tillating history, 'The Cathedral, IL Duouo, 01' SAl\'I'A "MARL>.. ORL FrOIlE, so cal led

(n rtei- 1412) from the lily which appears on the coat-of-arms ofFlorence, was begun ill 120(~ on the site of the em-liar church ofSt. Repnmtu. Its architect, Aruolfo eli Cnrnbio was ordeJ'ed "toraise the loftiest, most sumptuous, lind most m'agnificent edificethat human invention could devise, 01' human labor execute.'

After Amolfo's death in 1301 the opcrndons WCI'e successivelydirected by Giotto (1334-37). Andrea Pisano (1337-40), Fran-cesco 'Iulenti (1351-G9), find other architects. In 1417, a com-mittee of architects and engineers WIlS called in to udvise howbest to construct a dome. A competition took place, resulung inthe appointment of Fihppe Bmnelleschl. The construct.ion ofthe gigantic dome toolc fourteen years. The church WlIS fillaHyconsecnued in 1436. This building. larger than nil previouschurches built in Italy, covel's an area of 84,000 square feet. Theheight of the dome is 350 feet.The interior of the Ontbedral is most impressive. both to the eyeand to the imagination. Here the fUIlIOH!; Snvonaroln held forth~~~:I~~~\l!l~~tt~l~~)t:a ~:li~tk~~~l~~~0~ftt~ ,~~~~~e~~~~I1 : ,~ ; \ntti:'~~ltt,o~~Sunday morning of the 26th of Apr'iI14-78, With the conniveuceof Pope Sistus IV and a crowd of vicious l'ivI\130 the Medici, agrOlip of hired assassins fell on Giuliano de' Medici with theirknives at the very moment of the elevntion of the Host. Bimul-tancouely, Lorenzo wus nttncked by two pi-rests. While his brothersnnk dying to the mosaic floor, bleeding fr-om 19 stub wounds,

at


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LOI'~nzo with w'ent coolness escaped UwolIgh tile crowd to the olelsacristy, slamming the heavy bronze door.'; behind him., The C,\lI[PANILI,(bel! towel') adjoins the Cathedral on the southside. ,The ,towel' was designed by Giotto. The foundation stone\~as laid with, great ceremon}~ in 1334. The Campanile is 276 feeLhigh .and ~nt.ll'ely covered ,WIth col~]'ed m~rble) delicate carving.a series of statues lind reliefs. It IS considered one of the mostbeautiful Gothic belfries in Italy,Opposi te the choir of the Ctltl~edrn! is the MusF. :O DELI.' O[,~~R, \01

g'\,NT


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From the Chapel, a winding pnssege leeds to the SAOIH:STIANuov~ {New Secriscy}, ~es~gncd by Michelangelo, but unfinished.Contains the tombs of Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici, descend-ents of the brothers who figured in the bloody doinm> ill the Cnthe-dml in 1487. These tombs are almost as f:unili:l~ to Americansas della Robbin's bambini. .Keep At It.AU the foregoing is a mere scrntch on the surface of the wealtho . r beauty and crnftsmanship t.hnt is Flol'ence. Ifyou have the

time and .the putienco to visit. the IllIlUY churches. museums. andal'~ gallc,r~es uot even mentioned .here, you will not be wasting' any-t.hln~. 10. ha\:e ~een.\Yh!l.t ll1a~l IS capable of doing with his handsnftei creunng It III his mind, IS to make one proud of the humanrace no matte!' to what depths it sillks from t.ime to time. Youwho lire fortunate enough to see Florence will never forget itEven thOllg~IYOIl ml1)~ be disgusted to see that muny of the pl'jcel{'.s~sClllptll!'e~ III .th: Piazza della Signori a are covered with thescrawled mscnpnona of those who h?ve no respect fOI" tho dignity

~t~e:~~~~I~~~~~~\~.~:~;~~es~;;~~~~l~~'111ndure long nf[.er rain end

GENOAUp to Now.Nobody knows just wl~en GENOAwas founded. ~\nyway, it wasn vel')' long time before the birth of Christ. Traditio has it thatthe Liguria ns, an ancient tribe of shepherds and fanners occupy-ing the foothills of northwestern Italy, decided to give up the pas-

roml Iife and come down to the sea. They scattered all along thecoast of what is now called the Gulf of Genoa, but u smnll knotof them remained Oil the site of the best harbor in the area.Through contact with the Greeks and Phoenicians, Eu-uscans, lind.Carrhngimans, these early Genoese got wise to the ways of theworld, limited as it was in tbose days. Their commercial andun vnl POWCl' increased, in step with their knowledge of other Jnndsund other ways of doing things.Just as Genoa was beginning to amount to something, the Car-thaginians suddenly appeared ill the harbor with a sizeable fleet'and destroyed the tOWIl. The Carthaginian triumph was short-lived, however, nnd Roman interests soon rebuilt Genoa, COIlIlCCt..-ing it with the metropolis by the famous VI


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Genoa was not spared when the Barbarian Goths and Lombnrdsoverran the Italian peninsula. xeverul centuries later. the fero-cious Saracens also managed to subjugate the city, and then theFrnuks got control.During the Middle Ages. the Gencese mnnnged to shnke off alloutside rlomiunt.ion and were able to establish the Genoese Re-public.By this time: the city had acquired considerable militury andcOlllinercial.fllme. Adventurous Gcnocsc participated in the Cru-aedes as members of the numerous armies sent out uguinst theMoslems. The Genoese made It substantial IHImc for themselvesas It result of their victories in the Holy Wars, and the Republicof Genoa soon became a colonial power and leader among Euro-pean sen tOWI1S. Her i-ivah-y with Pisn and Venice provoked fierceand bloody wars.After n lot of intemnl trouble and severn I periods of unwelcomeforeign domination, Genoa reached the high point of her powerand glory in the fifteenth ccnt.11l'Y. However, this hnppy staleof affairs didn't last long. Domestic squabbles, French inter-


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";Htion, ~urkish c~nquest. of l~el'colonies, Austrian domination,~;:~~:ieeo~:~~e~l~:.reS5loll,evolution-c-all made for a turbulent po-In sll,ite of political unrest, comnl('rci~ll enterprise expanded.Wl lm , l Ge n oa became II p art-o f th e Itn liun Kingdom, she ha d muchto oiler 1tl the way of prestige as uu important pod and tradiuccenter for world ('0I111ne1'ce. '"

looking Around.Ther~ is plenty to see in Ge~l?a. even though considerable dam-age h.fl~been clone through military necessity. You may as wellsturt III the PIAZZ,\ I)~J !Enn.un. which is in the heart of the city.On the northwest side of the piazza ecands the PALAZZO DE

F.ElmARI, a handsome eighteenth century palace. Leaving theptuzza by the VrA SELLAI at Its western corner you enter the PIAZZAUi\fB_ER't'O PRUlO. Oil the left side of which rises 8.\NT' Al'l1811OGIO aJesuit Ch~rch b,lIil~ in 1589. The interior is lavishly decot'at~a,nd contalllsyall1tlllgs by Guido Reni find Rubens." The northside of the pmzzu is dominated by tile PALAZZO DUCAL~, built in

the thirleenlh century and remodeled in the sixteenth. The stair-cases inside are except ionally fine.Bade to back with the Piazza Umbcrtc Primo is the CATHEDR,\LOF SAN Lonexzo, reached by the VIA SAN LORENZO, The originalbuilding was consecrated ill 1118. Itwns rebuilt in the Gothicstyle ill J307~12, and the Renaissance dome was added in 1567.

PALAZZO DI SAN Gronoto . Located 011 the water front in thePI,\ZM RAItlE'lTA. Built in 1260. Occupied b v the BANCO 01 S.\NGIORGIO from 1408 to 1797, This bank hada very powerful positionin European monetary nffuirs during the Renaissance.S,\N Mcrrso. Gothic church restored in 1278. Contnins mflnymemcrinls of the Dorin f 'amily, once the most powerful family ofthe Gcnccee Republic. Tile small piazza in fr-ont of the church issurrounded with the DOIlI,\PALACES, in which various members ofthc fnmily once lived.

SANT,\ MAloADI Casrmao. Very old church built on the site ofan ancient Roman castle. Contains ancient columns and altars.P,-\LAZZO l\luNICIPALE. Built in 15(H. Contains facsimilies ofletters by Columbus .. Also the violin of the famous virtuosoN iccolc Paganini.


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MILANMn.u\Nhas the second largest population of the Italian cities. Itsgreatest gl'owth has been in the last 75 j-eers. when it increasedfrom a. population of about 300,000 to more t!l 1he appeal of most of the ether citieson tile Peninsula. Its greatest interest. since modern days hasbeen commerce nd mauufucnu-ing. but there are still manyhistorical and artistic sights in the town.Leonardo da Vinci. the Italian genius who was cquntlv greatas it painter, sculptor. architect, musician, mechanician. engineer,ami philosopher. worked fo!' 16 yours at _,jlilan, He carne to thecity fit the invitation of Ludovicc SfOI'M, who was the boss ofMilan lit the time, It \\'lIS for Sforsn thut Leonardo inventedhis fire bomb, This bomb, which wns thrown by n cutnpulb, hada center of copper. and it was 1\1'I1l'e1 with. rockets stuck ill pitchand certain chemicals which threw oft' a poison gllS, Leonardo


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invented other wenpons of war for Sforza, who was having histroubles with the other r-ulers in Italy, which was then split. upinto ut least four separate states. Among Ole inventions werehund grenades. shrapnel. the parachute, demountable bridges, aflame thrower. and an armored vehicle. Leonardo also designedan airplane. His ideas were laughed at by many people, includ-inz his pMI'()Il. Sforza, who might hnve succeeded in his war withthe French if he had gone into battle with the tanks, huud gre-nades, and poison gas which Leonardo invented. And all thiswas back in the fifteenth century.At the same time that Leonardo invented the real M. 1 modelsof the weapons which you brought to Italy with you, he waspainting his famous "The Last Supper," on the wall of theDomxrcxx CONVENT}' Sl 'E, Mxms 1>t:L 1.EGR .\Cn l, and the equallyfamous "Mona Lisa:' or "La Giocondn." You can see the famous"Last Supper," although it has faded considerably through 101l~neglect,111 313 A. D., the Homan Emperor Constantine the Great issued

his edict nt ~lilill\ allowing the free practice of Chcist.innity forthe first rune. The. city's grcatcst period came during the years314 to 3U1.when St. Ambrose wus the Archbishop of Milan. The

most highly regarded medieval building in Lombardy is theCnUltCII OF SANT' A:UBrlOZLO,which has moenics, frescoes, andsculptural works of great historic and artistic value. The bodiesof St. Ambroaic. St. Gervasio. and St. Protasio are buried under-neath a golden altar ill the church.The oldest part of ~Iilan is the P[AZZADEL DUOi\fO,and it issupposed to date from the t.ime tliab the Etruscans occupied theterr-itory from the sixth century B . C . until about 400 B. C , Thatis where most of the principal streets meet. and it is easiest tolearn the city by starting to see it from that point. The Piazzatakes its name from the CATHEDRAL, which is on its east side, Itis built of n stone resembling granite encased throughout withmarble which has lost its whiteness; it has 135 small spires, eachof them topped by a statue. Altogether, them nre 2,300 statueson the outside of the Onthedral, nnd almost 4,000 inside. In theCathedral is a monument of two of the brothers of Pope PinsIV, done by Aret ino, after designs by Michnelangclo. Youcall get a fine view of the Lombardy plain fr-om the top of theCathedral, which is reached by n etuirwny 01' an elevator.The GALf,ERl,\ Vrr-ronro ElIfAl\'uELE II is supposed to be one ofthe greatest arcades in all of Europe. Opposite the Galleria, on


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th e south side of the D uo mo , is t he UOYAL PA LA .C E .w hic h has twowings. The original building was the official residence of thetown Consuls from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries. Thereare many works of arb in the palace. The CHURCH OF SANGO'ITARDO was once part of the palace, but it is now separated, Ithas some frescoes by Giotto and his pupils. The V I A 'A IE RC A N TIopposite the facade of the Cathedral. is one of the busiest a m ioldest parts of tho town.The AMIlROSr,\N Lienxnr. which was founded at the beginningof the seventeenth century, is II world-famous institution . ., 1t hasnearly half n million printed books, about 3.000 early works ofart, and about 20,000 numuscripts. One of these manuscripts isPetrarcb's nnotuted Virgil. The EllER,\ PALACE, wbich wnserected in 165!, hus a library containing about 350,000 volumes,For a long period until jusr before the war, Milan was one ofthe greatest, musical centers of the world, Voice and piano stu-dents came to the city from many countries to receive instructionfrom teachers who were known allover tile world. The once-great LA SCM,A OI'I,uA HOOS1" where many of the Ijnlian operaswore given their premiere pei-fonnances, is in Mila.

The city hns five railroad stations, one of them the terminal for

22 lI~ain ~ines, More foreigners Clime to Milan tbun to any otherItalinn city, because it is the center of communications betweenCentral Europe' und the Mediter-rnnenn Sea, The 50 streetcarlines in the city go to the town limits, Most of the lines shutfrom three centers which are not fUl' from the Piazza del Duomo.They are the VIA OIU;~'ICI, the VIA CAI'f't,LLA1U, and the VL4.TOM:MASO Gnossr. There fire also G bus lines, and taxicabs usedto be plentiful.Milan in peacetime had a. number of movie houses and 10theatres for opera, vaudeville, and plays, in addition to the Scala,'I'here were 2 race trucks ut SAN Smo, one of them for trottingraces, Another race track was the MmAIIE.LUl, and auto races wereheld at, the MONZA truck. Sports events were held ill the ARENA,the 81'01l'1'S PALACE, and the IOE PALt\CE,Before the W1U', there were almost 200 first. and second-classhotels in the city, as well us n number of smaller hotels and board-ing houses which were considerably cheaper. There are manyL'~ta~rants and othereating ~ll lces in Mill in, The main shoppingdistricts are the PIAZZA ner. DUOi'lIO, t.he Conso Vl'I"l"QUiO EMA~'-m:LE, the VIA .MANZONI and the VIA DAKTE,A number of small towns sun-oundiug Milan have places of


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histor-ical and artistic interest. About half a mile from the gatesof the town is the Cl:'JtTOSA)J G,\ltEGN.\NO, which was built ill the14th century as a convent, The church, \V'hichremained when theconvent was destroyed in the 18th century, contains paintings byartists of the 17th and 18th centur-ies. The town of Mensa is about7% miles from the city. There are a number of monuments ntMouzn , one of them is the BAS1LlCA OF SAN GIOVANl, where theykeep the "Iron Crown," with which the kings of Italy were alwayscrowned.The Lake Country.

LAKE COMO, one of the great beauty spots of the world is only2 hours away from Millin, and no one who has the opportunity tomake a trip there should miss it. The town of COMO which is atthe Southern end of the lake has great charm, nnd it has a goodcathedral. The scenery fit any part of the lake is something youwill never forget, The nearby lakes of ~L~GOlOnEnd LUOANO areequally beautiful. There arc other lakes in the district which arcsmaller but not less beautiful. Itis the lake country in the districtwhich drew so 1ll1111y people to Milan from a1Jparts of the world.

NAPLESBackground.

NAPLES with its old world history, majestic Vssovms, POiUPEU,the CASTLE OF ST. ELMO, famous churches-these and many otherhistoric sights are important to the soldier.The Naples of prewal' days is gene. It will be impossible foryou to visit that Naples-it may never exist again-but some ofthe old city still remains, having escaped the ravages of war, andwhile you can.you should see as much as possible in order to visual-ize the days that were, and realize better the vandalism of thesacking, destroying Germans. The ROYM, P, \LACE is in ruins,famous collections have been removed from the museums, Illunybuildings have been walled in 01' sandbagged for protection, butdespite the damaged areas you will se'much of I)J'(H\UI'days thatwill interest Y O l l , much to add to your general knowledge of theworld, much you will want to remember.Some things are beyond the power of the Germans to destroy.Of all the cities in Europe only Istanbul CUll claim as beautiful asite as Naples, and gutted and sacked though the city may be,


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the site retains its beauty and holds hope for the new Naplesthat will rise. The water in the bay retn ins its remarkable blue-ness, and the beauty of Aft. Vesuvius, stretching 4.000 feet into thesky and constantly overhung by soft, pink clouds, continues. bothday and night, to dominate the city nnd the countryside. Herelie the fabulous buried cities of BoiUPElJ. und r-lERCUI..ANEUM whichwere completely destroyed when the Mount erupted in 79 A. D.,but which have now been partially excavated.It is generally agreed that Naples was origiuatly settled by theGreeks. subsequently having been conquered by the expandingRoman Kingdom in the fourth century B. C. In more. recent times.but while It.aly was still a geographical nreu consisting of a numberof independent states, the city was the capital of the Kingdom ofNaples, or of the Two Sicilies (at times the kingdoms were com-bined, nt other times separated). In 1860,during the movement forthe unification of Italy, the' Neapolitan army collapsed before theadvance of Garibaldi who entered Naples nfter the flight of theking and queen. A plebiscite approved the absorption into theunited Italian kingdom and in 1861 the first Italian pnrltament metHt . Turin and proclaimed Victor Emanuel Kiug of Italy.


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Layout.Naples is situated on the northern shore of the Bay of Naples.The city is built ut the base and on the slopes of a, range of volcanic

hills and rises from the shore like an amphitheater. From thesummit occupied by the Castle of St. Elmo a ridge runs south toform the promontory of Piazofslcone and divides the city into twonatural crescents. The western crescent, known as the CHIAHWAIID, is a long narrow ship between the sea and Omerc Hill andwas the fashionable quarter most frequented by foreign residents.nnd visitors. A fine broad street, the RIVERA DI COBIA, was begunat the close of the 16th century and runs for a mile and a half fromcast to west.ending at the foot of the Hll.LOF POS1UPO. In front liethe public gardens of the VILl ..... NAZIONALE. the chief promenadeof the city, which were first laid out in 1780. The whole edge ofthe bay from the Castel dell' Ova to Mergellina is lined by amassive embankment and carrmge-way, the VIA CARACCIOW,constructed in 1875-81.The eastern crescent includes by far the largest, as well as the

oldest, portion of Naples. The best known thoroughfare is thehistoric TOLEI>O, or V lA HOMA. It runs almost due north from the

PrAZZA DEL PU:B!SCl'I'O in front of the P,u,AZZQ R~~,\LE till, ! IS VrANUO\'A nr CAl 'ODtr.rO.NTE, it crosses the PONn: DELI, ,\ SANITA andreaches the gates of the C.\I'OorMOXTE P,\LA(;E. thus dividinc thecity into two parts, Another leudiup street" the CoRSO VI'l~'()RLOEIII,\l'.'"UELE, winds along the slopes behind til" tit}' from the Mer-golfina raih . .a.r station till it reaches the MUSUi'ol by the VfASALVATORROSA.The ~\\o Crescents have been united by the construction of a

connecting thol'Oughf:lI'e on the seuwnrd side of the C,\STE.L Nrrovothe ROYAL PALACE, and rhe hill of PIZZOFAI,COXE. while a tUl ll le l(the GALLERIA DELL.\ VI'f'TOlttA) h~IS been cut under the hill. Ametropolitan underground r-ailwuy bet ween the central stationat Naples and Pozaucli also unites the east and west halves of thecity,

In the Bay lies the I"'LE o~ C.-\PH[ where Augustus Cnesm-, firstof the Roman emperors, resided tor mUll}' yeurs as did his sue-cesser. 'I'ibei-ius, who built at least 12 \'iila's Oil 'the Isle Heretoo, is located the f!IIllOUS BLUE GROTTO, the most celeL;'nted ofmany sea caves 1,.-110\\'11n Ronum times, and which wus rediscoveredi ll 1826.On the northeast. shore east of Naples is fill extensive f1ut watered


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by the SIH'TIO, which, in classical times, formed the port or Pom-peii, From this flat r-isesM t. Vesuvius, at the base of which on01' !lOH1' the seashore', nrc populous villages as well as the classical~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ : I~~Ul l~O::~IC~}; :~~~ J)~l il~~1~ : ~ ' : g : ~ ~ : ; ~ , I 1 \ ~ : , r ; ~:~~~~~l~t~~~;of !'osilipo divides this part. or the buy into two smaller bayswhich are connected by a tunnel through the promontory. 2.244feel..long, 21 feet broad and in some pluces as much ns 70 feet hiCl"h,This tunnel WItS quite possibly constructed by Marctts A


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are the CATIIElm,u.O~'ST, J,\NU,\IllOS which was erected in 1294-]323, rebuilt alter being burned in the 15th century, and restoredill 1837,Adjoining the Cathedral is the CHURCUOF SANTAROSflTUTA, abasilica of the fOIII,th cenlnry, Its baptist I'}' eontnius importantmosaics of that period, S'\N'r,\ CIIIA}!,\ dates rUll! the 14th cen-tury and is intel estiug (or a fresco ascribed to G iot to und monu-ments to Robert the wise, his son's wife. ~r.\I'y of Valois, and hisdaughter Mary_ empress of Constantinople,S,\N DOlHEJ\lCO l\1AGGIOIIE. founded by Charles II in J281) b utcompletely restored later, has lin effective inter-ior part iculurlynich in Renaissance sculpture. In the neighboring monastery isthe cell of St. ThomasAquinas.Then there m -e the S,INT' ANO.'W A NII.o, which contains thetomb of Canlil\:I1 Brancaccio, the joint work of Donntello and.Michelozzo (1426-28): SAN GIOV,\NNJ A C.IHIlON,IIM, built in 1343and enlarged by King Lndislaus in 1400. which contains tile tombof the king, the masterpiece of Andrea cia Fh-enze (1428). and thatof Gianni Caracciolo, the favorite of Joanna II. who was IlIlU'-dered in 1432; S,\N LormNZQ(13th century), the Royal Church ofthe House of Anjou; and SANT,IMARIADONNA RE(aNA, wit.h its

frescoes by Pietro Cavnllini, The CATACOJlt:BS OFST, GENNAUO (2dcentury) are in many respects equal to those at Rome.The'UNlvElfSlTYOF NAPLES was founded by Frederick nin 1224,and was well equipped with zoological, mineralogical, and geolog-icnll11useums,!l physiological institute, u cabinet or anthropology,and botanical gardens. The buildings were originally erected in1557 for the use of the Jesuits. The famous ZooLOGtCAL STATIONlit Naples, whose AQUAUlffiI[ is the principal building. in the VILLANAZiO ......ALE lind which wns one of the most famous III the world,was founded in 1872. The nstronomicnl observatory is situatedon the hill of Capodimonto.The SAN CAHI.O OrEHA HOUSE,with its area of 5,151 square yardsand stalls capable of seating 1,000 spectators, is one of the largestin Europe, Itwas originally built 1 11 1 73 7 but was destroyed byfire in 1816and completely rebuilt,A trip to Mt. Vesuvius is a "must" for all those who can possiblyobtain transportation. The eruption of this famous volcano in79 A, D.-its first in recorded history-completely destroyed thetwo cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii.. Today the buried cit,)'of HEllCl]LAN.K(JJlI lies under the modern Rosina, 5 miles southeast

s


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oughfure with the Via Moszocannone, yeu find the famousUNIVERSI'IT OF NAPLES.1 you want to visit the C.,\THEDIl,\L OF ST. JA::-'lJ,\lIIOS (themost important church in the city), you should, nfte r leavingthe University, continue alongthe Corso Umberto to the Viltdel Duomo and follow this street for about 500 yards to itsintersection with the Via del Tribunal where the Cathedral islocated. After finishing at the Cathedrul, go along the Via delDnomo till you come to the ~trcet which, to the right, is known asthe "'lia Floria, and to the left, us the Piazza Cavour. Turningleft, proceed along the Piazza Cavour till it intersects the Via S,Teresa Degli Scalzi (south of the Piazza Cavour the lnst-nnmedstreet is known as the Via Enrico Pessina). You will now beat a fitmOusMusEUM.If you want to continue your tour beyond the Museum, you willfind the C,u'ODlMONTE P,\L.\CE located about II mile north of theMuseum on the Via. S. 'I'eresn Degli Scalzi (which will changeits nnme to the Vin Nuova e li Cnpodirnonte.after its intersectionwith the Via della Sanita.): The A ..,TRONOlliICAL OIlSERV,\TQny is ashort distance southeast of the Castle Grounds. You may wuutto see it while you are ncar.,b

PADUAPADUA,which is the scene of Shnkespeare's v'I'nminp of the Shrew.'is 25 miles inland fr-om Venice. Ever since eiul~ Roman time-;the city has been important industrially, It luis chemical fac-tories? distilleries and breweries, candle and ink works, foundries.sawmills, automobile plants, an d factories where am-iculturalmachinery is made. ~It was 'impOl'inllt 1"0the curly Romans because the town WIISonthe trade r.oll~es from Italy to lllyrin. the region on the eust sideof the Adriatic Sea, and to the Eastern provinces. The town wasleft in ruins b.y the Huns when they passed through it on their

WIl.\' to Rome III 452. In the lute 1Iliddll' Ages it became impor-tant agnin as a crossroads of important trade routes. Its famousU~nn:uSITY was founded in the year 1222, and about a centurvafter that it started to become the greatest center of Italian Ienn~.i~)g. Padua held that position fOI' a long time and. in the longlist of men who taught, studied, lind painted and wrote at theUniversity (He such illustr-ious names as Dante. Perrarcb Galilee'Willialll Harvey, Fnllopius, Jncopo Bellini, Titiftn, Frll' Fjlipp~


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Lippi, find Tasso. Giotto find Dcnatello, two of Italy's foremostartists. also worked in Padua.Citizens of Padua and students cat! the University "II Eo;' bywhich name it has been known for such n long time that its originseems to be disputed. In the seventeenth cenlnn-y a traveler wrotethat he believed the nickname was given to the University becausethe first students muy have come there from Oxford ("II Bo'menus "The Ox"). Most uuthor-ities, hcwevor, agree that the Uui-versuy got its name beenuse it is buill. on the site of an old innwhich Was called "II Bo.'Most of the men who brought fame nnd glory to Padua camefrom other cities and countries. IIOWCVCJ', Livy, the Roman his,

to-ian, and MantegtlH, the greatest figure in the so-culled PnduanSchoo! of Painting, were the two nn nives of the town who werereally great.Ju the year 1405 the city of Venice, which was then at theheight of its power, took Padua on"!' :1 fter a number of we n [thyfamilies had fought to gain control 0\'('1' it. Padua became moreprosperous under the rule of the Venetians, and the art and 1111-versity movement!': of the city flourished,The city had 11 pre-war population of about 138,000 Pf'I'"OllS,

"


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Itis n Inu-ly modern town, although it 1001(5medieval. It is sur-rounded by a high wnll. flanked with bastions. Ithns 1 gutes.Cnnals connect it with the Adigc River and the lagoons of theAdrintio. Colonnades line the streets and squares, and it has sev-eral fine piazzas, 01' squares. The best o-fthese is the PI,\ZZ',\VIT-TORIOMANUELE. which used to be culled the PHNI'ODEI..L\VALLO,There are trees in the square. and a running stream surrounds it.In the Piazza there ure H Humber of stutucs of famous citizensof Padua and of men who brought Inme to the town, The Px-LAZZO DELLA RM;}O~"E, 01' town house, is one of the most importantbuildings in the city. It was built during 1172 and 1219 and thenremodeled il11420, In it is a laqre han which has about 400 paint-ings on its walls.Padua's CATHEIJRAL was built ill the sixteenth century. It has afamous library full of priceless manuscripts and rare books,Petmrch. who was canon of the Cuthedrul, is said to have foundedthis library, The University has a botunicul garden which issaid to be the oldest in all of Europe. an observatory, and a librarywhich is said to contain more than 200,000 printed works,

TRIESTETlI!~TE, unlike most of the cities of Itnly, is long Oil commercel.lnd IIl~Lustl' 'ybut sh~l"t on .'lIt and tradition. Although founded11,1uncienr Roman lunes, It has remained always a commerciu lcity rut.her than a cultural.centE_:r: It hus. been 1110re frequently~ i ~ ~ : ~ , ~ : ~ ~ z ~ ~ / ~ ; : ~ ~!}\l:~~I~taIHlllCIties, n n dts appearance is quiteTrieste belonged to Austria from 1382to 1919.and although re-turned ~ Italy aft~', the last. war, the city and ita people bearthe IIUllllstakabl,e ~lgllS of th is long occupation, in architectureand speech. ThIS IS not to say that the Trieetinae liked Austrianrule, As a matter of fact, the city was a hotbed of Italianpau-iorism.The center of activity in Trieste is the PIAZZA OELL'UNITA, Onthe water front near the center of the harbor. it is lined with hand.some modern buildings. Dominatin . ... t,he ~ky line is the highcastle-crowned hill, to the slopes of~vhich clings the old town~You may a.s \:'~[~ take a crack at this, because there is very little

else. to see In I'rieste. There ure several ways to get lip. but one


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of the most spectacular is by way of the VIA DELLA CAT1.EORALE,which is very steep. You'll notice a lot of well-worn handrailson the way lip. Itseems that these are there to keep the citizensfrom being blown away by the Bora, a particularly fierce Adriaticwind. Seems that in the days when ladies wore long, full skirtsthey were always having to be fished out of the harbor, wherethey had been deposited, kicking and shouting, by the Bora.About balfwuy up, at the VIA DEI, TruONFO, you'll be ready fora breather, A few steps away is the Anco Dl RICCAROO, an ancientRoman nrch which has been added to in recent times. The legendgoes that Richard Coeur de Lion was imprisoned here on his re-tUI'Jl from Crusades, which explains the name.Continuing youI' climb, you'll COBleto a strange little cathedral,the BASILICA or SAN GlUS1'O, which is made up of bits and piecesof buildings dating from the fifth century. Set on the founda-tions of a Romun temple, it is actually the sum of two churchesand n bnptien-y. thrown together to mnke II single nnve of fiveaisles. Weirdly proportioned though it is, it has a definitecharm.

011 you!' way back down, you might stop at the MUSEO CInco DESTORIA E O'ARTE. The collection consists of a large assortment.


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of ancient vases, utensils, fragments of sculpture. and the like.There are also a few paintings. In back of the museum isthe GIARDINO LAPID...RlO, containing nn assemblage of antiquerocks and fragments dug tip by archaeologists. There is also amonument to Johann Joachim winckelmnnu, the first historianof antique art. winckelnmnn's recognition was his downfall.He was done in by a common thief who thought winckelmnnn wnsrich, because of the medals presented to him by the Empress 01Austria.Ifyou like caves, there is the GRO'l'T, \ GIO,\NTE. 787 feet long and453 feet high, complete with stalactites. It is located to the north,about an hour out of town.Five miles northwest of-the city is the c.-\STLl: OF MUL4.MARE,formerly the property of the unfortunate Archduke Maximilian,who fell afoul of a fatul revolution while he was Emperor ofMexico. In the Castle, his demented Empress, Cnrlottn, waitedvainly uutil her death at n ripe old age. for the return of her be-loved husband.Down on the water front, between the MOLO P.ESCATOElI and theMOLOV.ENEZIA is a fine aquarium for those who waut to see fish.

TURIN'I'curx, with a peacetime population of about 600,000. and thesecond greatest indusn-in l city of Italy, is at the foot of the Alpsnear the French border. It has been called the Detroit of Imlybecause of its aut.()~nobilefactories. The F'int plants, which wereumong the largest IIIEuropa, made pleasure cars us well as trucks.!hel'e were great aircraft plants in Turi~1before the war, and other'Important pre-war PI'O~UClS were chemicals, high explosives, ruil-way cars, shoes. and uniforms. Fa!' 5 years after 1860 Turin wasthe capital of Italy. And until then it was the center of govern-mell.t for the Kingdom of Sardinia, which preceded the modernItalian kingdom. Long before it became an industrial city thetown ~\'asfamous ~s a center for nrt and learning. and experts stillrank Its art galleries, museums, and libraries with the best in theworld.Oompnred to other Italian cities, TUL'inlooks modern. No othercity in the country has sucl~ a regular and geometric street plan.Its streets ure long and straight, and they often hnve arcades. In


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the squares nre well-eared-for gnrdens. Monuments arc evet-v-where. The plan is-due to the fact that the city grew over the ruinsof an ancient Roman town lcnown us Augusta Tuurinarum, TheRoman (0""/1 made a rectangle 2,210 feet long and 1,370feet broad.It can be traced fr-om the PIAZZA CASTELLOon the east, the VIAm,LLA CoNSOL,\TA and the Couse SI('('AIlOI on the west" the VIAGIUl,JQ on the nO I1Jh, nnd the VlA S,\NTA Tmn~SA on the south.\Vlwt, is now the VIA G,\IlIHAI ..O[ WitSthe Via DeC1Un(Ula. The VtAPOIlTA PALA'I'INA and tile VI,\ S;\N 'i'OMM,\SO run over the ground,followed by tile old Roman T T i - a Principolie. The Roman umphl,then!..reand other ruins of that period were destroyed in 1536 byFrancis Iwhen he built fortificntiollS on their sites. The FI'cnchoccupied the city for a time, and then, in 1706, besieged it OIlC('IIIOI'e. One of the heroes of Turin, who is still remembered aftermore than two centuries, is Pierro Miccn. a sapper in the forces ufTurin, who lost his life saving his city. Micca exploded a mine,thereby saving the citadel nnd throwing back the French besiegers.TUI'in is another one of the many Italian cities which has astreet named after Victor Emanuele. This one is the Oonso VlOI'OHEM,\NUlcLe, and it , is n wide thoroughfare leading from the POllt'A


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N 'UO \ ,ASTNt lON . A nd directly across the way from the srauo isthe PJ,\ZZA CARLO Peucs, 'The VIA ROMA lends from that squareto th e PUZZA SA N CMILO find the Pl , \ZZA C.'\STELLO, which is thehub of th e city. Most-of th e main streets shoot out of the Castellosquare . The p , \LAZZQ MADA l I IA .which was built in the thirteenthcentury. is in the center of the squart' and is one of the a rc hite ct lira Iand historical sights of the city. The building was used by theSenate when 'Turin WIIS the Sardinian cupital, and for severalyears after th e formation of the Italian kingdom it was also themeeting place of the nation's Senate. Roman and medievn l re-mains nlfly be seen in some of the bu ild ing 's ro om s. Other pointsof interest in the town nre the PORTA P .O \ LA T INA .a gateway ofRoman days which was restored in 1910, and the CASTELLO DELVALf::NTINO, which \\HS built after the French manner, to please thewife of Vittorio AI11


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There are a number of cafes, confectioners, and wine and beershops ill Turin where food is served. Beer is a favorite drinkof the people of Turin. The town is also famous for its vermouth.Short trips can be made from Turin into the surrounding area.. VEN I CE

Briefing.Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God, drove before him thepeople of Altino, Aquileia, and Padua, Oil the mainland, rightout. into the Adriatic, where they sought refuge on a few dismalsand bars and soggy islands. In this ignominious manuel', Venicewas born in 425 A. D. Less than n'tiundred yenrs later the Vene-

tians were already getting rich from the neighboring salt fiatsand from their adventurous merchant fleet. This handful ofrefugees from the Bnrbru-inns grew, through hard work and fore-sight, into a powerful republic, and made Venice the most bril-hunt trading city in the world. Since then. its glory as a centerof commerce has faded, but. the beauty of the city remains.Its 15,000 houses and palaces are all built on piles to keep themfrom sinking into the ooze of the 117 small islands over which thecity stands. Venice is thoroughly di~ded, like a-jig-saw puzzle,by some 150 canals, linked up again by 378 bridges. In manyplaces there nre no sidewalks along thc canals-the front. stepsof the houses descending right into the floating orange rinds.


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There are no streets wide enough or long enough to merit thename, but there is an unbelievable tangle of nut-i'ow passages whichfrequently end nbmptly in blank walls or at the cdge of somecanal. You'll just have to back np and try again. There aremany little open squares which are called Oam7) i (fields) 01' oam, -7)ielli (little fields). there being only one piazza-the world-famous PIAZZA DI SANMARCO, or St. Mark's Square.Don't look for streetcars, busses, donkey-carts or carriages suchas you find anywhere else in Italy. Getting around Venice ruennswalking, or 'going by bout, Here you have 'il choice: a gondola.complete with cushions and high prices; or you can ride theva.poretti, which are small, chugging steam launches running onapproximate schedules between fixed points. along the mn.incanals-and much cheaper. The three big canals are the GnANOCANAL, the main drag of Venice; the CANALE01 SAN l\{.\RCO, an-chorage for ocean-going passenger ships in peacetime j nnd theCANALE DELLA GIUm;COA,used for the loading and unloading ofcargo ships.P ic tu re Po st ca rd s.There ure very few buildings in Venice that you won't have


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seen somewhere-c.in the movies, on the plumber's New Year calen-dar, adorning the walls of that hotel bedroom in Atlantic City,or in your fifth-grade geography book. More first-, second-, andthird-class artists have come to Venice (and have come away withsomething to show for their pains) than to almost any otherEuropean city. Because Venice is a natural: practically any viewof anything in the city is picturesque. Fortunately. fill the badart it has inspired through the centuries hasn't dimmed its luster01' its romantic appeal.The hub of venetian life has always been the PIAZM DT SA!'>1IlAI1CO. This superb square. paved with . trachyte nnd marble,ulwnys full of activity and pigeons, is striking evidence of theancient glory of "Venice. On three sides it is enclosed by sym-rnetricn l colonnades which take 011 an informal air from the cafetables which extend from under the urcndes out into the pinzzu.On the fourth side is the fabulous S,\N M.-\RCO,with its 325-footCAMIAYILE. This incredible building has been the subject ofcountless rhapsodies in print nnd in paint, Dedicated to St. Mark,the patron saint of the city, it wns begun in 830 on the site of achurch of St. Theodore and was rebuilt. after n fire in 976. Theroof is a great cluster of golden domes of different sizes. Inside

nnd out, the church is adorned with fi\'e hundred columns of rareoriental marbles with cnpitals in a wide variety of styles. Theupper parts.of the wnlls. the interior ceilings, and great semicircle>;on the face of the building ru-e covered with mosaics of coloredand gilded glass and semiprecious stones, the en 1 "1 iest of-which date. from the 11th century. The entire floor of the church, whichso.mewhat resembles a series of low ground swells, isentirely pavedWith marble mosaic. The pulpits, altars, Iantems, and other in-terior fittings are richly carved and ornamented. If anyoneshould ever' ask you what Byzantine art and nrohitecture are like,!:~n~~:!~~l~ltd)~~lh:~':~i~)fi~~ro~:~~


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and prosperity as perhaps any other building this side of Inferno.It issaid to have been founded about 814for the fil'stDoge (RulingDuke) of Venice. Hardly a trace of the original building remains,however, the present structure having been put up in three sec-tions-1300-40, 14-24--38, and 1484-1511. Finishing touches wereadded in 1545--49. In 1574 nnd in 1577 there were ser-ious fireswhich completeJy gutted the Palace. Restorations were madeby several nrchirects, among them the fa rnous Palludio. As youcan see from the high-water mark, it has been flooded a. couple oftimes, too.Practically every stone ill its walls, every staircase, statue,painting, tapestry: every stick of furniture in the Palace hnsitsown fuscineting history. You'll enjoy the place a . lot more ifyou go through it with a detailed catalogue in hand. Casanova,the great and inexhaustible lover, was once locked up in a roomhere, according to his memoirs, but while imprisoned he managedto continue his lusty career uninterrupted, finally escapingthrough a neat little hole in the roof.Conneouug the Palnzzo with the CARGERI (prison) across theRio del Palazzo, is the PONE DF! SOS1'llU (Bridge of Sighs) over

which common criminals passed from the courts in the Palazzoto the dungeons to which they had been sentenced.The Grand Canal.This is rubber-necks' paradise. Pile into a gondola at the Mole

and relax. There are 2 miles of palaces and churches lininc- thecanal, and your gondolier wilt n o doubt reel off their names a: youcome to them: If he says anything nbout seeing the glass works,p~y no attention. There are better wnys of getting there which we~~~!l~~:;:l~Cal~~l~l'e~f~;.~~I~~l~!l~mere important buildings alongDO


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800 pictures, chiefly by Venetian masters, Belli~li., Carpeccio, 'I'i-tinn 'I'intoretto, Veronese. 'Vorth a separate VISIt.p;U,,\ZZO REZZQNlCO. Just past the third side canal on your leftfrom the bridge. Here Robert Browning died in 1889. .PALAZZO St:llN,\G1O'ITO. Two palaces up, on the left. RichardWagner composed the second act of "Tristan and Isolde" herein 1858-59.PALAZZI MOCEN!(:O. Between the sharp bend.to the east in thecanal, and the first side cnnnl on your right. Inone of these LordByron began his epic poem Don Juan in 1818.PALAZZO COllNER-SPINELLI . On your side of the next canal tothe risbt. Byron lived here often when in Venice.Po;n:: DI RJ,\LTO. Famous marble bridge lined with shops, builtin 1588-92. Until 1854 the only bridge across the Grund Canal.C~\ o'Ono (the Golden House). On the right just before youget to the Rio di San Felice. The most typically Venetian nnd themost elegant Gothic pnlece in the city. Built in 1421-36.PALAZZO V:ENl l l lAMIN -CALEl lo r . On the right. One of the finestpalaces in Venice, begun in 1481. wagner died here in 1883.This.is just a once-over-lightly. All the buildings nnd palacesare several centuries old and most have interesting legends con-

84

~;C~~(~e;:~~l~~ ~ : ' G I ! ~ ~ ~ f!l~:~~;~I:o,;,~):tisl':L~I~~;,~~I~~S: 1 =GroVAr.TN'I O:UsOSTOillO, SANT I AI'0S'l'OL1, l \ !AOONNA DELL'ORTO,SANTA CATERINA, SAr.TA M,\RIA De GESUITI {part.iculm-ly magnifi-cent interior), SAN ZACCAIUA . SAN l'I G IOV , \N :


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VERONAYou probably know the city of VERONArom reading Shake-speare's Two Gentlemen of Vel'01W and his Romeo and Juliet. Itwas in Verona thut the "star-crossed" lovers lived lind died. TheMontngues und the Capulcta were rcnl people of Verona, althoughthey went under the names of Montecchi and Cnpuletti. The en-mity of their families arose because they were on opposite sides in

the struggle for power then going on between the Emperor andthe Pope.Verona has always been an important city because it guards thesouthern gate 1:0 the Brenner Pass, that strategic passagewaythrough the Alps. The main rail line between Italy and Germanyruns north through -rhe Brenner Pass, and there is an east-westroute through the town which links the indust rial centers of Pied-mont and Lombardy with Venice, which is 70 miles to the East, andwith Trieste. ,Verona has been fortified since the days of the Romans. Thecity is situated on both banks of an Sehnped loop of the AOroERI\'R. Great dikes and wails hold back the waters of the Adigc,

which, in earlier days. used to flood the lowe~' parts of the town.


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According to a legend, the waters of the Adige rose to the levelof the windows of the CHUROH OF Sxx ZE:NO in the year 589. But,through !t miracle, the waters "restrained themselves" lind did notgo into the church, although its doors were wide open.Early in the fifth century, Verona was threatened ? y th~ hor~lesof bnrbnrinns who were sweeping over Europe. That mvnsionwas averted, but in 452, Attila, the Hun, overrun every city ofVenetia, and Verona became a bnrbaunn fortress.Verona is second only to Venice in the interest and beauty.ofits medieval and Rennissence monuments. Its Roman remamsare better than those of any other town 01' city in northern Italy.Among the best-preserved of these Roman rel~cs . is the amphi-theatre, which is known as theARENA. It was bmlt m the yeru- 290,under Dioclctian. Itheld 25,000 spectators who saw the batt losof the gladiators and the fights between wild ~nimals, and belwe~nslaves and animals, such as were also held III the Colosseum InRome. As recently as last year an annual week of outdoor operawas given in the Arena. According to a story told in Verona, theItalian poet Dante got his idea of the shape of the Inferno when

he stood at the top of the Arena and looked down on its concentriccircles of seats.Dante stayed at Verona during the reign of the Scnliger family,which run from 1260 to the yenr 138i. Dante was at that timea refugee from Ftorence. from which city he had been banished.He was only one of the many refugees whom the Scnligers har-bored. They welcomed poets, artists. scholars, preachers. andsoldiers hom flmong the many persons who, for val'sing reasons.had been exiled from their native cities. It was under the Scali-gel's that Verona reached its peak of magnificence. The churches,'palaces. nnd other buildings of the city are literally covered WitJIthe works of such artists as Paole Oagtiari, who was known as IIVCl'on.esc, Badile, de Zevio, and mallY others.In addition to the splendid paintings and architecture to beseen in Verona, there are other famous sights which have drawntourists to the town fat' many years. One of the most importantcenters of Veronese life is the PIAZZ!I ERB!': , which is the marketsquare. It's 11 colorful place 011 the site of a Roman Forum.Peddlers used to stand in the market place under huge umbrellas,nnd the square wus always crowded with Italian women carryingtheir market. baskets. In the square is a fountain with an antique


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statue and a column dating from the Roman era. Another columnin the square is surrnonnted by the figure of a lion, which was putthere in the late nineteenth century. An em-lier figure of It lionwas destroyed as It form of punishment to the people of Verona.Just outside the town are-the GIUSTIG,\RDENS,on a hill fromwhich the city can be seen. From that point there nre wide viewsof the Alps to the north, and to south, the Po River plain with itsmulberry trees, vines, and corn. There are three railroad stationsin Verona, or, rather, there were three before the Allies bombedthe town. A street-car line ran from the PORTAVESCQVO to thePIAZZAERBEand the PIAZZ,\ VI'ITORlOEMANUELE.and from thePiazza Erbe through the Piazza BL'Il, to the Nuovo STATION.There were also electric streetcars which ran into the territory sur-rounding the town. Tourists who visited the town before thewar were advised to visit the Piazza Erbe, the market pace, in themorning in order to see it at its best. Most of the best restaur-ants and eating places 'Were in the PIAZZABRA. There were alsogood restaurants in the hotels of the town.PONOREN LltlRARY

S th .r n M e th o di.t U ni, .. . lt rD A LL A S . I't:X A S. ~nl [~ p . ' . " . " 0"'


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pocket guide to italian cities

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