Foreign Correspondence

VenicE, Ootober 23, 1S72. My Deau Pond : In Italy at lust! IIow gtrangely longs :he traveler who lias ever dreained of soinetime seoing this sran-ny latid, to set xot upon its soil and begin that pilgrimage froni one hiMmt oí' genius to another,, 'rom OWe object of beauty to othors more seautiful, whicli ruake Italy one of the aost familiar and yet one of the most intoresting countries in the world. Thus Pur our plan of travel has worked admirably: beginning in northern trermany, whero overytbiïg is comparatively commonplace and plain, yet very novel and mteresting to the newly arrived stranger, we have gradually approaehed the moro grand and beautiful in natural eoenery, nul the more rich and varied Btores of the beautiful in art, steadily progressmg, yet ever with something more fascinating oeyoud, just as even now,after tho fulleat poesible eujoyment of tha glorious scenery of the Tyrol and of the treasures of art at Munich, we are still to sec Switzerland ind its lakes and tha boundless riches of Florence and Home. Re ver sin g the order, how much that hae,,aiforded us so nnc'i fleasure would be dil and insipid nul lose their real chamis in the different standard by which they would be estimated. We havo had opportunities to learn that the beauties of Nature do not all lie upon the most travo led routes. In this respect Art and Natnre are widely different, lïailroads are such a convenience that travelers are often unvrilHngly carried byplaceeof great interest. Some disiance before reaching Verona, we left tho verdirreless mountains which had bordered the valley of the Adigo marsh all the way from Trent, and after the daily und uninterrupted compankmship of the 110blest momïtain scenery for just two months, the sudden contrast was vory 710tice.able, for we were now in the borders of the garden plains of Lombardy. The gentl emmenees about Verona are all 00cupied by the consxicuous and extengive net-work of fortifications, ancient and modern, with which it is sougbt to render it impregnablc. .Leaving our -valises at the station, -we took the best sight-seeing method of reaching our hotel, and walked. A fine avenue extended Bearly to the.ga.te, cnteri-feg which our walk took us through a long busy street of shojis and merohandiae, with little tp arrest atteirtion except the evident presente of the peculiar characteristics of Italian architecture in the botter buildings along the -way ; heavy stone and rnarble entráñeos to inner courts with coats-of-arinsabovo the kej'-stone, and balconies and chimneys obtruding from tho walls over tho streets. ít was not until we crossed the Adige on Ponte Navi, that wo bogan to soe the substantial raerits of the city. We took rooms ai; Albergo 'San Lorenzo, and had the wiüe, swiftly flowing river, with the ancient palaco of the Scaligers, directly in front of ovr windows. Our sta y was to be brief, and we lost no time in beginning our inspection of the venerable and pleasant looldng place. The square courts around which palaoes and public buildings are erected are called piazzas. One of the most notable of ■which is the Piazza d'ii Signore, on entering which through a iiarrow, unattractive alleywo were complctely,surprisedby the noble tacados with which we were at once surrounded. The pallazo del Consiglio, along the balustrade of which stood tho statues of some of Verona's must distiiíguished nativos, among them, of course, 'Cornclius Nepos and Catuilus, known to every soholar. 'The buildings, soarcoly loss imposing,together with tho tower of the Municipio, over three hundred feet high, completed the square, while in the center, upon its marble pedestal, stood a line statue of Dante, whose singular, nun-like robes and olear cut protile have made his appearance familiar to all, through. prints taken from this etatue. Close to this piazza is the longer and much largor Piazza dolle Erbe, in anoient times tho forum of the Iiepublic. In it is still standing the Tribune and its canopy, supported by four marble columns, from which justiee was dispensed with a hand as impartial as that of our modern courts. There, too, is the ancient l'ounfain surrnounted by the statue of Verona, and the marble coluinu which for somony centuries sustained tho lion of St. Mark, after Venice became mistress of the seas and of Verona. The ancient frescoos (14th century) had not the brilliant coloring which is needed to make this style of pictures attractive, altliough in many cases they had been restored. Becrossing the Piazza die Signore wo stood by that imposing group of gplendid monuments, tho tombs of tlie Scaligers, which quite overshadow the siuall, unpretending church of H. Maria Antica. It is (juite iuiposs.blo to convoy an adequate idea of the mausoleums by detoription. They present a singular appearanoe, the two largest being eoinpletely surrounded by a network of bronie railingof exquisite workmanship, p.bout three feot high, making thoin appear at first like two highly ornumentod Gothic structures in bronze and marble, abont twonty-fivefeet high by ten or twelve feet square. Inside of these are seen tlio marble portion of the respective monumonts - the one a larger sareophagus restingon four rioh marble pillars, surrounded by f uil sizestatues of varióos Christian warriors, above whioh rises a marble eanopy with órnate gables and pinnaclea, Bupported by other scuiptured columns, and still above this a lifesize equestrian statue of the Prinee Can Signorio, who died in 1735, after spendiag immense Sums in the vain-glorious ambitionof erecting fot himself a tumb moro magnificent than that of Mastino III., who died in 1751,. The tomb of the latter beiug scarceiy inferior in size or workmanship seems far moro meriforious because it is purely a mouumont ereoted without iuvidious rivalry. ïhere are six others of vanons design and morit, but none of them approaching the first two in artistic execution or expsusiveness. This family, for over a cemtury from 1262, were the oontrolling arbiters of the affairs of state in Veróna. A short distance further we carne ipon the aitremely plain f'acade of 8t. Anastasia, of brick, intended npparently to have been faced with marble, and of the Hth oentnry, but the interior is very beautiful, and as it had only the Bnnday before been tastefully decorated for the feast of tho roses, and these were mostly still remaining. There was a more cheerful atmojjpüere about the church than is usual in " tho dim catbedral aisles" of these ancient basílicas. One of the sicle altars was nained the chapel of the roses, and its railing at tho entrance was suirnounted by beautifnl statuos of two cherubs bearing wreatha of tlieso fairest of flowers. In the choir stands tha extremely rich altar of thp Pelligrini family, oroeted in memory of two of that family whose ïiaraes are perpetuated by the inscriptions upon the reddish colorod marble opposite. This altar is adorned by twelve bronze tableta, about two by threo feet in size, covered with vcry finely executed illustrations of the history of Christ in high relief. How this tasteful memorial i contrasted with tliose of the Scaligers of :':he samo period .! 3Tear the . portal are two beggars in a grayish col-" ored marblc, which. compel one's attention from the singularity of the subjects selected, tho use to which they are applied (each supporting upon bis naked ■houlders tlio marble fontfi of consecrated water), and thesuccessfulexecutien. One was by Itossi in 1591, the other by tho father of the great pointer Paul Yoroneso a few years earlier. ïhe cathedral is a fine Gothic building of the 1 J tli century, but not ef unusual size. The front colamns of the main portal rest upon two animáis couchant, resembling lions except that the mouth is in the form of a beak, and in relief. Upon tho panels next the door are reliëfs of Roland and Oliver, tho historical or traditionary paladins of Charlemagne. We could not learn what was the pertinency of their introduction in this situation. One of the ultar-pioces is attributed to Titian. We spent the veiling in the Piazza Bra, the largest square of this city, and bounded on ono side by the amphitheater, It is the grand promenade for tho citizens upon pleasant evenings, and a fine band Tuakea it a most delightful entertainment to both stranger and native. It was brilliantly illuininated, and tho largo crowd of people of all classes who were there intermingled in temporary forgetfulness of all the cares of the day - giving an opportunity for all to sos all without the cold iormalities of eard and routine - made it a spectacle of glowing interest to us, and the thought impulsively arose whether it did not invol ve a good lessou in social economy that might be made useful in other lauds. Differenccs in climate and differences in natural organization and habita of life are, howover, obstaoles not to bo forgotten. Tho extremely poor and the extromoly aristocratie do not probably frequent the promenade atsuch times, but appearances justified a belief that all the intermedíate gjadations of society were all represented, and there was uniform civility and propriety of conduct as they marched to and fro or stood about the various parta of the square. The next morning we had projected a general survey of the city and its environs, but the skies wero unpropitious. - We had reserved the amphitheatcr also also for inspection at leisure, and thither we first wended our way; but how describe this wondorful memorial of the long buried pagt 1 There it stands to-day, just as it stood eighteon centuries or more ago, with tho exception of tho exterior wal!. This is entirely gone - destroyed by an earthquake (!()() years ago, except a remnant of perhaps 100 feet in length, embracing four largo archways at tho base, with two stories of nore narrow corresponding window openings for light and air above, and reachmg sorao fifteen feethigher (with appropriate arphitectural cornice aloag the ou ter edge) than the other portions of the immense structure as it now appears. As a whole it is said to be in more perfect preservation than the Coliseum at Home, though not so large. lts height, that is of tho exterior walls, was 10(5 feet ; its greater length 546 feet, and its width 436 feet, being oval in shape. The arena itself inclosed in tho center is 239 feet long and 141 broad. That of tho Coliseum was 285 long by 182 wide. To enter we pass through oue of tho archc-s in tlio second wall, which wero onee opposito thoso in tho outer wall and about ten feet further in. We at once find ourselves beneath the soats of .he amphitheater in the now rathcr gloomy passages and cells, columns and walls, nto whieb this vast gpaco ing around tlie entire arena was divided. Somc were cells for prisoners and captivos, poreliiince of Christian raartyrs ; some were for the gladiators and somo wore the dungeons for wild beasts who were to join in the pastimes of tho age. Some were halls for tho necessary nrtisans ; somo allowed access to various portions of the seats above, and some wereto allow theadmÍB8Íon of water when the arena was to be floodod for somo marine spectacle ; and the whole formed an endless ambages tu tho stranger. We ascended a fiight of stono steps and enterod the amphitheater. about half way up the forty-five encircling rows of seats. At once the wholo interior was before us, without roof or shadow to mystify or darken its distinctness. What a ílood of visions instinctively aroso as we stood there, in the spectral presence as it wero of the 27,000 spectators all absorbed in the terrible combat of tho arena helow. Description seems weak to convey adequate imprcssions of such a place. The whole interior appearanoe is almost iden tically the samo as after its oreetion aboul tho year 284 in tho timo of Diooletian. except that the interior wall then extended completely around an enclosure about fifteen feet high abovo and ten feot behind the upper tier of seats. At present the last seat is on a level with tho top of tho wall, and there is nothing for most of the distanee round to prevent thu oceupants from tumbling over and falling nearly 100 feet. The seats aro all of a grayish marble, eighteen inches higiind aud twenty-six inches wide, affording space for bitting and for the feet of thosij seated'oa the next higher tier bohind. Each tier (40 in all) makes an unbroken circuit of tho whole amphitheater. As the substructure is of the most massive archings of masonry and the seats are of solid marble the edifica is well-nigh indestructible, unless, as at Rome, the materiitls aro purposely removed to construct other buildings, and eighteen centuries heroafter other generations may gaze on this structure with an interest only heightened bythe greator antiquity. öoing down into the arena we could look about the circuit and note the doorways - each numbered with some Roman numeral - through which the wild beasts prisoners, &c, wore admitted into the arena. The wall surrounding the arena appeared mucli too.low to afford security to the spectators, being only about ïïve feet high - and no appearauco of additional balustrade now exists. Ii is highly probable that the bottom of the arena may have boon somewhat lower than at present. A sniíill building and track for our conimon circus performances have been loeated at one sido of the arena, and thero is room for sevural more, while the space upon the old seats, which modern spectators have to somo extent worn clean from the rust of age, is aïmost incredibly srnall. "VVe left this most iuteresting of anciont ruins deeply sensible of tho great glory which surrounded the Roman citizenship, and wondering if a singlo structurö in our own young Republic would carry, through even a half dozen centurios any eviótence of our existente in 1872. Another relie of the Roman period is the old gatcway which spans the Corso, called the Porta di Borsari. It does not appear ever to have been deoorated, and now appears very grim and dingy- having two an tranco ways below and two tiers of Hireo wimlow-like openings each above. From the inscription it appears to have been erected in 2G5 under the Emporor Galleinus, subordínate to Diocletian, of course. VVe could not laavo Verona without seeing tho house where Juliet lived befort being immortalized in Shakespeare's verse. It is now a very coinmon hotel and not all likely to inspire romantic sentiment. We walked through the gateway arch into the court, and saw nothing more inspiring there, though the hat carved in stouo foruis tho key to the inner arch, and vorifies the identity of tho building beyond dispute -the hat being the distinctive emblam of the Capellctti family. A tablet inserted in tho wall also announces the fact. After all our ül-suppressed disappointment in the meager materials for poetry which now envelope tho place thero is no small satisfaction in having seon it, and in having been in the very court where Romeo probably first essayed tho talo of bis lovo to Juliet. Wo did not attempt to hunt up tho tomb of tho fair heroïne, for no one gives any faith to tho pretended claims of tho so-called sarcophagus, which bas been variously describedasan old water-trough, a recoptacle for old garbage, and other things, as travelershavecouceived ittobo On the whole we enjoyed our brief stay in Verona, and but for the rain would have seen more. Leaving in a drizzling rain we had but an indistinct view of tho road to Venice. Wo had a constant succession of vineyards, rnulberry plantations and pretty villages most of the way. We loffc the Adige and its fine valley very soon after starting. There were but few stations of much importance. The first wo passed was Vicenza, which bas about 35,000 inhabitants and is noted as tho birth-place of the fameus architect Palladio, of tho sixteenth ceutujy. Many of his palaces, uusurpassed in modern times, aro vet to be seen. l'adua is somewhat larger, having over 50,000 popuia tion, and we were much disappointed in being prevented by the weather from stopping over foraday. It is very anciont, and the soat of a colobratcd University, which has numbered among its studonts and teachers somo of " tho immortal ñames that wero not born to die," - Tasso, Ariosto, Petrarch, Galileo, Savonarola and and others. After passing Padua wo crossed tho . Brenta, tho oountry appearing ver"y level and uninteresting from its gradual subsidence to the surface of tho Adriatic without the intervention of any tlovated crost. Fortunatoly for us the skies cleared up, and as wo neared our destination all becaine clear and bright as wo cuuld desira. That we were somewhat excited in the speedy prospect of seeing tho world renowned Venioe, "Queen of the Adriatic," it would bo nocdless to deny. Scarccly a city of Europe has attractions moro nuincrous, and none of such peculiar interest. In history uo single city ever played a more important part, and none has excceded her in the contribution of illustrious namen in Coinmerce, Architecture and Art, to brighten its pages. The fame of her palanos and her Doges ; of her gorgeous cathedral and unrivalled piazza ; oí her cañáis and gondoliers. has entered every domicilo where books have found their way ; and it was for tho first sight of this " city of tho soa " we gazed forward in advanco of tho rapid cur. At last tho long blue lino, broken by dome and pinnacle, appeared far off on the bosom of the Adriatic, more resombling New York when approachod from the Hudson Eiver route than any city we luid seeu. A oridge over two miles long, but little raised above tho inarshy land and water, wasspeedily crossed, and wc were in Venico -of wliich moro hsreufter. Ever yo'irs,