During the time I remained at Milan I made an excursion to the lake of Como. At the village of Como I took a small steamer, which plies upon the lake, and had an opportunity of seeing the beautiful gardens, pleasure grounds, and orangeries which line the shores. Nothing can be more delightful to the lover of fine scenery than an excursion upon this lake.
While in Rome, last spring, I saw an original cast in plaster, ordered by Napoleon, from the great sculptor Canova. It represented the triumph of Alexander the Great, and was said to have been purchased at a sum equal to fourteen thousand dollars, and was in a village upon the lake of Como. I landed at the villa Sonimorira, and visited the grounds and interior of this villa, or more properly speaking, palace, where I had an opportunity of seeing this admirable piece of sculpture in bas-relief, in white marble. It is attached to the wall. I made another excursion to Monza, about twelve miles from Milan, which contains a royal residence, well worth visiting; also a cathedral, where is deposited the crown of the Lombard kings, called the “Iron Crown,” because it is lined with an iron hoop, but of small size, and, as the story goes, is composed of the nails with which our Saviour was fastened to the cross. The outside of the crown of gold is studded with precious stones. Charlemagne was crowned king of Lombardy with it in the cathedral where it is deposited. The sacristy also abounds with ornaments of gold, silver, diamonds, and other precious stones, belonging to the church. There was an unusual degree of form and ceremony before we could get to see this celebrated relic. After we had obtained permission from the highest functionary, I was not a little surprised to find that this relic was placed in the wall behind the altar, making it necessary to ascend by ladder to unlock the double doors, one of which was a part of the front of the altar; after which many candles were lighted and two priests put on their robes and made a short service, when an enormous cross of gold was produced, in the centre of which was inclosed in crystal the crown already described; for all of which our party paid five francs. I was rather credulous in the belief of the story that the interior of the crown was made from the nails of the cross, as I have already seen, in different parts of Europe, more relics of the kind than were necessary for the crucifixion of our Saviour.
After I left Milan I came to Verona, on the route to Venice, where I tarried one day. Verona has its objects of curiosity, but not sufficient to detain one who has seen the cities of southern Italy. The ancient amphitheatre here is one of the most remarkable; it is more perfect than any other in Italy. It accommodated twenty-three thousand four hundred and eighty-four persons seated, according to report, and is composed of large blocks of marble without cement. It is of an oval form, four hundred and sixty-seven feet long and three hundred and sixty-seven feet wide. The arena is two hundred and twenty-five feet in length, and one hundred and thirty-three feet wide. There are forty-five rows of seats encircling the arena. The exterior wall is destroyed, but the other parts of this immense work of antiquity are quite perfect. In the suburbs of Verona, in a building near the former cemetery of a Franciscan convent, is a sarcophagus called the tomb of Juliet, and made of Verona marble, with a place for her head, a socket for a candle, and two holes for the admission of air. This sarcophagus is nothing in itself, but associated with Shakespeare, and the history of Romeo and Juliet, it is full of interest.
On arriving at Venice, I visited the palace of the Doges, the Basilica of San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs, the Giant Stairs, the Rialto, and several other parts of the city. Venice is about seven miles in circumference, with a population of one hundred thousand. It is situated in the midst of shallows called Lagunes, and stands mostly on piles. It is entered in all directions by canals, which amount to some hundreds, and bridges of stone without number. The streets are narrow, frequently not exceeding six feet in width, but having shops on each side, and then again many passages not exceeding four feet wide. There are, however, many squares, but they are not generally large. The Place of St. Mark, upon which is situated many of the principal buildings, is magnificent, and presents a lively scene. The only conveyance is in gondolas, which traverse all parts of the city, and are a necessary appendage to every family. One is induced to pronounce it a singular and beautiful city, because no other is like it.
It is surprising that the city should be supplied with all the necessaries, comforts, and luxuries of life without any apparent difficulty. Here are to be found thousands of persons who never saw the bubbling of a fountain or the growth of the vegetables upon which they subsist, who know not the use of a horse, and never saw such an animal, who perhaps have never seen a tree.
On approaching Venice in a gondola it has the appearance of a city submerged, while the steeples in the distance resemble the masts of vessels. The silence is profound, and at first it appears dull. The canals in general being the streets, the only noise to disturb the tranquillity is that made by the oars and the cries of the gondoliers. On leaving Venice I took the steamer for Trieste, the passage being accomplished across the head of the Adriatic in from ten to twelve hours ordinarily. As I depart to-morrow for Greece you may not expect to hear from me again until after my arrival at Patras, or the Ionian Islands.
XXIV.
Athens, Greece, Nov. 28, 1841.
When I wrote you last, from Trieste, I was on the point of embarking by one of the Austrian steamers for this city, with the additional advantage of stopping at three ports on the route, which gives the passenger an opportunity of seeing some interesting sights. Soon after leaving Trieste we were visited with one of those violent gales of wind which so frequently occur on the Adriatic, against which the steamer struggled with difficulty, and all the passengers, except one, experiencing the horrors of sea-sickness, were snugly stowed away in their berths. This man solitary and alone, I noticed in his enviable position, seated at the supper table, whilst the sea was making a complete breach over the deck of the steamer, and the chairs and plates were secured by straps and braces. Within twenty-four hours we made the harbor of Ancona, the principal commercial port of the Pope of Rome, whose dominions extend from the Mediterranean on the west to the Adriatic on the east, and where we remained nearly a day, giving us an opportunity of seeing all that was most remarkable in the town. We next departed for Corfu, one of the most important of the Ionian islands, and the seat of government, and where we arrived after two days. The approach to the island is beautiful, with a fine harbor or bay for vessels. The opposite coast of Albania, the fortifications of the island of Vido, and the citadel of Corfu, built on two precipitous rocks running out into the sea, with the town and the mountains in the distance, form a splendid panoramic view.
The island is in the possession of the British, who have many troops stationed here. Its circumference is said to be one hundred and twelve miles, and the population sixty thousand, that of the city being twenty thousand. We have found the weather delightfully warm and pleasant, and observed many plants and fruits peculiar to the West India climate. On landing I was struck with the gay and picturesque costume of the male population, who mostly wear the Albanian dress, which is the gayest, and in some cases the most fantastic, of any I have seen in Europe. It consists of a red cap of beautiful material, of the form of a hat without the rim, with a large tassel of blue silk suspended from the top; a round jacket and vest, of cloth of various colors, beautifully embroidered with cord, and sometimes with gold and silver lace, which fits to the figure; from the waist is suspended a white frock with heavy folds which hang gracefully, barely covering the knees, with leggings of the same colored cloth as the jacket, embroidered in the same manner, and covering the shoes. The waist is encircled with a sash of red or blue silk, the ends hanging negligently by the side. We remained at Corfu only one day, but long enough to give us time to visit the villa of the governor, beautifully situated on a cliff overhanging the sea; also to visit the esplanade or parade ground, and some of the Greek churches, in one of which rest the remains of Capo d’Istria, the late governor of Greece, who was assassinated in Nauplia.