Tiberius, when he built his palace up on top of this wonderful Isle of the Sea, at least knew where to find the beautiful.
Ischia, even more beautiful, if possible, is close by, and we look over and think of the terrible fate of its people only a few months ago.
In front of us is Naples, and, in sight, Vesuvius sullenly smokes away as if to remind us of the eternal peril to all who stay among these loveliest scenes of earth.
Naples.--[Page 266.]
We visited Pompeii, with its lifted mantle of ashes and cinder, that have helped mankind to patch out history. I was impressed by the extreme smallness of the Pompeiian houses. They look like little stone kitchens. Everything in the excavated city seems in miniature. One could think of a toy town built of stone, but supplied with everything wonderful of art and luxury.
I fail to see anything wonderful in unearthing Pompeii. It was easy to dig it out of its ashes. There is no lava there. And it would seem a question if two dozen people ever lost their lives in the disaster. It simply snowed ashes for a day or so, and why should people deliberately sit there and smother!
Paestum.--[Page 267.]
From the top of Capri we fancied we could almost see the temples of Paestum by the other bay, those temples without a history--those grandest ruins on the earth.