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Foligno we saw a very fine statue of massy silver, 
as big as life, representing St. Felix, one of their 
bishops; it is in a chair of silver, and is carried 
about the town once a year. After dinner we be- 
gan to ascend the Apennines, and slept at a poor 
little place called Serravalle, in a very deep rocky 
valley, high among the mountains, where every- 
thing wore the appearance of February; the trees 
just budding, and the spring flowers now in bloom. 
This is one of the lowest passes of these mountains ; 
there are others which are now covered with snow. 
The road is commodious enough. Next day we 
descended into a milder climate, and I found seve- 
ral fine plants. Passed through a rich and beautiful 
country (which continued all the way to Bologna) 
to Macerate, a very fine situation, and next day 
dined at Loretto, where we spent the rest of the day 
in seeing the celebrated curiosities of that holy 
place. They are very civil to strangers here, and 
delight to show them every thing ; no kneeling or 
any ceremony of that kind is required. The place 
swarms with poor labouring people, who come on 
pilgrimages here from every part of the world: 
they go round the holy house on their knees, sing- 
ing or saying their prayers. The holy house is 
converted into a chapel; the outside is cased with 
marble ; it stands under the dome of a very large 
church: the inside is divided into two parts by an 
altar and grate, all of massy silver ; the part behind 
the altar is lined entirely with silver, and here in a 
niche of gold stands the holy image of the Virgin, 
ina robe covered with above six thousand diamonds, 
