306 Journal of recent 



and iu part justly, that under such im- 

 pressions are hidden both profligacy 

 and imposture. 



Among many unfounded prejudices, 

 however, which we are so willing to 

 entertain against a courteous, a polite, 

 and an elegant, people, is the charge 

 of inhospitality, I shall not attempt 

 to enter into a discussion in what man- 

 ner the various nations of Europe are 

 pleased to practise this virtue best; 

 but whoever has enjoyed, in familia- 

 rity with the natives, the opportunity 

 of passing the delightful months of the 

 villeggiature in Italy, will fully excul- 

 pate them from this illiberal imputa- 

 tion. At this season of the year, the 

 houses are thrown open to a general 

 invitation; and the villas become the 

 rendezvous of the nobleman, the cour- 

 tier, the poet, the sculptor, the painter, 

 and historian : music and hilarity dif- 

 fuse a charm over the ebullitions of 

 polished remark, of ready genius, of 

 elegant taste, and profound erudition ; 

 an easy social equality, refined by 

 good breeding, gives to all classes a 

 comfort of feeling, and produces a 

 harmony in concert with the cloudless 

 atmosphere which fosters it. 



I am far from wishing to adduce 

 exclusive instances applicable alone 

 to the advantages enjoyed by a single 

 individual; but, whilst vindicating tiie 

 Italians from the unjust charge of in- 

 hospitality, too often thundered against 

 them by the undiscerning ignorant, I 

 cannot avoid recalling lo my recollec- 

 tion tiie frank and unreserved hospita- 

 lity of the Marquis Leopoldo Feroni in 

 particular. Really, at the elcgnnt villa 

 of this nobleman, in the Pian di Ripoli 

 of Tuscany, his guests (although many 

 of them dependants upon his bounty,) 

 appeared more the favourers than the 

 favoured. The situation of his villa 

 en the most highly cultivated sjiot of 

 the cultivated plain of Tuscany, the 

 orange and citron groves, the floors of 

 marble and mosaic, or designed in 

 imitation of them, the picturesque view 

 of the amphitheatre of hilb on the 

 opposite side of the Arno, witli its 

 vineyards, olive-groves, and villas, the 

 tout ensemble, pronounce the marquis's 

 seat one of the most elegant and in- 

 viting abodes in Tuscany. Nature is 

 here enjoyed in all her most voluptu- 

 ous and alluring charms; and, viewing 

 the high degree of cultivation, which 

 suffers no inch of ground to be unpro- 

 ductive, — forming, as it were, of the 

 whole country one imaieus« and end- 



Travtls in Italy. [May f, 



less kitchen-garden, — I ceased to sigh 

 for a while for the parks, the groves, 

 and lawns, of my native land, since the 

 view of this unrivalled and general 

 cultivation was so highly gratifying. 



Nor was the elegance of this gen- 

 tleman less conspicuous than tho 

 splendor of his mansion : no individual, 

 however hundjie, ever entered it with- 

 out the most cheerful and unreserved 

 welcome, none ever left it without 

 feeling a poignant regret at the arrival 

 of the hour of de])arture ; it was 

 equally the abode of the Muses, as the 

 refined urbanity and condescension of 

 its owner rendered it that of the man 

 of feeling. These examples, too, at 

 the present day are not unfrequent ir» 

 Italy: an aciiuaintance, indeed, with 

 the fine arts facditates the access to 

 them ; a natural talent for poetry may 

 somewhat inllueucc a predisposed re- 

 ception; but a good-will generally 

 towards strangers predominates in a 

 country free from the sliackles of so- 

 cial, or rather unsoeial, prejudice; a 

 good-will which can Ijc highly im- 

 proved : not by a graceful exterior 

 alone, or the simple elegance of exter- 

 nals, but by attention to good-man- 

 ners, and a correspondent feeling witit 

 the inclination of the polished inhabi- 

 tants with whom we may associate, 

 " Oh ! but they give no dinners," cried 

 a voracious John Bull to me one day ; 

 " and there is no society without eat- 

 ing," cried another, fresh imported 

 from the invigorating stews of caly- 

 pash ; "Italy has fine statues, highly- 

 coloured paintings, superb domes, and 

 matchless specimens of architecture, 

 (the merits of none of which, however, 

 he was able to appreciate ;) but who 

 vyere Bramante and Palladio, now that 

 they can do no more, in comparison 

 with our many living artists of the 

 stoinacli, who still can do so much!*' 



True, my friend, you had better re- 

 turn to the land from which you c;inie ; 

 table luxury, considered abstractedly 

 as the mere haunts of feasting, is no 

 part of Ita'ian luxury, or will not be 

 expressly formed in reply to the intro- 

 duction of a letter, or to gratify the 

 idle curiosity of those who will not 

 read and learn. Upon a slight inter- 

 course even, on the other hand, the 

 houses of the first people in the coun- 

 try are always open to the visits of (he 

 stranger, and a natural ea^e of recep- 

 tion invites him to the return. 'Jhat 

 careless ingress and egress, which 

 constitutes the charm of social life, and 

 which 



