I8O TRAVELS THROUGH 



tufts or fmall forefts. Narci/us Fazzetta grevr 

 here in plenty on the borders of rills in the fields, 

 and filled the air with agreeable fragrancy. 



From Terradna to Piperno the calcareous hills 

 continued. This place is fituated on a high cal- 

 careous hill. Some miles diftant from Piperno I 

 palled a large forefl of olive-trees, belonging to 

 the adjacent monaftery called Cafa nucva. The 

 foil thence to Piperno was fandy. On both fides 

 of the road the fields and hills are covered with a 

 fine fanguine red and ochraceous fand. The dark- 

 nefs of the evening hindered me from obfer- 

 ving whether this red colour might not perhaps 

 arife from red puzzolana or volcanic alhes -, which 

 is the more probable, as at Rome they call Piperno 

 a greenilh volcanic tufo, probably firft difcovered . 

 in this country, and very well agreeing with red 

 puzzolana. I was told, that there is near this 

 place a limeftone quarry. 



From Piperno we defcended on this calcareous 

 hill till we arrived within a few miles of Sermo- 

 netta> where the -country begins to be plain and 

 flat. The Pomptine fwamps are to the left, and 

 the Apennines run to the right. Thefe fwamps are 

 inhabited by a great many buffalos. The fmell 

 of the air, and of feveral hot fprings, near the 

 road, which depofe a white terracous fediment, is 

 fo fulphureous, that it was offenfive, and is fa-id 



to 



