24^ Travels in Italy 



you will return to this house/' which is one of the Palazzi di 

 Palladio. I waited then on the Abbate Pierropan, professor of 

 physics and mathematics. He had the direction, for some years, 

 of the economical garden, given by the state for experiments in 

 agriculture, now in the hands of the agrarian academy: he 

 received me with great politeness ; and not only expressed every 

 wish to assist me, but entered immediately on the business, by 

 proposing a walk to call on the Count de Boning, president of 

 that academy, in our way to the garden. I have a poor opinion 

 of all these establishments on a small scale ; in any hands, they 

 are not calculated to do much; and in hands not truly practical, 

 they are calculated to do nothing. The Count de Boning, find- 

 ing that I wished to converse with some real common farmers, 

 appointed the afternoon for going into the country, about three 

 miles, to a farm of his, where I should find an intelligent person: 

 he then took his leave for the present, — and Signore Pierropan 

 and myself proceeded to the villa of the Count de Tiene; as he 

 was absent for an hour only, we employed that time in walking 

 a little further, to view the celebrated rotunda of Palladio, 

 belonging to Count Capra^ one of the three greatest works of 

 that great genius they possess at Vicenza. It is of a beautiful 

 mean between decoration and simplicity; the distribution seems 

 a new and original thought, much more adapted, however, to 

 Italy than to England; for in the space of loo Vicentine feet, 

 we might, relative to our climate and manners, have a house far 

 exceeding it. I am concerned to see so delicious a morsel suffered 

 to go much to decay; the plaster on the brick columns is wear- 

 ing off, and other neglect visible. The beauty of the environs of 

 Vicenza exceeds anything I have seen in Italy, viewed from the 

 hill on which these houses, and the church Santa Maria del 

 Monte, are situated; the city in the rich plain, and the hills 

 spread with white buildings, crowned by the Alps, are fine. The 

 Count de Tiene, with the assistance of another nobleman, of 

 more experience, who happened to be present, gave me some 

 information relative to the part of the Vicentine in which their 

 estates are situated. Quitting him, I begged the Abbate Pierro- 

 pan to favour me with his company at dinner, by which means 

 I had the benefit of his conversation so much longer on the 

 favourite topic. The Abbate de Tracio, vice-president of the 

 academy, joined us. After dinner, according to appointment, 

 to the Count de Boning, whose coach was ready, and carried us 

 to the farm. Fortunately the farmer, a sensible and intelligent 

 man, was ready to answer all such inquiries as I put to him. At 



