CHAPTER VIII 

 EFFIGIES AND MONUMENTS IN PARKS 



' ' rri ORINO is conspicuous among the cities of Italy for the 

 A regularity of its construction and for the number of its 

 monuments." 



Observe the naive way in which Baedeker's guide book employs 

 that word " conspicuous." The city is not described as being famous 

 or celebrated or well known for its monuments, but merely conspicuous. 

 Yet in a following paragraph we read: " Torino is noted for vermouth 

 and caramels " ; in other words, its fame has spread abroad from the 

 least conspicuous of its products. The same is true of park design. 

 A park may be conspicuous for the multiplicity of its memorial statues, 

 but it will be noted and famed for the character of its fountains, its 

 helle vistaSj and its shady walks. 



Nothing is so aggravating to a visitor in a park as to foUow an 

 ingratiating walk leading apparently to an especially fine bit of park 

 beauty only to wind up, face to face, with a portrait statue, for which 

 the most that can be said is " Erected in 18 — ." Who is responsible 

 for leaving these monstrosities exposed? Why are they not put in a 

 Salon des Independants as at Paris, or in a Hall of Horrors as in the 

 Washington Capitol, or decently interned as at the Campo Santo at 

 Genoa. There is an especially lovely drive in the Cascine Park at 

 Florence known as the Viale del Re, the King's Way. This beautiful 

 drive presents to the visitor a continuously changing scene of alternat- 

 ing woodland and water views, glimpses of recreation grounds, tennis 

 courts, and gardens. A hippodrome and cyclodrome are located along 

 this driveway, an army jumping field attracts interest even when not 

 in use, and there are all sorts of fountains and unique-looking shelters 

 and what-not to enhance the interest of this drive. And then at the 

 far, far end where one expects to find the pot of gold, there is lodged 



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