VIA BORGO. 3S5 



Almond trees were resplendent in the light green of 

 their young foliage and the figs were alread\' sprouting. 

 The whole showed such luxuriance as one might imagine 

 was in the Garden of Eden. On the other side of the 

 valley, crcwning the liill, stood the old town of San 

 Remo darkU outlined — an impressive picture, \\hich 

 Victor Ilehn sa^•s reminds him of Taormina. The road 

 crosses the valley b)' a bridge. I now turned to the cast 

 and followed the path that led to the sea. Pa' the road- 

 side was a Peach tree so covered with blossom that its 

 boughs were almost entirely hidden. In the strong sun- 

 light it stood out boldl)' from the dark blue background of 

 the water. To the e^ e susceptible to colour harmonies 

 the pearly pink of these blossoms on an azure ground 

 would be a dream uf delight. 



The n:any-domed church of the Madonna della 

 Costa, surrounded b^' slender Cvpr.esses, o^'ertops the 

 old town ol San Remo. I tjuiltecl the Vmi Horgo in 

 order to walk up to the Madonna. She is enthroned in 

 the midst of the wide semicircle of high mountains that 

 form a sheltering wall round San Remo. The highest 

 point of the range is Monte Bignone, wliich is -t,280 feet 

 above sea-level. From its summit it falls in gentle undu- 

 lating slopes eastwards and westwards till it reaches the 

 coast, ^vithout a single gap through which the north wind 

 could reach the vallcA's to the south. Xo white peak 

 towers above this barrier to send down an icA' draught. 

 You must climb to the edge of this huge amphitheatre 

 it you would gaze on the snowy region that lies beA'ond. 

 From the Madonna della Costa you can look only due 



