ITALY. 



649 



rudely formed, and have sometimes only holes pierced for the head and arms. In Sardinia 



and Tuscany, the females have many ornaments 

 of pearl, coral, and gold ; and even the poorest 

 are rich in these. In Tuscany the females of 

 the common classes wear black beaver hats, with 

 high crowns, and stiff plumes of black feathers. 

 On holydays they are streaming with ribands. 

 At Naples the lazzaroni have gaudy holyday 

 dresses, but some of them may be seen lying 

 naked in the sun, and many have no othei 

 covering than breeches that end above the knee. 

 In the island of Procida, the females to this day 

 wear the Greek costume, which, in that seques- 

 tered nook, though within a few miles of Naples, 

 has descended from their ancestors. 

 Inhabitants of Modern Italy. 11. Language. The Written language of 



Italy is uniform, though there are various dialects 

 spoken in different distri,cts, and in Savoy the more general language is the French. The 

 Italian is founded on the Latin, which it nearly resembles, except in the articles and auxiliary 

 verbs. All foreign, or barbarous words, are said, by Muratori, not to exceed 1,000. The 

 language is so sweet and liquid, that it is consecrated to music in all European countries ; yet, 

 though soft to a great degree, it is distinguished for force, as will be allowed by all readers of 

 Dante. The language is spoken with the most purit)^ at Rome, Siena, and Florence ; but the 

 Venetian dialect is the most musical. 



12. JManner of Building. In Italy, are the most splendid and perfect monuments of archi- 

 tecture. The churches are the most costly and magnificent ; the monasteries capacious, and 

 the palaces unrivaled. Many of these latter, however, in the Venetian territory, though built 

 by Palladio, are suffered to decay, and some are razed, for the sake of the materials. Archi- 

 tecture, painting, sculpture, and other arts, are exhausted on the churches. Many of them 

 have a minuteness of finish, that is nothing less than wonderful. The pillars of some are en- 

 crusted with mosaic pictures, or precious stones ; the walls covered with frescoes, and the 

 doors inimitably carved in bronze. The gates of the Baptistery, at Florence, were pronounc- 

 ed, by Michael Aftgelo, to be "worthy of Paradise" ; they are divided into compartments, and 

 carved in bronze, with scriptural histories. There is no part of the churches, that is not richly 

 ornamented. The cities of Italy are all well built, and Genoa is named, from its palaces, 

 " the superb." It is almost a city of palaces, many of which are very striking in effect. In 

 Florence, the architecture is of a more solid character; the indication of a time, when factions 

 convulsed the city, and every house was designed to resist an assault, and stand a siege. 

 There are few windows, or columns, in the Tuscan palaces. Some of the chief buildings, 

 have been for ages unfinished ; the Pitti palace wants a wing ; the Cathedral is not completed, 

 and the vestibule of the Laurentian Library has still the scaffolding erected by M. Angelo. 



At Rome, many of the 300 churches are worthy of admiration, and one of them is the 

 greatest monument reaied by the hand of man. The palaces are numerous and elegant. They 

 are generally quadrangles, with an area within, and a wide staircase of marble. The windows 

 are numerous. The palaces, however, seem to be designed as much for the spectator as the 

 tenant ; and none of them are devised for English principle of comfort. 



At Naples, the churches, though rich, are of an inferior architecture, but the palaces are 

 imposing. The roofs are flat, and covered with a cement, that endures the climate. The 

 roofs are terraces ; at some seasons the people sleep upon them ; and every window has a bal- 

 cony. At Rome and Naples, there are few chimneys ; the climate is so mild, that little fire 

 is necessary. The ladies, however, have, in winter, a litde vase of coals, which they place 

 under their dress ; they call it a marito., or husband. The leaning towers, are one of the pecu- 

 liarities of Italy. There are 2 at Bologna, side by side, overhanging the most populous part 

 of the city. One is slender, and 350 feet high. It was formerly 476, but was reduced, from 

 caution, after it had withstood an earthquake. It was erected A. D. 1 110. The other is 130 

 feet high, and 8 feet out of the perpendicular. At Padua, is a hall, built in the 12th century, 

 which has withstood several earthquakes ; it is 300 feet long, 100 feet wide, and the same in 

 height. It is larger than Westminster Hall, yet the walls are insulated, and not strengthened 



