FROM 0U,1 OWN CORRESPONDSNT. 



Vrr.TiA. b'KeW'h, (JonioLibio, 

 . Tliis superb rosidonce, quocn of all tho 

 lakoB, is aUsohilQly I'uU, and lias boon 



for 



ivocka t,() • 

 It ia i-n»h 

 ntid luiicJi 

 ^- «- on tho nc 

 lidviiig 



■ nth, 



ul will bu 



for iiiany 



. _ iliouhl Im.. 



lo Jcavn CciLio in llu. iiuiinin;-; 



lit tho Vi:i:i, and ilicn uifUu-k 

 :t 'boat lor bouio othor iilu 

 llotliinK, knowing nothing 

 1,ho gloriuuiS sfttiary beliiliil, jiouyht of 

 tlio ttuohujiting (fardons, tli<* lurrtintiiil 

 •wdtoriall above, tko wondrous trues of 

 every sort, tho avenue, _stee{> alld straisfhi, 

 and of eublirao proportions from tho iiobl 

 eiitrajioa lea<ling to tho grotix) whoi'- 

 Hercules rules. A day is useless to a.p- 

 j>reoiato the wealth that 'is held withm 

 luid around the Villa. 



Happily, thifi year a change has come, 

 and neorlj all the (juosts have remainea 

 liere for throe or four weeks. 



Perhaps a few words on the place, 

 side and out, may not^ be aniias. Th^ 

 are 400 rooms in tho YiHa,, and some l. , 

 of gri-eat interest. I'ar beyotid the stately 

 r&staurants is situated Napoldott's room^ 

 for he stayed here five days as guest ot 

 General Pilio. Tho room was upholstered 

 in shimmering jeUow silk, each portion 

 l>6arlng the Imperial Eagle and N, The 

 c*iliiigs Atts richly frescoed and painted, 

 and electric globes are set in line and 

 spacious old bronne and weU-eai-ved candle- 

 Bticks. 



The hridge-iviom, roomy and well fur- 

 nished, seems the most comfortable room 

 in the house, and all the tables are booked, 

 even, before dinner. 



GAR THAT WAS A BATHROOM. 



The cosy bar wag once the spacious bath 

 of Queen Caroline of Brunswick, who Lived 

 here for six years from 1815. Much of her 

 work is lost, for many changes have been 

 wrought during the liast oontury, as tha 

 rare folio, "The Villa D'Este,'' printed 

 ' in 1825, testifies; but there on the plan 

 ! , fitands the bath-room, tho ceiling he' 

 i Very curiously paini^ed to represent 1 

 I ' B ilk curtains straiued by I'iljboua and ready 



T"!?!*'.!** flutter a«d fall as soon as the .royal 

 lady steps into' the marble tank. 

 At the Villa d'Bste life goes o^i gaily 



• from early morning until well on in the 



• night. Dances are held almost tvery 

 Slight. The excellent orchestra plays <!nr- 

 ang afternoon-tea— from 4-C p.m.— then 



. after dinner a few selections, att^r which 

 •at is transferred to the stately and spaci- 

 ous ball-room. ' 

 'Jlliis great haU is lighted hy eleotrici^ 



lioit rr^jt darTco again. 

 fl(inini)ii-t(,ft In nnnllicv JoyouH functlnn. 

 Inkini of 111 llio viiiNl (iTi-iico iKviiili' I In' 

 \ Tlio iorvico is jironipt and excclli-'nl . 

 usin({ iUho aro tiio wreat straw vhaiirt, 

 loscil like an onlarged sontry-box. A. 

 .ngcr iniglit think this a windy phico 

 iig (licso quaint contrivances, but tho 

 a <VI-]Mi\ blast of all places, can hrt 

 Hi ^^in,lv. ,luKt almvc the Ii.ko .'Unuist 



I, (HI' I 



.Mo 



■ptaclri and bTOml.^rTmholtoT at the back, 

 and the broiiil hills across act as a barri- 

 (igiiliKit tim vMt A Como wind, if 

 ov(!r thivi'o is one, inigjit bo foai'ud. 



There are two new tennis courts he- 

 hind t!if> liotel, exeolloiitly sanded, and 

 playing' veiy well. A now and largo 

 billiard-rnimi has also been added, with a 

 now ]3nglit;li billi.ard-table, and u now 

 I'Ycnch one as well. 



Walking o:tpur8ions are innumerable and 

 of the besl; The excellent Como trnJilwny 

 RtTvico is patronised, tha Annnlla trip 

 being till) most popular, coming from Coiuu 

 and returning by Ohiasso, and at a very 

 moderate cust, and the cheap boat excur- 

 sions, for ill 9 Como boat service, besides 

 Ibeing excellent, is Very moderate in its 

 tarirf. 



No description of the Villa d'Este is 

 complete without reference to the gardsn 

 where Sir Edward Poynter, a guest ht'ro 

 for many years, Used to paint. Tho 

 avsnue lending from Cernobbio is com- 

 posed of lofty horse chestnuts, now in 

 bloom, revealing a pretty putting course, 

 and a swoet little hummock crowne<l with 

 rhododendrons and encircled with azaleas. 

 Palms line the front, and the garden beds 

 are rich with every sort of pansy, cine- 

 raria and myosctis; nor must the trellis 

 work around tho broad landing-e-^agf^ be 

 forgotten, whence soon tho roses will cast 

 their shade upon the Water. 



THE CARDEMS. 



-Ai: the t\i!-n is ft noble-looking piano 

 tree, assure<lly the oldest in Lombai'dy. 

 Indeed, tho garden is noted for its piano 

 treesi there is a lino group of them further 

 none so l.irge or tall, but still of tho 

 finest bnilij, and, one Would think, tho 

 finest to be found in such close vKinity. 

 Xt ia difficult to' do'-jUHtice to^th*!- beauties 

 of tho garden, ever ascending to the hand* 

 soma Temple of Heroulds, visible from the | 

 lake. One sees the magniiieent entrance, 

 the steps of finest mosaic, and then the 

 long avenue, nanw, beautiful lawn gras* 

 down the centre; thence numberless arti- 

 ficial caspadc's on stone troughs, each one 

 higher than tho other. 



Beside the Temple of Hercules there are 

 many chubby children supporting pillars 

 or basins, and a kindly Mmorva guiyding 

 the j-oun^f Telemachus. Laurels flonrisli and 

 of every species, bamboos in flaming yellow 

 also, oaks and olives, oaks and pines, cedara 

 and yews. 



There ia a very comfortable English 

 church attached, with a resident chaplain. 



Latest arrivals at tho Villa d'Este in- 

 clude Lord and La^ly St. Levan, Loixl .Swan- 

 sea, Mmo. Wiiddington, Admiral and Mrs. 

 Moore, Mr. and Mrs. 3?. S. Paynter and 

 family Mr. and Mrs, Edmond E. Wise, 

 M'iss Ethel Wise, Mrs. Hermine Straiis- 

 Kohns, Colonel S, R. ■ 0. Westropp and 

 Mrs. Westropp Miss B. E. T. Byng, Mr, 



Oeorge G. Scott, Baron von Oertzen-Kit- 

 ,dorf and Jamjly, Mr. _and__Mrs. George 



P. Draper, Miss Draper, tho Miascs Brown, 

 Sir Charles and Lady Paston-Cooper, Cap- 

 tain and Mrs. J. H. ' Poole, General Sir 

 Edward Stodttian, Miss Holmes, M'r. and 

 ilrs. D. A. Stevenson, Miss Dorothy 

 Stevenson, Miss Katherine Stevenson, Mrs. 

 J. P. Pollock, Miss Maclevan, Mr. and 

 Mrs. W, B.iiley, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. 

 1- orris. Count and Countess Sierstorpfl, Mr. 

 Sydney LaUyon, Mr. and Mrs. Francis It. 

 Traill Mr. K. Tavlor Browme, Mr. and 

 Mrs, Henry D. Moeos, Baron Voh Bulow, 

 Miss Edith Walkar. 



