Transcriber’s Note
When italics were used in the original book, the corresponding text has
been surrounded by _underscores_. Superscripted letters are preceded by
^ and when more than one character is superscripted, the chacarcters are
surrounded by {}.
Some corrections have been made to the printed text. These are listed in
a second transcriber’s note at the end of the text.
[Illustration:
A. B. Clayton del from Sketches by J Woods W^m. Miller Sculp.
RUINS ON THE PALATINE TOWARDS THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS. ]
LETTERS
OF AN
ARCHITECT,
FROM
FRANCE, ITALY, AND GREECE.
BY
JOSEPH WOODS, F.A.S. F.L.S. F.G.S.
AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER
OF THE SOCIETY OF GEORGOFILI AT FLORENCE.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR
JOHN AND ARTHUR ARCH, 61, CORNHILL.
1828.
J. M‘Creery, Tooks Court,
Chancery-lane, London.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
VOL. II.
LETTER XXXI.
ROME.
Wall of Tarquinius Superbus, 1.—Circus of Sallust, 1.—Temple of Venus
Erycina, 2.—Villa by Milizia, 2.—Fontana di Termini, 2.—Santa Maria
della Vittoria, 2.—Bath of Dioclesian, 3.—Church of San Bernardo,
3.—Santa Maria degli Angeli, 4.—Convent, 5.—Agger of Servius Tullius,
5.—Church of Santa Bibiena, 5.—Temple of Minerva Medica,
5.—Columbarium of the family Aruntia, 5.—Temple of Venus and Cupid,
6.—Arch of Dolabella and Silanus, 6.—San Stefano Rotondo,
6.—Navicella, 7.—Church of Santa Maria di Navicella, 7.—Church of
Santi Giovanni e Paolo, 7.—Nymphæum, 8.—Church of San Gregorio,
8.—Chapel of St. Andrew, 8.—Septizonium, 8.—Circus Maximus,
9.—Aventine, 9.—Church of Santa Saba, 9.—Monte Testaccio,
9.—Burying-ground, 10.—Pyramid of Caius Cestius, 10.—Arch of San
Lazzaro, 10.—Strada Marmorata, 10.—Madama Lucrezia, 10.—Church of S.
Marco, 10.—Palazzo di Venezia, 11.—Rinuccini, 11.—Altieri, 11.—Doria,
11.—Sciarra, 11.—Monte Citorio, 12.—Solar obelisk, 12.—Palazzo Ghigi,
12.
LETTER XXXII.
TRASTEVERE—WALLS.
Church of San Carlo nel Corso, 13.—Gesù e Maria, 13.—Palazzo Rondadini,
13.—Mausoleum of Augustus, 13.—Ripetta, 13.—Palazzo Borghese,
14.—Church of Sant Agostino, 14.—San Luigi de’ Francesi, 14.—Palazzo
Madama, 14.—Piazza Navona, 15.—Portico of the church of San Pantaleo,
15.—Palazzo Braschi, 15.—Pasquin, 16.—Church of Santa Maria dell’
Anima, 16.—Church of Santa Maria della Pace, 16.—Cloisters, 16.—Chiesa
Nuova, 17.—Oratorio of San Filippo Neri, 17.—San Giovanni de’
Fiorentini, 17.—Bridge of Sant Angelo, 17.—Mausoleum of Hadrian,
17.—Hospital of Spirito Santo, 18.—Porta di Spirito Santo, 18.—Church
of Sant Onofrio, 18.—Palazzo Corsini, 19.—Fontana di Ponte Sisto,
20.—Church of the Trinità de Pellegrini, 20.—Monte di Pietà,
20.—Botanic garden, 20.—Fontana Paolina, 20.—San Pietro in Montorio,
20.—Tempietto of Bramante, 21.—Santa Cecilia, 21.—Isola Tiberina,
22.—Temple of Æsculapius, 22.—Palazzo Mattei, 22.—San Carlo a’
Catinari, 22.—Santa Maria sopra Minerva, 22.—Statue of our Saviour,
23.—Porta del Popolo, 23.—Walls, 23.—Muro torto, 23.—Porta Pia,
23.—Prætorian camp, 24.—Porta San Lorenzo, 24.—Porta Maggiore,
24.—Aqueducts, 24.—Anfiteatro castrense, 25.—Porta San Giovanni,
25.—Porta Latina, 25.—Porta San Sebastiano, 25.—Porta San Paolo, 26.
LETTER XXXIII.
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ROME.
Scenery about Rome, 27.—Casino of Raphael, 27.—Villa Borghese, 28.—Villa
Poniatowski, 28.—Villa Giulia, 28.—Acqua acetosa, 29.—Monument to St.
Andrew, 29.—Ponte Molle, 29.—Torre di Quinto, 29.—Tomb of Ovid,
30.—Villa Madama, 30.—Monte Mario, 30.—Valle d’Inferno, 30.—Porta
Angelica, 31.—Villa Albani, 31.—Ponte Salario, 31.—Ponte Lamentano,
32.—Mons Sacer, 32.—Aqueducts, 32.—Torre Pignattara, 35.—Degradation
of Roman architecture, 36.—Ruins composed of reticulated work,
36.—Torre degli Schiavi, 37.
LETTER XXXIV.
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ROME.
Baths of Caracalla, 39.—Great Halls, 39.—Tomb of the Scipios, 40.—Arch
of Drusus, 41.—Sepulchre of Mars, 41.—Church of Domine quo vadis,
42.—Church of St. Sebastian, 42.—Catacombs, 42.—Spoliarium, 43.—Very
ancient sepulchre, 43.—Circus of Caracalla, 43.—Temple of Honour and
Virtue, 44.—Temple of the Tempest, 44.—Temple of Bacchus at the
Caffarelli, 45.—Grotto of Egeria, 45.—Temple of Rediculus,
46.—Sepulchre of Cecilia Metella, 47.—Appian Way, 48.—Roma Vecchia,
48.—Roman roads, 48.—Roman Temples, 49.—Tre Fontane, 49.—Villa
Pamfili, 49.—Workshops (Canova), 50.—Thorwaldson, 50.—Fragments of
Veii, 51.
LETTER XXXV.
TIVOLI.
Campagna, 52.—Lago de’ Tartari, 52.—Lago di Solfatara, 53.—Ponte Lucano,
54.—Plautian monument, 54.—Sepulchres of the Sereni, 54.—Hadrian’s
villa, 54.—Stage to Tivoli, 57.—Figures of Saints and Gods, 57.—Temple
of Vesta, 57.—Opus incertum, 57.—Church of St. George, 59.—Waterfall,
59.—Villas, 60.—Villa of Horace, 61.—Villa of Q. Varus, 61.—Cyclopean
Walls, 62.—Villa of V. Bassus, 64.—Vetriano, 64.—Quarries of
travertine, 64.—Aqueducts, 65.—Cascatelli, 66.—Acqua Aurea, 66.—Temple
of the World, 67.—Temple of Tosse, 67.—Villa of Mæcenas, 67.—Temple of
Hercules, 67.—Portico of Hercules, 67.—Villa d’Este, 67.
LETTER XXXVI.
SUBIACO—PALESTRINA.
Aqueducts, 68.—Road to Vico Varo, 70.—Villa of Syphax, 70.—Vico Varo,
70.—Rocca Giovane, 70.—Licenza, 71.—Fons Bandusiæ, 71.—Villa of
Horace, 72.—Convent of San Cosimato, 72.—Valley of the Anio,
72.—Subiaco, 73.—Baths of Nero, 73.—Convent of Santa Scolastica,
74.—Convent of St. Benedict, 74.—Road to Palestrina, 75.—Genezzano,
75.—Palestrina, 76.—Temple of Fortune, 76.—Cyclopean Walls, 77.—Temple
of the Sun, 77.—Villa of Constantine, 78.—Roman pavement, 78.
LETTER XXXVII.
TUSCULUM—ALBANO—OSTIA.
Procession to obtain rain, 79.—St. Peter’s toe, 79.—Frascati, 79.—Grotto
Ferrata, 80.—Tusculum, 80.—Mondragone, 81.—Sepulchre of L. V.
Corvinus, 81.—Rocca del Papa, 81.—Monte Cavo, 82.—Via triumphalis,
82.—Villa of Domitian, 83.—Villa of Pompey, 83.—Lago di Albano,
83.—Emissario, 84.—Baths of Diana, 84.—Thermæ at Albano, 85.—Tomb of
the Curiatii, 85.—Remains of the Appian way, 85.—Aricia, 85.—Lake of
Nemi, 85.—Nemi, 86.—Velletri, 86.—Cross-roads, 87.—Cora, 87.—Temple of
Hercules, 87.—Temple of Castor and Pollux, 88.—Vases found at Marino,
88.—Ostia, 90.—Mal aria, 90.—Port of Trajan, 91.—Sea-shore, 92.—Veii,
92.—Gabii, 93.—Sylva sacra, 94.—Nettuno, 94.—Antium, 94.—Ardea, 94.
LETTER XXXVIII.
JOURNEY TO FLORENCE.
Companions in journey, 95.—Church at Monte Rosi, 96.—Nepi, 96.—Cività
castellana, 96.—Poetical labourer, 97.—Otricoli, 97.—Narni, 97.—Terni,
97.—Cascade, 98.—Somma, 102.—Spoleto, 102.—Temple of Clitumnus,
103.—Foligno, 104.—Perugia, 104.—Thrasymene, 105.—Cortona, 106.—Grotto
of Pythagoras, 106.—Arezzo, 106.—Church of the Pieve, 106.—Chapel in
cathedral, 107.—Effects of slender supports, 108.—Murder, 108.
LETTER XXXIX.
MODENA—PARMA—MANTUA—FERRARA.
Boboli gardens, 110.—Cascine, 110.—Comparison of Florence and Rome,
110.—Walk to Bologna, 111.—Volcano, 111.—Boiling spring,
112.—Cathedral at Modena, 113.—Italian Gothic, 113.—Reggio, 113.—Santa
Maria di Consolazione, 113.—Parma, 114.—Cathedral, 114.—Baptistery,
114.—Paintings of Coreggio, 114.—Church of the Steccata, 114.—Academy,
115.—Palace, 115.—Language, 115.—Po, 116.—Mantua, 116.—Cathedral,
116.—Palazzo del Tè, 117.—Church of St. Sebastian, 117.—Sant Andrea,
117.—Fish-market, 118.—Ponte di Lago Scuro, 118.—Ferrara,
119.—Cathedral, 120.—Echoes, 120.—Journey to Imola, 121.—Faenza,
121.—Raphael, 121.—Agriculture, &c. 122.
LETTER XL.
RAVENNA.
Ravenna, 124.—Church of San Vittore, 124.—Spirito Santo, 125.—Church of
Santa Agata Maggiore, 125.—Monograms, 126.—San Giovanni della Sagra,
126.—San Francesco, 127.—S. Apollinare nuova, 127.—S. Apollinare at
Classe, 127.—Baptistery, 128.—Santa Maria in Cosmedim, 129.—S. Vitale,
129.—Sepulchre of Galla Placidia, 130.—Sepulchre of Theodoric,
131.—Palace of Theodoric, 132.—Library and museum, 133.—Tomb of Dante,
133.—Cathedral, 133.—Campanile, 133.—Pine wood, 133.—Rimini,
134.—Bridge of Augustus, 134.—Arch of Augustus, 134.—Cathedral,
135.—Want of patriotic feeling among the Italians, 136.—Senegaglia,
137.—Ancona, 137.—Arch of Trajan, 137.—Cathedral, 138.—Santa Maria
della Piazza Collegiata, 138.—Loreto, 139.—Piazza, 139.—Church,
139.—Holy house, 139.—Apothecary’s shop, 140.—Sermon, 140.—Miracles,
142.—Journey to Macerata, 142.—Theatre, 143.—Apennines, 143.—Return to
Rome, 144.—Roman amusements, 146.
LETTER XLI.
ACADEMIES.
Scheme of English academy, 147.—English academy, 148.—Roman academy,
149.—Milizia, 149.—Instruction to a young architect, 155.
LETTER XLII.
SPECULATIONS AT ROME.
Use of bricks, 163.—Republican edifices, 163.—Progress of ornament,
165.—Character of the Italians, 168.—Division of employment at Rome,
169.—Rome, the capital of the world, 169.—Purgatory, 172.—Present
state of Italy, 172.
LETTER XLIII.
NAPLES.
Feeling for art in Italy, 174.—Journey to Naples, 174.—Postillion
murdered, 175.—Terracina, 176.—Fondi, 177.—Itri, 177.—Sepulchre of
Cicero at Mola, 177.—Capua, 177.—Inn at Naples, 178.—Palaces,
178.—Royal palace, 178.—Theatre of San Carlo, 178.—Castello nuovo,
178.—Palace of the Studii, 179.—Cathedral, 179.—Church of Santa
Restituta, 181.—Chapel of San Gennaro, 181.—Gerolomini, 182.—Church of
St. Paul, 182.—Sangro chapel, 182.—Church of San Domenico maggiore,
183.—Santa Chiara, 183.—Trinità maggiore, 184.—Annunziata, 184.—San
Pietro ad aram, 184.—Santa Maria del Carmine, 184.—Blood of St.
Januarius, 185.—Neapolitan life, 186.—Coins, 187.—Comparison of Rome
and Naples, 189.—Toledo, 190.—Views from Naples, 190.—Chiaja,
190.—Capo di Monte, 191.—Albergo Reale de’ poveri, 191.
LETTER XLIV.
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF NAPLES.
Grotto of Pausilippo, 192.—Pozzuoli, 193.—Temple of Jupiter Serapis,
193.—Temple of Neptune, 196.—Amphitheatre, 197.—Solfatara, 197.—Lake
of Agnano, 198.—Grotto del Cane, 198.—Villa of Cicero, 199.—Monte
nuovo, 199.—Arco Felice, 199.—Cuma, 199.—Amphitheatre, 199.—Lake of
Acheron, 199.—Stufe of Tritola, 200.—Baths of Nero, 200.—Lucrine Lake,
200.—Lake of Avernus, 200.—Bridge of Caligula, 201.—Bases of columns
in the sea, 201.—Campanian way, 201.—La Mergellina, 202.—Santa Maria
del parto, 202.—Hill of Pausilippo, 202.—Tomb of Virgil,
202.—Excursion to Baiæ, 203.—School of Virgil, 203.—Capo Miseno,
204.—Dragonara, 204.—Elysian fields, 204.—Piscina mirabile, 204.—Cento
camarelle, 204.—Tomb of Agrippina, 204.—Temple of Hercules,
204.—Temple of Venus genitrix, 205.—Temple of Mercury, 205.—Temple of
Diana, 205.—Ruins at Baiæ, 205.—Camaldoli, 206.—Excursion to Pompei,
207.—Herculaneum, 208.—Torre del Greco, 208.—Torre dell’ Annunziata,
208.—Pompei, 208.—Ponte della Maddelena, 209.—Old Capua, 209.—Caserta,
210.
LETTER XLV.
JOURNEY TO ATHENS.
Journey to Bari, 211.—Robbers taken into service, 212.—Foggia,
214.—Bari, 214.—Cathedral, 215.—Church of San Nicola, 215.—Norman
church at Bari, 215.—Residence at Bari, 216.—Journey to Otranto,
216.—Lecce, 218.—Style of architecture, 218.—Otranto, 219.—Olive
trees, 219.—Voyage to Corfu, 220.—Modern Greek buildings, 220.—Greek
dress, 220.—Soil of Corfu, 221.—Journey to Santa Maura,
222.—Agioneesi, 222.—Santa Maura, 224.—Leucas, 224.—Voyage to Patras,
225.—Voyage to Vostizza, 226.—Journey to Corinth, 227.—Antiquities at
Corinth, 228.—Voyage to Athens, 228.
LETTER XLVI.
ATHENS.
Greek apartments, and mode of life, 229.—Topography, 230.—Ilissus,
231.—Cephisus, 231.—Nature of rock, 232.—Effect of first-rate
productions, 232.—Review of objects in journey, 233.—Arrival at
Athens, 234.—Monument of Lysicrates, 234.—Tower of the winds,
234.—Portico of the market, 234.—Stoa, 234.—Gymnasium, 234.—Temple of
Theseus, 234.—Situations of buildings, 235.—Greek temples, 235.—Tiles,
237.—External painting, 237.—Comparison of Greek and Roman ornaments,
239.
LETTER XLVII.
ACROPOLIS.
Propylæa, 241.—Temple of Victory without wings, 241.—Very ancient
constructions, 246.—Mode of finishing, 246.—Parthenon, 246.—Situation
of religious buildings, 247.—Effects of explosion, 248.—Nature of
quarries of Pentelic marble, 251.—Desire of obtaining fragments,
253.—Temple of Erectheus, 254.—Temple of Minerva Polias, 257.—Temple
of Pandrosus, 257.
LETTER XLVIII.
OTHER ANTIQUITIES OF ATHENS.
Comparison of Rome and Athens, 259.—Walls of the Acropolis, 261.—Grotto
of Pan, 261.—Large entablature, 261.—More very ancient walls,
262.—Choragic monuments, 262.—Theatre of Bacchus, 262.—Odeum,
262.—Temple of Jupiter Olympus, 262.—Progress of foliage, 263.—Arch of
Hadrian, 265.—Areopagus, 266.—Pnyx, 266.—Monument of Philopappus,
266.—Stadium of Herodes Atticus, 267.—Bridge over the Ilissus,
267.—Tombs, 267.—Academy, 268.—Colonia, 268.—Lyceum, 268.—Turkish
architecture, 268.—Greek churches, 269.
LETTER XLIX.
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ATHENS.
Piræus, 271.—Tomb of Themistocles, 271.—Munychia, 271.—Phalerus,
272.—Excursion to Daphne, 272.—Written rock, 273.—Salt streams,
273.—Excursion to Hymettus, 274.—Climate of Athens, 275.—Modern Greek,
275.—Mode of life, 278.—Dancing dervises, 279.—Greek carnival,
280.—Greek dress, 281.—Schools in Greece, 285.
LETTER L.
EXCURSION ROUND ATTICA.
Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius in Egina, 287.—Comparison of Greek and
English scenery, 288.—Temple of Minerva at Sunium, 289.—Remains at
Thoricus, 289.—Plain of Marathon, 290.—Ruins at Rhamnus, 291.—Return
to Athens, 292.—Plague, 292.
LETTER LI.
VOYAGE FROM ATHENS TO MALTA.
Temple near the port of Egina, 295.—Pidhavro, or Epidaurus, 296.—Hiero,
296.—Theatre, 297.—Nafplia, 298.—Tyrins, 298.—Argos, 298.—Ruins of
Mycene, 299.—Ruins of Nemæa, 301.—Arrival at Corinth, 301.—Basilica,
the ancient Sicyon, 302.—Voyage to Patras, 303.—Singular Medusa,
303.—Greek mountains, 303.—Earthquake, 304.—Roman aqueduct at Patras,
305.—Quarantine, 305.—Voyage to Malta, 305.
LETTER LII.
MALTA.
Quarantine, 307.—Architecture of Malta, 308.—Church of San Giovanni
Battista, 309.—Church of San Agostino, 309.—Church of San Domenico,
309.—Palace, 310.—Guard-house, 310.—Library, 310.—Staircases,
310.—Whitewash, 311.—Village churches, 311.—Villages, 311.—Residence,
311.—Language, 312.—Lusieri’s drawings, 312.—Celtic antiquity,
312.—Hills, 312.—Plague, 313.—Cathedral at Città Vecchia, 314.—Grotto
of St. Paul, 315.—Boschetto, 315.—Races, 315.—Maltese dress,
315.—Government, 316.
LETTER LIII.
SYRACUSE—CATANIA.
Trabaccolo, 317.—Agusta, 317.—Syracuse, 318.—Temple of Minerva,
318.—Cathedral, 318.—Temple of Diana, 319.—Arethusa (fountain),
319.—Colonnade without the island, 319.—Amphitheatre,
319.—Latomiæ, 319.—Paradiso, 319.—Ear of Dionysius, 319.—Theatre,
320.—Fortifications, 320.—Epipolis, 320.—Aqueducts, 321.—Other
Latomiæ, 321.—Capuchin convent, 321.—Cemetery, 321.—Catacombs,
321.—Fountain Cyane, 321.—Temple of Jupiter, 321.—Coffee-houses
and people, 321.—Journey to Catania, 322.—Catania, 323.—Museum of
the prince of Biscari, 323.—Don Mario, 324.—Baths, 324.—Theatres,
324.—Amphitheatre, 324.—Circular chamber, 324.—Cathedral,
325.—Museum of the Cav. Gioeni, 325.—Museum of the Baron Ricupero,
325.—Museum at the Benedictine convent, 325.—Lava, 325.—Excursion
to the summit of Ætna, 326.
LETTER LIV.
TAORMINA—MESSINA—PALERMO.
Ætna, 329.—Journey from Catania, 329.—Taormina, 330.—Theatre,
330.—Tombs, 331.—Gothic doorway, 332.—Journey to Messina,
332.—Cathedral, 333.—Church of Santa Maria Annunziata, 334.—San
Giovanni Battista, 334.—Mountains of Calabria, 334.—Speronara,
334.—Voyage to Palermo, 335.—Palermo, 336.—Comparison of different
views, 336.—Opinions of the Sicilians as to their own antiquities,
337.—Castle of Zisa, 338.—Casteddu, 338.—Cathedral, 339.—San Niccolò
della Kalsa, 340.—Botanic garden, 341.
LETTER LV.
AGRIGENTUM—SELINUS—SEGESTA.
Journey to Agrigentum, 342.—Belli Frati, 342.—Royal forest of Busambra,
342.—Fibrous carbonate of lime, 343.—Offensiveness of the streams,
343.—Girgenti, 344.—Oratory of Phalaris, 344.—Temple of Juno,
345.—Temple of Concord, 345.—Temple of Hercules, 345.—Temple of
Jupiter, 346.—Tomb of Theron, 347.—Temple of Æsculapius, 347.—Temple
of Castor and Pollux, 347.—Temple of Jupiter Polieus, 348.—Micaceous
marble, 348.—Cathedral, 348.—Warm wind and warm springs at Sciacca,
348.—Journey to Selinus, 349.—Temples at Selinus, 349.—Peculiar
capitals, 350.—Ancient quarries, 352.—Journey to Segesta, 352.—Temple
at Segesta, 352.—Theatre, 353.—Alcamo, 353.—Parthenico, 353.—Cathedral
at Monreale, 354.—Orlando Furioso made into a farce, 354.—Excursion to
Cefalù, 355.—Cathedral, 356.—House of Roger, 356.—Cyclopean edifices,
356.—Termini, 356.—Voyage to Naples, 357.
LETTER LVI.
POMPEI.
Accommodations at Pompei, 358.—Soldiers’ quarters, 359.—Covered theatre,
360.—Larger theatre, 361.—Large court and temple of Hercules,
361.—Ionic portico, 362.—Schools, 363.—Temple of Isis, 363.—Temple of
Æsculapius, 363.—Forum, 364.—Courts of Justice, 365.—Basilica,
365.—Temple of Venus, 366.—Portico of Eumachia, 367.—Temple of
Mercury, 368.—Recess, with number of altars, 368.—Temple of Jupiter,
368.—Triumphal arches, 369.—Amphitheatre, 369.—Private houses,
369.—Paintings, 370.—Tombs, 371.—Villas, 372.—Mosaics,
373.—Indications of the means of confinement and of punishment,
373.—Pantheon, 374.—Baths, 374.—House of tragic poet, 375.—House of
Fuller, 375.
LETTER LVII.
NAPLES—PÆSTUM.
Tuscans and Neapolitans, 376.—Villa Galla, 377.—Journey to Pæstum,
377.—Temple of Neptune at Pæstum, 378.—Basilica, 379.—Amphitheatre,
379.—Theatre, 379.—Peculiar style of capital, 379.—Temple of Ceres,
380.—Other foundations, 380.—Walls and gates, 380.—Salt springs,
380.—Tombs, 381.—Cathedral at Salerno, 381.—Ancient baptistery at
Nocera, 382.
LETTER LVIII.
JOURNEY TO ROME, AND LAST RESIDENCE THERE.
Neapolitan vetturini, 383.—Journey to Rome, 383.—Anxur, 384.—Palace of
Theodoric, 384.—Dead-letter office, 385.—Residence at Rome,
385.—Italian preaching, 386.—Capuchin sermon, 386.—Catechising,
386.—Canova’s church, 387.—Dragging the Tiber, 387.—Entertainments and
illuminations in honour of the emperor’s visit to Rome, 387.
LETTER LIX.
JOURNEY TO FLORENCE—PISA.
Journey to Florence, 389.—Assisi, 389.—Temple of the Corinthian order,
389.—Cathedral, 389.—Church and convent of St. Francis, 389.—Santa
Maria degli Angeli, 390.—Hut of St. Francis, 390.—Residence at
Florence, 390.—Vaulting, 391.—Academy, 391.—Pietre dure, 391.—Monte
Asenario, 392.—Pratolino, 392.—Journey to Leghorn, 392.—Leghorn,
393.—Pisa, 393.—Peculiar style of architecture, 393.—Cathedral,
393.—Baptistery, 396.—Campo Santo, 397.—Leaning tower, 397.—Church of
Santa Maria della Spina, 397.—Domestic architecture, 398.—Baths,
398.—Wood of Pisa, 398.
LETTER LX.
SCHOOLS.
Lancasterian schools at Florence, 399.—Lancasterian schools at Siena,
401.—Arithmetic, 402.—Schools at the Albergo de’ Poveri, 403.—Schools
of the Frati Cristiani, 404.—Romans and Carthaginians, 404.—Scuole pie
at Rome, 405.—Scuole pie at Florence, 405.—Contests, 406.—Collegio
Romano, 407.—Institution at Florence, 407.—Tuscan system of education,
408.
LETTER LXI.
LUCCA—GENOA.
Lucca, 409.—Cathedral, 409.—St. Michael, 410.—S. Frediano, 411.—Santa
Maria foris portam, 411.—S. Giusto, 412.—S. Cristoforo,
412.—Progressive dates, 412.—Cathedral at Pistoja, 412.—Sant Andrea,
413.—Baptistery, 413.—Cathedral at Prato, 413.—Ramparts of Lucca,
413.—Baths of Lucca, 413.—Forest of chesnut trees, 414.—Prato Fiorito,
414.—Road across the mountains to Modena, 415.—Lignite at Ghivizzano,
415.—Viareggio, 415.—Roman baths at Massaciuccoli, 415.—La Bettona,
416.—Monte Cimone, 416.—Woods on the Apennines, 416.—School among the
Apennines, 416.—Flames at Birigazza, 416.—Journey to Carrara,
416.—Marble quarries, 417.—Cathedral, 417.—School of sculpture,
417.—Lerici, 418.—Porto Venere, 418.—Gulf of Spezia, 418.—Journey to
Genoa, 418.—Genoa, 420.—Cathedral at Genoa, 420.—S. Cyr, 420.—Church
of S. M. Annunziata, 420.—Santa Maria di Carignano, 420.—Statue of St.
Sebastian by Puget, 420.—Church of St. Ambrose, 421.—Church of St.
Stephen, 421.—Tomb of Doria, 421.—Palaces, 421.—Poor-house at Genoa,
421.—Journey to Turin, 422.—Turin, 422.—Cathedral, 423.—Chapel of the
Santo Sudario, 423.—San Filippo, 423.—San Lorenzo, 424.—Smaller
churches at Turin, 424.—Arsenal, 424.—Theatre, 424.—Palaces,
424.—Botanic garden, 425.—Superga, 425.—Arch of Augustus at Susa,
426.—Walk over Mount Cenis, 427.—Cathedral at Chamberi,
428.—Antiquities at Aix, 429.—Journey to Geneva, 429.
LETTERS OF AN ARCHITECT.
LETTER XXXI.
ROME.
_Rome, May, 1817._
OUR present walk must include a larger circuit than the former. We pass
through the Piazza Barberini, and along the Via di San Basilio, which
will presently lead us beyond the inhabited district of the city, and an
Englishman begins to feel himself in the country, though within the
walls. Here is the Villa Ludovisi, but it is difficult to gain
admission; we therefore turn to the right, and at the Viccolo delle
Fiamme, enter into the gardens, which, like those passed through by
Aladdin, in the Arabian Nights, are not divided by fences from one
another, but merely secured on the part towards the road. The first
thing which offers itself to our observation is a fragment of a wall of
large stones, said to be a remnant of that built by Tarquinius Superbus,
which was itself a restoration in more solid masonry, of the one first
erected by Servius Tullius, to include the Quirinal within the circuit
of Rome. A little farther we trace distinctly the form of the circus of
Sallust, which occupies a continuation of the hollow between the Pincian
and Quirinal hills; and close by it, but not uniformly in a parallel
direction, is a series of arches and substructions supporting the hill;
but the fragment of Tarquinius Superbus seems to have nothing to do,
either with the circus or with these substructions. It is a trifle in
itself, but its antiquity gives it interest, and more is said to have
been disclosed by digging. At some distance, along the foot of the
substructions abovementioned, and close upon the circus, we reach the
Temple of Venus Erycina (let the antiquaries quarrel about the name, I
use that by which it is commonly distinguished). The principal part
consists of a circular, domed chamber, almost buried in the earth and
rubbish which has descended from the hill above, with a small
semicircular niche, and two square recesses on each side, two of which
are open, and give admission to the building. The principal entrance is
from a little vestibule, by means of a large arch; and a corresponding
arch, with a similar vestibule, opens to the deep cell or adytum of the
temple; both these arches interrupt the line of the springing of the
dome. This and the other fragments abound in reticulated work.
Issuing from the vineyards, and crossing the long street of the Porta
Pia, we may follow the Via del Macao, to look at a house built under the
direction of Milizia; but though an able writer on architecture, he was
not a good architect.
Our next object will be the Fontana di Termini, the water of which is
called Felice, from the name of Sixtus the Fifth, before his elevation
to the pontificate; since by him the water was conducted from Colonna to
Rome, and this fountain erected under the direction of Fontana. You are
surprised both at the quantity of water, and the display of architecture
at these Roman fountains. Here are four Ionic columns, with three niches
in the intercolumns, from which the water issues; and so far the
architectural composition is good, but above there is a pedestal, made
of a most disproportionate size, in order to receive the great letters
of the inscription, and over that a sort of circular pediment, and other
ornaments, which are quite sickening. The sculpture in the niches is
large and conspicuous, but in bad taste, and the two beautiful Egyptian
lions of basalt, which adorn the lower part, are the most estimable part
of the composition. Even these are ill used by the insertion of small
pipes, through which they awkwardly squirt out a little water.
Santa Maria della Vittoria just by, in the Strada di Porta Pia, if not
one of the beautiful, is at least one of the rich churches of Rome. It
was built by Carlo Maderno, who has used a Sicilian alabaster of a dark
brown colour, which is not a good material for architecture, and
overcharged it with gilding and ornaments. There is even a pretence of
forming the doors of this alabaster, which is in bad taste. Doors should
either be of wood or metal. The door of a tomb alone, which is supposed
to open only once in two or three years, may be permitted to be of
marble. The church is not visited so much for its architecture, as for
some fine paintings of Domenichino, Guercino, and Guido;[1] and for a
Santa Teresa in marble by Bernini, which is said to be his masterpiece.
The saint is supposed to be dying in the ecstacies of divine love, but
the figure wants nature, and the death is a smirking angel, with a gilt
dart. Under the principal altar, (which is very rich and very ugly) are
preserved the bones of some female saint, I forget who, covered up in a
waxen image, and this is gaily dressed in blue and white satin; because,
as the priest who conducted me round the church, judiciously observed,
the skeleton was a black and disagreeable object, very inconsistent with
the appearance of such an elegant altar.
We now pass to the baths of Dioclesian, the remains of which are more
considerable than those of any other of the ancient thermæ. These ruins
still contain two churches, one of which is dedicated to San Bernardo.
It is a small, circular building, placed just at the angle of the outer
inclosure, but all the ancient ornaments are gone, except the naked
panelling of the dome, and this has been covered with modern stucco. It
is in octagons and small squares. There are thirty-two octagons in the
circumference, which makes them too small, especially in the upper part.
The order in this temple is perhaps rather too high in proportion to the
building. The _cornice architravata_, with which it terminates, has
hardly the dimensions of a good architrave, and then comes the dome and
its panels, without any interval. The comparison of this with the
Pantheon, where the order is too small, may lead us to the just
proportions. To avoid the expense of carving, the ornaments are painted
on the stucco, and have either been badly executed, or they have faded.
The choir forms a deep recess, of which the arched opening is perhaps
rather too high, but not so as to interrupt the circular cornice of the
order. The effect of the organ, and of the voices of the choir issuing
from this recess, appeared to me particularly fine. From the convent
behind, we see the remains of the theatre, and one may sometimes obtain
admission into the garden which contains it, but there is little to
deserve notice. Another circular building corresponding with this, is
used as a granary.
The principal object remaining in these baths is the great hall, now
converted into the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. This was
performed under M. A. Buonarroti, who made the principal entrance at the
end. Vanvitelli, the last of the celebrated architects of Italy,
re-opened the ancient entrance on the side, and by uniting the circular
vestibule with the chief room, and adding a choir on the opposite side,
he gave the church length in that direction. The four side niches have
been filled up, and the length, or what is now the width, is increased,
by opening into it two other chambers. In its present state, the great
hall, with the two additional rooms, forms a transept; but as this hall
constitutes, on every account, the principal feature of the place, it
ought certainly to form the nave, and the alteration was injudicious. We
do not expect great purity of taste in the time of Dioclesian, yet the
details are by no means contemptible, and the largeness and boldness of
the parts produce a great appearance of magnificence.
The first room which we now enter is a circular vestibule, where the
supine arches of the four openings are particularly offensive, because
they are very large in proportion to the building; some scheme arches in
the great hall are also disagreeable, but the hall itself is a noble
room, and produces the full effect of its large dimensions. There is a
pleasure arising from these large and simple parts, which it is
impossible to describe, and which I long in vain to communicate to you.
The old work is generally distinguishable from the modern additions;
indeed, no pains have been taken to copy exactly the antique. Of the
principal columns, four have Corinthian, and four Composite capitals;
and this seems to have been originally the case, though the columns
themselves are now, some of granite, and some of stuccoed brickwork. The
groined vaulting is whitewashed, and has no ornament, except the brass
knobs to which the lamps were anciently suspended.
The ground of the church has been raised, because it was damp; we wonder
why it should not rather have been drained, since the situation is
elevated. The present want of height is a sensible defect; it does not,
I think, exceed two-thirds of the width, and perhaps was not originally
more than three-fourths. I would by no means attempt in this style of
architecture to emulate the proportionate height of the Gothic, whose
peculiar character requires great elevation; but the height ought not to
_appear_ less than the width, and therefore should probably a little
exceed it. If it is more than this, it should be sufficiently increased
to make the height the characteristic of the room, the dimension which
first impresses itself on the observer. Intermediate proportions would
be inferior to either; it is not in architecture alone that half
measures fail.
From the church we may visit the convent, both for its ancient
fragments, and its modern architecture. It contains a large square, of
which the centre is adorned by some noble cypresses, and the surrounding
cloisters are said to be the production of M. Angelo. The disposition of
the kitchen chimney in this convent pleased me much; it is a deep recess
lighted by two windows, and having the stoves placed along the middle.
Besides the general flue to take off the steam, &c. there are some
smaller ones for the smoke.
Proceeding from these baths to the extremity of the Via del Macao, we
find in a vineyard, a mound of earth said to be part of the _agger_ of
Servius Tullius, and the range of arches stretching towards the gate of
San Lorenzo, is part of the Marcian aqueduct, now carrying the Acqua
Felice; but I shall reserve aqueducts and gates to a future letter, and
pass on to the church of Santa Bibiena, where there are some ancient
columns, and a statue of the saint by Bernini. It has been much admired,
but like so many other works of this artist, fails in the want of
apparent ease and simplicity of nature. By a gate which is not always
open, we may pass into the inclosure containing the ruin, usually called
the temple of Minerva Medica, rising in the midst of artichokes and
brocoli. The principal remain is a large, domed, decagonal hall, a form
not common in the Roman antiquities, with nine large niches, each
occupying almost the whole of their respective sides, the tenth being
the situation of the doorway; and a window over each. The dome is partly
destroyed, and the remaining portion perforated in many places, shewing
the ancient construction to have been formed by ribs tending to a
centre, while the intervals are filled up with rubble. There are some
remains of other rooms adjoining. The whole is overgrown with the
lentiscus and other shrubs and plants. It forms a picturesque object,
but it seems impossible to determine its primitive destination.
Near this is the Columbarium, or sepulchre of the Aruntian family. You
may think there is little resemblance between a tomb and a dove-cot, but
this name arises from the little recesses, compared to pigeon-holes,
which contain the cinerary urns. It is, I believe, the most perfect of
any remaining, and accessible about Rome, but it is seldom that any body
is in the way, to exhibit it, and I have not yet been able to obtain
admission. We leave this vineyard just by the Porta Maggiore, and
passing under the beautifully built, brick arch of the Claudian
aqueduct, continue our walk to the Temple of Venus and Cupid, which
stands in the garden of a convent. A part of the great niche is nearly
all of this which is left standing. Some of the brick facing remains,
and a few other foundations of walls, little above ground. The shattered
piers and arches of the ancient aqueducts exhibited in these gardens,
are perhaps more interesting than the fragment of the temple. By this,
is the church of the holy cross, which I have already described to you,
as that of the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and the Anfiteatro Castrense,
which I mean to describe with the city wall, of which it forms part. We
then pass under the wall among rows of trees, on turf now covered with
the _Anemone hortensis_, to the church of St. John Lateran, stopping by
the way to look at the Triclinium and the Scala Santa. After passing
these objects we arrive at the baptistery of Constantine; the obelisk,
which is the largest in Rome, and the hospital; a fine establishment,
but according to the Roman theory, subject to mal aria nearly as much as
the larger receptacle at Santo Spirito, which is under the Vatican and
close to the Tiber, while this is in an elevated and airy situation.
From this we follow a narrow, winding, and unfrequented lane, which will
lead us under the ancient arch of Dolabella and Silanus, consuls under
Augustus, in the year of Rome 763. It was of travertine, but it has been
eked out with brickwork under Nero, in order to make it carry a portion
of the Aqua Claudia from the Cœlian hill to the Palatine.
The Church of San Stefano rotondo is a curious edifice, which has been
supposed by some, to have been a temple of Faunus, or of Claudius;
others say, with every appearance of reason, that it was no temple at
all; but when they proceed to state that it was a market, I follow them
with less confidence. The body, or most elevated part, consists of a
circular wall supported on twenty columns and two piers. The columns are
not all of a size, but on an average are about four diameters apart, and
about eight and a half high. The architrave, frieze, and cornice united,
only form a sort of architrave, of perhaps one diameter and a half; yet
it does not look so much oppressed by the great wall above, as the
engravings we have of it give us reason to expect. Faulty and defective
as it is, it perhaps might serve as a lesson, that a wall rising
immediately on the architrave of a circular colonnade, would not have an
unpleasing effect; and that with this simple arrangement, a height equal
to the width, would be quite sufficient. At present the building is
singularly spoilt, by a wall running across the middle of it, apparently
to support the roof; but it is in fact as useless as it is ugly. This
wall is open below, with three arches resting on the side walls, and on
two Corinthian columns. The capitals of the circular colonnade are
Ionic, various, but all bad, and the bases of all forms. The two middle
columns are very fine, with good bases, and Corinthian capitals. The
cross wall is conjectured not to have been a part of the original
building, but nobody knows when it was added. A double aisle surrounds
this central part, divided by a range of columns, which are smaller than
those of the first circle, and not disposed so as to have any
correspondence with them. The outer circuit is a plain wall, but part of
the second aisle is divided into chapels. It is completely a building
made up with the spoils of others, and the few restorations are
miserably executed; circumstances which favour the idea that it was
erected in the time of Constantine. It is too bad for us to believe it
of an earlier date, and after him, few if any public buildings were
executed in Rome, except churches. The piety or superstition of the
times seems to have continued the erection of these during the darkest
and most unhappy periods of falling Italy; yet there seems to be a
deficiency, even of religious structures, from the beginning of the
fourth, till towards the end of the seventh century, when a new
character and new relations began to develop themselves.
At a very little distance from the church of San Stefano, is the
Navicella, a marble boat, placed by Leo the Tenth in front of a church
which receives its name from it, but where Leo found it, I cannot tell
you. The church was designed by Raphael; a range of five arches forms a
sort of portico, above which rises the nave, corresponding in width to
three of these arches, and finishing with a pediment. The simplicity of
the design, and its apparent correspondence with the internal structure,
produce a pleasing effect; but instead of one large window in the end of
the nave, Raphael has introduced three small ones, of which the middle
is circular, and the composition is sadly spoilt by them. Giulio Romano
was employed in painting the internal friezes.
After leaving the Navicella, we may visit the Church of Santi Giovanni e
Paolo, enriched like so many others, with antique columns of granite and
marble, both in the portico and in the nave. I have already mentioned
the antiquities in the convent. Continuing our walk along the lane on
the side of the church, we pass between massive substructions, and in
the garden adjoining there are considerable remains, principally I
believe, of the aqueduct of Nero, which is a branch of the Claudian.
Piranesi places here the Nymphæum of Nero, with which he unites the
Vivarium built by Domitian; here also the house of Scaurus is supposed
to have stood, and these fragments may be parts of one or the other, or
perhaps of both. Issuing from this lane, we turn to the left, and ascend
to the Church of San Gregorio, which is preceded by one of those courts,
or atria, which you know I always admire; but in this there is nothing
particularly good, beyond the general disposition. The grand object here
is not the church, but an adjoining chapel dedicated to St. Andrew,
which is one of three united together, but having no communication with
the church. This chapel is adorned with two frescos, (not to mention
minor objects) one of which represents the flagellation of the saint, by
Domenichino, and the other his adoration of the cross, previous to his
martyrdom, by Guido. They are very fine, but they are beginning to
suffer.
Descending from the church of San Gregorio towards the south-west, we
reach the southern angle of the Palatine, where the Septizonium formerly
stood. It was destroyed by Sixtus the Fifth, and the columns, and
probably some of the other materials, were employed in the Vatican.
Antiquaries have imagined from the name, that seven successive orders
must have been employed here, not reflecting that three orders would
produce the appearance of seven zones or bands. First, the pedestal on
which the whole is placed, which forms a solid mass; then a range of
columns and voids; then another solid mass composed of the entablature
of the first order, and the continued plinth and pedestals of the
second. The fourth zone would be composed of the columns of the second
order, and the voids between them; these open bands having always a
different character and appearance from the solid ones, however
composed. The fifth of the entablature and pedestals as before, or if
there were no pedestals, by the entablature alone. These solid zones
would have the appearance of being striped horizontally by the shadows
of the mouldings, while the columns would give to the open bands the
appearance of being striped vertically. Sixthly, the columns of the
third order. Seventhly, the entablature, and whatever might crown the
edifice, and this disposition is exactly correspondent with the idea we
entertain of the building from old engravings.
In this part, and along the south-western side of the hills, the remains
on the Palatine are very considerable, consisting of lofty piers, and
extended arches, but every trace of ornamental architecture has
disappeared. Here also we find all that is to be seen of the Circus
Maximus, _i. e._ the general form, favoured by the natural shape of the
ground between the Palatine and Aventine hills. I shall not occupy you
with any long dissertation on the ancient circus, or on the obscure god
Consus, to whom it was dedicated. You know that the general form, in
spite of the name, was that of an oblong, with one semicircular end; the
other end was not straight, but somewhat curved and inclined, in order
as much as possible to put each chariot which started from it, in an
equally advantageous situation, and the _spina_ was not placed either
precisely in the centre, or exactly parallel to the sides, but in such a
manner as to form a road continually narrower as the chariots proceeded
in the circuit. A few burrs of rubble-work, and fragments of nearly
buried arches, the foundations of the sedili, are all the remains. And
now, leaving the baths of Caracalla and the tomb of the Scipios, for the
subjects of a future letter, we will cross the Aventine, a hill divided
into two summits, on which are the two churches of Santa Prisca, and
Santa Saba, and a ruined convent, from which there is a fine view of
Rome, and which is itself a very picturesque object. Both these churches
contain ancient columns; that of Santa Saba is said in the guide-book,
to have twenty-five, two of which are of black porphyry. I found
fourteen in the nave, not all alike. Most of the capitals are Ionic, but
of different sizes, some pretty well executed, but much degraded; others
originally bad; some are merely bossed out, and have never been
finished: one is Corinthian, and one is Composite. There are said to be
others built up in the wall, but they must be very small. About the
altar, are two columns which seem to be chiefly of quartz, but with
spots of hornblende, and two of a dark veined marble, but what is meant
by black porphyry I do not know. Those of dark marble have Composite
capitals, which Uggeri says are of serpentine, but I did not
particularly observe them. The front exhibits a gallery of small
columns, standing on a high unadorned wall. The contrast is _piquant_,
but perhaps more so where the form is circular, as at the back of Santi
Giovanni e Paolo.
On descending the Aventine we have Monte Testaccio in full view. It is a
hill 260 feet high, made of potsherds. The meadows in which it stands,
are the property of the Roman people, and the scene of many of their
festivities. One corner of them forms a burying-ground for heretics,
just under the pyramid of Caius Cestius. Who it was that provided for
himself such a conspicuous sepulchre, is not determined; but this work
of three hundred and thirty days, does not impress one with any great
ideas of magnificence; yet it is 113 feet high, and certainly forms a
great mass of masonry. There is a chamber within, which is not always
accessible, on account of the water. Some pieces of columns were found
in digging at the base of the pyramid, two of which were put together
and fixed at the angles of the building. I have no idea how they were
originally applied, as there does not seem sufficient authority to
supply a court and a surrounding portico. These meadows and the mount
offer some amusement to the botanist in the spring; the mount especially
is almost covered with orchideæ, amongst which _Ophrys apifera_ and
_tenthredinifera_, and _Orchis papilionacea_, are the most abundant. I
found here also _Ophrys hiulca_ and _arachnitis_ of the Flora Romana.
Our next object is the brick arch of San Lazzaro, through which the road
passes, though it is filled up nearly to its springing. There are
several substructions at the foot of the hill, which appear to have
belonged to the same edifice, but what that was, nobody knows.
Hence we walk to the beginning of the Strada Marmorata, the ancient
Littus Marmorea, so called, as they say, because the marbles brought
from various countries were usually landed here; a very disappointing
reason for so fine a name. On the right is a pathway up the hill, and
some fragments of antiquity are discernible, particularly a considerable
portion of an ancient cornice, built up in a wall. If we continue this
upper track, we pass by the churches of Sant Alessio and Santa Sabina,
and descend on the Circus Maximus. The other keeps along the shore of
the Tiber, and we may notice other substructions on the hill; and in the
river, if the water be low, some traces of the Pons Sublicius.
Returning towards the Corso, we may pass by a female colossal bust,
which might almost do for a companion to Dr. Clarke’s Ceres, in the
vestibule of the public library at Cambridge. It is supposed to be an
Isis, but the Romans call it Madama Lucrezia. It stands in a little
street which derives its name from the figure, and which opens into the
Piazza di San Marco. I have not mentioned the church which gives name to
this piazza, among the basilicas, but it however, deserves some notice.
The front, of two stories, each of three arches, is neat and unaffected.
It was erected in 1468 under Paul II., by Giuliano di Majano, together
with the great palace adjoining. Internally, the nave is separated from
the side-aisles by twenty columns coated with Sicilian jasper; these
support arches, and at a considerable height above them runs a cornice.
In the upper part is a range of semicircular-headed windows, and then a
flat ceiling with square coffers. The worst part of this composition is
in the space between the capitals of the columns, and the cornice, which
is altogether ill managed. At the end is a semicircular tribune enriched
with mosaics.
The principal front of the Palazzo di Venezia is towards the Piazza. It
has an air of solid massive grandeur and of defence, not ill-suited to
each other, but there is no other merit.
In this square is also the Palazzo Rinuccini, with five equal windows in
front; a small, but much admired edifice. The management of the angles
is bad; the finish at top is very bad; the consoles spaced unequally in
order to receive the windows, have a bad effect; the doorway is bald,
and poor; and all the details are bad; yet with all these faults, such
is the efficacy of simplicity, joined to a just distribution of the
principal parts, that I, with everybody else, acknowledge it to be a
very fine building.
Returning a few steps towards the church of the Jesuits, we find the
Palazzo Altieri, an immense pile, once famous for its collection of
paintings, but they are now dispersed. The front, towards the Via della
Galla, is very good, or at least the masses are fine. That towards the
Piazza del Gesù is crowded, and much inferior.