Florence.
We arrived in this city the third day after leaving Rome, though I have
delayed writing till now. I wished to know something of the place, and
to be a little acquainted with the people. The last is not difficult;
because the Florentines are naturally affable, and the hospitality
and politeness of the British Minister afford his countrymen frequent
opportunities of forming an acquaintance with the best company in
Florence. This gentleman has been here about thirty years, and is greatly
esteemed by the Florentines. It is probably owing to this circumstance,
and to the magnificent stile in which some English Noblemen live, who
have long resided here, that the English, in general, are favourites
with the inhabitants of this place. L——d C——r’s conduct and disposition
confirm them in the opinion they long have had of the good-nature and
integrity of the nation to which he belongs. His Lady is of an amiable
character, and affords them a very favourable specimen of English beauty.
We have had no opportunity of seeing the Grand Duchess. She is of a
domestic turn, and lives much in the country with her children, of which
she has a comfortable number; but the Grand Duke having come to town for
two days, we had the honour of being presented to him at the Palazzo
Pitti. There is a striking resemblance of each other in all the branches
of the Austrian family. Wherever I had met with the Grand Duke, I should
immediately have known that he belonged to it. He, as well his brother
who resides at Milan, has, in a remarkable degree, the thick lip; which
has long been a distinguishing feature in the Austrian family. He is a
handsome man, is rapid in his words and motions, and has more vivacity
in his manner than either the Emperor or Archduke; like them, he is
good-humoured, condescending and affable. After the extinction of the
Medici family, the Florentines grumbled on account of the disadvantage
and inconveniency of having Sovereigns who did not reside among them.
They exclaimed that their money was carried away to a distant country,
and the most profitable offices at home filled by foreigners. They have
now got a Sovereign who resides and spends his revenue among them, and
has provided the State most plentifully in heirs; yet they still grumble.
They complain of the taxes—But in what country of Europe is there not the
same complaint?
Florence is, unquestionably, a very beautiful city. Independent of
the churches and palaces, some of which are very magnificent, the
architecture of the houses in general is in a good taste, the streets
are remarkably clean, and paved with large broad stones, chiseled so
as to prevent the horses from sliding. This city is divided into two
unequal parts by the river Arno, over which there are no less than four
bridges in sight of each other. That called the Ponte della Trinità, is
uncommonly elegant. It is built entirely of white marble, and ornamented
with four beautiful statues, representing the Four Seasons. The quays,
the buildings on each side, and the bridges, render that part of Florence
through which the river runs, by far the finest. The same is the case at
Paris; and it happens fortunately for those two cities, that those parts
are almost constantly before the eye, on account of the necessity people
are continually under of passing and repassing those bridges; whereas
in London, whose river and bridges are far superior to any in France or
Italy, people may live whole seasons, attend all the public amusements,
and drive every day from one end of the town to the other, without ever
seeing the Thames or the bridges, unless they go on purpose. For this
reason, when a foreigner is asked which he thinks the finest city, Paris
or London; the moment Paris is mentioned, the Louvre, and that striking
part which is situated between the Pont Royal and Pont Neuf, presents
itself to his imagination. He can recollect no part of London equal in
magnificence to this; and ten to one, if he decides directly, it will be
in favour of Paris: but if he takes a little more time, and compares the
two capitals, street by street, square by square, and bridge with bridge,
he will probably be of a different opinion. The number of inhabitants in
Florence is calculated by some at eighty thousand. The streets, squares,
and fronts of the palaces are adorned with a great number of statues;
some of them by the best modern masters, Michael Angelo, Bandinelli,
Donatello, Giovanni di Bologna, Benvenuto, Cellini, and others. A
taste for the arts must be kept alive, independent almost of any other
encouragement, in a city where so many specimens are continually before
the eyes of the inhabitants. There are towns in Europe, where statues,
exposed night and day within the reach of the common people, would run a
great risque of being disfigured and mutilated; here they are as safe as
if they were shut up in the Great Duke’s gallery.
Florence has been equally distinguished by a spirit for commerce and
for the fine arts; two things which are not always united. Some of the
Florentine merchants formerly were men of vast wealth, and lived in a
most magnificent manner. One of them, about the middle of the fifteenth
century, built that noble fabric, which, from the name of its founder,
is still called the Palazzo Pitti. The man was ruined by the prodigious
expence of this building, which was immediately purchased by the Medici
family, and has continued, ever since, to be the residence of the
Sovereigns. The gardens belonging to this palace are on the declivity of
an eminence. On the summit there is a kind of fort, called Belvedere.
From this, and from some of the higher walks, you have a complete view of
the city of Florence, and the beauteous vale of Arno, in the middle of
which it stands. The prospect is bounded on every side by an amphitheatre
of fertile hills, adorned with country-houses and gardens. In no part of
Italy, that I have seen, are there so many villas, belonging to private
persons, as in the neighbourhood of this city; the habitations of the
peasants, likewise, seem much more neat and commodious. The country all
around is divided into small farms, with a neat farm-house on each.
Tuscany produces a considerable quantity of corn, as well as excellent
wine, and great quantities of silk. The peasants have a look of health
and contentment: the natural beauty of the Italian countenance not being
disgraced by dirt, or deformed by misery, the women in this country seem
handsomer, and are, in reality, more blooming, than in other parts of
Italy. When at work, or when they bring their goods to market, their
hair is confined by a silk net, which is also much worn at Naples; but on
holidays they dress in a very picturesque manner. They do not wear gowns,
but a kind of jacket without sleeves. They have no other covering for
the upper part of the arm but their shift sleeves, which are tied with
riband. Their petticoats are generally of a scarlet colour. They wear
ear-rings and necklaces. Their hair is adjusted in a becoming manner, and
adorned with flowers. Above one ear they fix a little straw hat; and on
the whole have a more gay, smart, coquetish air, than any country-girls I
ever saw.
Churches, and palaces, and statues, are no doubt ornamental to a city;
and the Princes are praise-worthy who have taken pains to rear and
collect them; but the greatest of all ornaments are cheerful, happy,
living countenances. The taste is not general; but, I thank God, I know
some people who, to a perfect knowledge and unaffected love of the
fine arts, join a passion for a collection of this kind, who cannot,
without uneasiness, see one face in a different style, and whose lives
and fortunes are employed in smoothing the corrosions of penury and
misfortune, and _restoring_ the _original_ air of satisfaction and
cheerfulness to the human countenance. Happy the people whose Sovereign
is inspired with this species of virtù!