NAPLES, _February 22, 1841_.
After landing at Marseilles I proceeded by steamer to Genoa. On
approaching the city from the sea it shows to great advantage. Its
numerous and stately edifices resemble the seats of a vast amphitheatre
placed on the declivity of the Apennines. It is termed the City of
Palaces, and deservedly so, as its palaces are very numerous, and
composed of beautiful marble, splendidly adorned with noble entrances
and elegant staircases, with floors of marble. Among the most prominent
sights of the city are the palaces and churches. The cathedral of St.
Lorenzo is an ancient Gothic structure, built of marble, and paved
with the same material. The sacristy contains an emerald vase, found
at Cesarea when the Genoese captured that town, and they chose it in
preference to any other tribute offered. (A.D. 1101.) This vase is
said to have been presented by the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, and
deposited by him in the temple at Jerusalem. Napoleon carried it to
Paris when he conquered the Genoese, but it was afterwards returned.
I was shown the mortal remains of St. John the Baptist, brought from
Lycia and placed in the cathedral, inclosed in a silver sarcophagus.
The plate of beautiful agate and gold which held the head of the saint,
when presented to Herod, is also exhibited. The cross of gold worn
by Constantine was also shown. It is two feet long, one foot wide,
and weighs almost ten pounds, and is filled with precious stones,
and contains a small fragment of the _true cross_. I visited
the palace of the king of Sardinia, which is a large and magnificent
edifice, and contains a large collection of paintings, among the most
remarkable of which is one representing Mary Magdalen at the feet of
our Saviour in the house of the Pharisee, by Paul Veronese; also one
of Titian’s, representing Christ bearing his cross. I visited several
other palaces where are to be seen beautiful collections of paintings.
The rooms are gorgeous. One saloon in the palazzo Serra is lined
with the most costly materials, white marble, large mirrors, etc.,
with ornaments of precious stones and the richest gilding; in short,
it combines taste with splendor in its gorgeous decorations, and is
considered equal to any single saloon in Europe.
From Genoa I, with two travelling companions, took private carriage
to Pisa, a distance of one hundred and thirty miles, passing through
several interesting towns, visiting the marble mines of Carrara, where
are eighty-five workshops, preparing statuary and various kinds of work
for foreign markets.
The scenery on this route is enchanting. Genoa is left in the distance
as you wind along the coast of the Mediterranean, at the base of
the Apennines. Villages are continually presenting themselves; the
walled hills and mountains are filled with olives and the vine, and
cultivated to their tops. The valleys, beautified with gardens, produce
an abundance of the orange, lemon, &c. On arriving at Pisa, which is
situated on the banks of the Arno, fourteen miles from Leghorn, I
visited all the objects worthy of notice. One of the most remarkable
is the Leaning Tower. It is of a circular form, one hundred and
ninety feet high, and declines thirteen feet from perpendicular. This
beautiful structure was commenced in the year 1174, and consists of
eight stories, adorned with two hundred and seven columns of granite
and marble, many of which have evidently been taken from other
buildings. The stairs leading up are easy of ascent, and the view
extensive.
The Campo Santo, or ancient burial ground, a beautiful edifice, is
a vast rectangle, surrounded by sixty-two light and elegant Gothic
arcades of the Greco-Arabic school, built of white marble, and paved
with the same. It is founded on a part of the earth brought from
Mount Calvary, by two warriors from the Holy Land, and was commenced
in the year 1200. The interior walls are decorated with ancient
fresco-paintings, statues, and monuments of the best artists, bearing
testimony of the most distinguished characters.
From Pisa I went to Leghorn, a fine commercial city, with a population
of sixty thousand, and took steamer for this city.
On entering the harbor of Naples, the city presents itself beautifully
to view, rising in the form of an amphitheatre, and crowned by the
castle of St. Elmo; with its noble bay, thirty miles in diameter;
and the island of Capri, rising in the centre. The towns of Sorento,
Portici, Castellamare, Pozzuoli, and others, stretching along the
promontory right and left, with Mount Vesuvius “eternally smoking in
the distance,” at the base of which lie the ill fated cities of Pompeii
and Herculaneum, all of which I shall visit in a few days, and describe
in my next. Naples is nine miles in circumference, and contains a
population of three hundred and fifty thousand, but with the towns in
the suburbs is said to contain five hundred thousand. On the summit of
the hill, which is difficult of ascent, and adjoining the castle of
St. Elmo, is a convent, and the church of San Martino, which is more
magnificent than any other sacred edifice in Naples, being rich in
gilding, paintings, precious marbles and jewels. The view from this
spot is enchanting. The flat-roofed city, whose streets appear like
narrow footpaths; the buzz of the inhabitants who seem like pigmies;
carriages appearing no larger than children’s toys, and with difficulty
distinguished; on one side the rich Neapolitan country, on another the
majestic Apennines, with Vesuvius in front, and on the other side the
bay covered with boats, and its shores lined with villages--the whole
produces a rich and beautiful sight.