VERONA. [ITALY.] VERONA, but on its return from Paris was reduced to three. The Crypt contains many early frescoes, and tombs of the ancient bishops of Verona; also a stone sarcophagus, in which the remains of St. Zeno were discovered in 1839. In the Cloister is the tomb of Giuseppe della Scala, alluded to by Dante. The Campanile is particularly at other natives. Since 1849 the modern fortifications have been strengthened, and made impregnable in every possible way. A new arsenal has been erected, which will accommodate a garrison of 20,000 men. Besides the ancient double gateway already alluded to, there are others possessing great beauty of architectural design, and interesting specimens of ancient carv-tractive, being a most beautiful structure ing. Churches.-The churches of Verona are distinguished for their magnificence. The exterior of most of them show evidences of faded beauty and luxury of art. Cathedral of Sta. Maria Matricolare was erected in the time of Charlemagne. The modern portions of it are very rich and beautiful-chapels of the Maffei family and St. Agatha particularly so. There are many very peculiar monuments in this building: among them is one erected in commemoration of the Archdeacon of Verona, to whom is attributed the foundation of seven churches; the poet De Cesuris has a tomb and bust; it is also the burialplace of Pope Lucius III., who was driven from Rome to Verona, where he died in 1185. The paintings of importance have nearly all been removed. Titian's Assumption has been replaced here after a tour to Paris and back. of its peculiar style of architecture. Adjoining the church is the cemetery, containing a singular mausoleum. Church of Saint Anastasia, in the Gothic style, and one of the most beautiful edifices of its kind in Italy: it is 76 feet in width, and over 300 in length. The altars are all very elegant; paintings good; the buildings are almost entirely covered with frescoes. The pavement is composed of red, white, and gray marbles, most tastefully arranged. Church of San Fermo was founded in 750; its piers are massive, and show but little alteration; there is quite a good deal of ornament about the church, a number of paintings, and some remarkable monuments; two urns belonging to the last members of the Dante family; the frescoes are very singular. Church of San Bernardin, now used as a military store-house, is full of old tombs; the little circular chapel was a perfect gem of the early Venetian school. Verona contains upward of 40 churches, the most remarkable of which have been mentioned. Church of San Giorgio contains a very large number of paintings, statues, etc. The Presbytery and Baptistery are adorn- The high altar is an exquisite piece of ed with frescoes; in the latter is the font, workmanship. The principal paintings 30 ft. in circumference, and designed from are those of Paul Veronese, the Martyra single block of marble. Church of Zan-dom of St. George, and Farinati's Miracle zenone, a curious structure of the 12th cen- of the Loaves and Fishes. tury: the first building was erected on this site in the beginning of the 9th century, through the liberality of Otho II., who left a handsome donation for the purpose; it was restored in 1178. The entire front is covered with bas-reliefs in stone, and the doors in sculpture of bronze; the wheel-of-fortune window is one of the most remarkable features. The interior of the church is well proportioned, and presents a striking appearance; the plan is of a Latin basilica; it has no transepts; it is rich in curious relics, the most remarkable of which is the statue of St. Zeno, bishop of Verona in 362: he was by birth an African. Among the other curiosities is a vase formed of a single block of red porphyry, also a pedestal. The best painting is one by Mantegna, back of the high altar; it formerly consisted of six compartments, The Palaces of this city are mostly from the designs of Sanmicheli, and are considered some of his finest specimens of architecture. The Palazzo del Consiglio was built by Frà Giacondo; it is adorned by statues of celebrated natives, Catullus, Fracastorio, the poet and physician, also distinguished as a mathematician and astronomer, Pliny the younger, and others. The public gallery belonging to this palace contains some good paintings, although the best have been removed. The tombs of the old lords of Verona are curious specimens of ancient sculpture. They have stood in a public thoroughfare for over 500 years apparently uninjured. The tomb of Can Grande I. forms a kind of entrance to the Church of Santa M. Antica. The tomb of Can Signorio is of exquisite workmanship: his crimes were very great, but they did not prevent him from succeeding his brother-whom he had murderedin the government. One of the finest collections of literature in Italy will be found in the Biblioteca Capitolare: unpublished poems by Dante, a Virgil of the 3d century, and other interesting specimens of early literature. The Piazza del Erbe, or vegetable market, was, in the times of the republic, the forum; from the tribune criminals received their sentence. The fountain in the centre was erected by King Berengarius. At one end of the Piazza is the palace of the Maffei family. The Town Hall, Museo Lapidario, Exchange, Lyceum, Philharmonic Academy, and Opera-house, are among the most attractive and conspicuous buildings of Verona. There are a number of schools, theological seminary, public libraries, and galleries. Theatres. - Teatro Nuovo and Teatro Valle. Juliet's Tomb.-Every reader of Shakspeare is familiar with the story of the Montagues and Capulets, particularly the portion which relates to the faithful, loving Juliet, and the cause of her melancholy death. Her tomb in the garden of the Orfanotrofio does but little justice to her memory. The Austrian government intend, however, to erect a more suitable monument to this fair heroine. The original author of the story of La Giulietta was Luigi da Porta, a gentleman of Vicenza, who died in 1529. His novel, however, did not appear until 1535, being first printed at Venice. It has been proved by a strict inquiry into the history of Verona, that all the circumstances, characters, and truth of the story have been retained by Shakspeare in the production of his play, which was written in 1596. Poor Romeo realized an unhappy termination to his anticipated union with his lovely Juliet. His admiration for her beauty is expressed in the following lines : MANTUA "But soft; what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun : As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright, That birds would sing, and think it were not night." Several excursions may be made in the vicinity of Verona, which will prove interesting to travelers who remain any time in the city. Mantua.-A short excursion from the line of our route may be made to this city. Distance 23 miles. Fare 4 f. 30 cts. Hotel, La Femei. Population 28,000. When governed by her own dukes, during her prosperity, Mantua contained 50,000 inhabitants, and was an extensive manufacturing place. It is a very ancient city, being founded, it is supposed, previous to Rome. Is chiefly celebrated for being the birthplace of Virgil, or, rather, he was born at Andes, two miles from Mantua, 70 B.C., at which place a palace was built by one of the Gonzagos, and from him received the title of Virgiliano. Mantua became a republic after the conquest of Northern Italy by Charlemagne, and until the 12th century continued under that form of government, at which time the Gonzago family became managers of its affairs, and directed them with supreme authority. They still retained possession, after being raised to the title of dukes, until 1707, when it was taken by the Austrians. The situation of the city is very singular, being built upon two portions of land, between which flows the River Mincio; the lowness of the ground makes the climate very unhealthy. It is deficient in natural beauty, but possesses many objects of interest in its ancient buildings and works of art. It is surrounded by lakes, the principal of which are the Lago di Mezzo, Lago di Sopra, and Lago Inferiore. A portion of these lakes are natural, and the other portions are formed by damming up the waters of the river. They are crossed by six stone bridges, which connect the town with the Borgo di Fortezza, a strong citadel of Porto in the north, and also with the Borgo di San Georgio, and is surrounded by strong walls. Mantua, from being so strongly fortified, is rendered one of the bulwarks of Italy. The excursion from Verona to Mantua is very charming, especially as the sun is declining, affording the romantic traveler an opportunity of enjoying the beauties of an Italian sky and sun set. LAGO DI GARDA, The Museo Antiquario contains many Roman statues and some Greek; also several imperial busts, one of Virgil, and a superior Caligula. The best part of Mantua is in the neighborhood of the Piazza Virgiliana, which is a large square surrounded by trees and open to the lake. The Ponte di San Giorgia, which crosses the entire lake, is 2500 feet in length: it was built in the 14th century. Mantua has an academy of fine arts, a public library containing 80,000 volumes, two orphan asylums, a lyceum, a and many other institutions of science and industry. Opposite to the church of Sta. Barbara is the residence of Giulio Romano: his remains were interred in the church just mentioned. The central part of the city exhibits signs of commercial activity, but the outskirts are exceedingly quiet, and the dilap-gymnasium, a work-house, botanic garden, idated state of many of the buildings bear witness to the misfortunes which Mantua has sustained. Its ancient splendor is still visible, however, in many interesting relics which yet remain. One of the most important buildings to be noticed is the Castello di Corte, palace of the Gonzago family, erected by Francesco Gonzago IV., capitano of Mantua. It is a vast structure, with noble towers, which, however, are greatly decayed and battered; a portion of the building is now used as a prison, the other portion as public offices; in these may be seen some ancient frescoes which are very rich. Palazzo Imperiale.-This mansion, which once boasted of so much grandeur, is now entirely deserted; yet on every wall may be seen works of old masters, frescoes of great beauty and effect. The rooms are nearly 500 in number, and were formerly fitted up in the most gorgeous style, with Flemish and Mantuan tapestry, and elegant furniture: it is floored with porcelain. This palace was built for the third sovereign of Mantua. The genius of Giulio Romano is most advantageously displayed in the paintings which adorn the building. Churches.-The Duomo is said to have been designed by Giulio Romano, in imitation of the church of Sta. Maria Maggiore at Rome. It is richly decorated, but possesses few paintings. Church of St. Andrea is far superior to the Cathedral, and, in fact, is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. Mantegna is buried here, and the bust of him is a fine piece of workmanship. Many of the monuments are interesting, having been erected to persons of celebrity. Beneath the high altar is the shrine, containing the blood of our Lord. The Campanile is still standing. A short distance from Mantua is the Palazzo del T; it is from the design of Giulio Romano, who also acted as sculptor, and bestowed upon the paintings some of his most exquisite touches. The Hall of Giants is an immense study, so varied are the figures therein represented. From Verona to Milan, distance 75 miles. Fare 14 lira (a lira equals 17 cents U. S. c.), passing Peschiera, Brescia, and Bergamo. Peschiera is a very strong fortification, situated on a small island connecting the River Mincio with Lake Garda; the fortifications were first erected by Napoleon: it was surrendered to the Piedmontese in 1848, after having been besieged two months. Steamers run regularly from Peschiera to Riva, at the other end of Lake Garda, stopping at the different towns on either side of the lake. Fare 4 lira; time, 4 hours. Excursions are made from this point to the Tyrol and Venetian Lombardy, Solferino. Lago di Garda.-This lake is formed mostly by the River Mincio, which descends from the Italian Tyrol. The whole surrounding country is a garden of beauty. Garda is more extensive than Como or Maggiore, although it receives less water. Its height is about 300 feet above the level of the sea, and its depth 1900 feet. Many of its sides are bold and precipitous, and is almost entirely surrounded by mountains. The lower portion of it is 12 miles across. Catullus selected this lovely situation for his villa, the ruins of which are still visible; he was singularly attached to the spot, and expressed his admiration for it in |