The South of France-East Half Part 50

Near the centre of the town is the terminus of the steam tram to Saluzzo, 2 hrs. Near the railway station is the terminus of the steam tram to Perosa, 12 m. N.W. from Pinerolo. +Perosa+, 2015 ft., pop. 2400, _Inn:_ H. National, agreeably situated on the Chisone near its junction with the Germanasca. On the other side of the Chisone is Pomaretto, pop.

760, with a Waldensian chapel and school.

+Perosa to Mont Dauphin.+--There is a post-road up the Germanasca and down the Guil, an affluent of the Durance, to Mont Dauphin, pa.s.sing by Perrero and Abries. Abries is 24 m. S.W. from Perosa and on the S. side of the Col d'Abries, and 21 m. N.E. from Mont Dauphin. (For Mont Dauphin, see p. 344.) About 7 m. W. from Perosa is Perrero, 931 ft, pop.

560, on the Germanasca at its junction with the Germanasca di Ma.s.sello.

From this the road, still ascending the Germanasca, turns southward, and pa.s.sing by the hamlets of Pomeifre, Fontana, Gardiola, and Bonous on the Germanasca at its junction with the Rodoretto, arrives at Prali on the Gormanasca, 4502 ft., pop. of district 1370, about 4 hrs. walk from Perosa. The road from Prali pa.s.ses Cugno, Ghigo, Orgiere, and Pome to Giordano, whence it becomes a mule-path, which at the hamlet of Ribba separates from the path to the Pa.s.s Giuliano, 8358 ft. to the S.E., and continues in a S.W. direction by the Germanasca to the Col d'Abries, 8677 ft., frequented even in winter. The summit is 3 hrs. from Prali, and the descent to the village of Abries by the hamlet of Roux, 2 hrs.

(For Abries and Mont Dauphin, see p. 344, and map, p. 304.)

[Headnote: FENESTRELLE. COL DE SESTRIeRES.]

+Perosa to Cesanne+, 28 m. N.W. by the river Chisone, Fenestrelle, Pragelas, and Sestrieres. 9 m. above Perosa is +Fenestrelle+, pop. 1120, _Inns:_ Croce Bianca; Scudo di Francia, one of the strongest Italian fortresses on the frontier. 7 m. from Fenestrelle is Pragelas, where the valley becomes more Alpine in character. Other 4 m. is Sestrieres, "whence the road mounts in zigzags to the Col de Sestrieres, a nearly level plain 2 m. long, commanding a good view of Mont Albergian. The descent is by long windings to the level of the Dora, which is crossed to reach Cesanne, 8 m. from Sestrieres" (Ball's _Alps_, p. 36). (For Cesanne to Briancon by Mont Genevre, see under Briancon, p. 333, and map p. 304.)

SALUZZO.

+Saluzzo+ is 42 m. S. by rail from Turin, and 4 hrs. by steam tram from the same city. Saluzzo is 2 hrs. N. from Cuneo by steam tram, pa.s.sing Cavour, pop. of district 7220. Coach daily to Paesana on the Po, 14 m.

W., fare 1 fr.; also to Sampeyre, Albergo della Posta, 6 hrs. S.W., on the Vraita; and to Barge, 1 fr., _Inn:_ Lion d'Or.

The termini of the Cuneo and Saluzzo, the Pinerolo and Saluzzo, and the Turin and Saluzzo steam trams are just within the town. The tram to Pinerolo leaves Saluzzo near the railway station, pa.s.sing by the marble statue to the poet Silvio Pellico, born at Saluzzo in 1788, d. 1854.

Saluzzo, pop. 18,000, _Inns:_ Corona Grossa; Gallo, is a town of considerable size, possessing great facilities for visiting various places in the neighbourhood, either by tram, rail, or coach.

[Headnote: PAESANA. CRISSOLO. COL DE LA TRAVERSETTE.]

+Saluzzo to Mont Dauphin+, 65 m. W. by Paesana, Crissolo, Col de la Traversette, Abries, and Queyras. Take the coach which starts in the evening for Paesana on the Po, 1778 ft., with two fair inns, pa.s.sing Martiniana and Sanfront. Above Paesana the valley becomes very picturesque and the view of Monte Viso gradually more and more imposing.

After having pa.s.sed Ostana, 4266 ft., the road reaches the sanctuary of San Chiaffredo, and a little farther on is Crissolo, 8 m. from Paesana, 4374 ft.

Next is the Borgo, 4954 ft., the highest village in the valley of the Po, consisting of three hamlets, the lowest having a small inn. On the opposite side of the valley and about 1 m. farther up is the cave, Balma Rio Martino, 5020 ft., in strata of dolomite. The valley shortly after becomes wild and Alpine, yet enclosing two small oases--the +Pian Fiorenza+, 6034 ft., and the +Pian del Re+, 6625 ft., containing in summer a rich variety of rare Alpine plants. A little to the S.W.

of the Pian del Re is the source of the Po. The road to the Col de la Traversette leads N.W. from the Pian del Re through a hollow covered with snow the greater part of the year, whence the real ascent commences. About 300 ft. below the crest and 9564 ft. above the sea is the tunnel, generally closed with snow, pierced in 1480 by Ludovico II. The summit of the pa.s.s is 9680 ft. and about 4 hrs.

ascending from Crissolo. The descent into the valley of the Guil is by the Buco di Viso. On the French side, 1897 ft. below the summit, is La Bergerie du Grand Vallon. (See Mont Dauphin to Saluzzo, p. 344, and map p. 304; also Ball's _Alps_, p. 22.)

CUNEO.

54 m. S. from Turin by rail, and 2 hrs. S. from Saluzzo by rail, is +Cuneo+, 1500 ft., pop. 1200, _Inns:_ H. Barra di Ferro; Albergo di Superga. Steam tram to Borgo-San-Dalmazzo, pop. 4600, 45 min. S.W.; also to Dronero on the Maira, 1 hr. W. (See also pp. 182 and 279.)

Cuneo to Barcelonnette, 61 m. W., by Borgo-San-Dalmazzo, Demonte, Vinadio, Bersezio, the Col de Largentiere and l'Arche, the frontier village of France, with two inns. (See under Barcelonnette; Cuneo to Nice by the Col di Tenda, see p. 182.)

+Turin to Florence.+

291 miles southwards by Alessandria, Piacenza, Parma, Modena, and Bologna. Time by quick trains, 13 hours. For London to Florence, and through tickets, see the Continental Time-tables of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, 3d.

miles from TURIN miles to FLORENCE

{ }{291} +TURIN.+ (For Asti, and the route as far as Alessandria, see p. 280, and map p. 199.)

{81}{210} +VOGHERA+, pop. 10,000, on the Staffora. _Hotel:_ H. Italia. Branch to Pavia, 17 m. N., and Milan. Between Voghera and the next station, Casteggio, is on the right Montebello, where the battle took place, 9th June 1800, which preceded that of Marengo by five days.

[Headnote: PIACENZA. CATHEDRAL.]

{117}{174} +PIACENZA+, pop. 36,000, on the Po. _Hotels:_ S. Marco; Italia; Croce Bianca. _Cabs_--the course, 1 horse, 70 c.; 2 horses, 1 fr. For the first hour, 1 horse, 1 fr. 50 c.; 2 horses, 1 fr. 80 c.

In the middle of the town is the square called the Piazza de' Cavalli, from the two bronze equestrian statues of Duke Alexander Farnese and his son Duke Ranuccio. On one side is the church of S. Francesco, and on the other the Palazzo del Governo, and opposite it the picturesque +Palazzo del Comune+, begun in 1281. The portico underneath is used as a market.

The upper part of the building is of red brick with handsome windows.

The princ.i.p.al street, the Strada Diritta, leads to the +Cathedral+ (1122-1233), containing some admirable paintings. In the interior the arches are round, but the ribs of the roof meet at an angle. At the 3d altar is a picture, by A. Sirani, of the Ten Thousand Martyrs; at the 4th a painting of the Death of a Saint. In the right transept is an altar-piece, Three Saints, by Calisto di Lodi, and on the ceiling frescoes by Agostino and Lodovico Carracci, in Correggio's style. The Coronation of the Virgin is by Procaccini. The +Cupola+ is divided into eight compartments; six of them were painted by Guercino, with figures of prophets and sybils; the other two figures were by Morazzone. Below are four allegorical paintings by Franceschini. The roof of the crypt under the church rests on 100 columns. S. Antonino (the former cathedral) was commenced in the 10th cent., and restored in 1562. The curious vestibule and the ma.s.sive columns bearing the tower are relics of the earlier edifice. At the W. end of the town is +Sa. Maria di Campagna+, famous for paintings by Pordenone. On the left of the chief entrance is a fres...o...b.. him of St. Augustine and five Angels; in the 1st chapel left are two large frescoes, the Nativity of the Virgin and the Adoration of the Magi. Crossing the transept we have on the left the "Marriage of St. Catharine," the faces being portraits of the Pordenone family, and a fine fresco also by him, representing the dispute of St.

Catharine. By him are likewise the frescoes in the eight compartments of the cupola; those in the pendentives are by B. Gatti. The most highly decorated church is _S. Sisto_ (built in the 16th cent.), with an Ionic atrium. Raphael's Madonna, now at Dresden, was taken from S. Sisto.

The _Palazzo Farnese_ is a great, unfinished, building, begun in 1558 by Margaret of Austria, now used as barracks. The Mandelli palace, now the Prefettura, has a handsome facade. 24 miles to the south of Piacenza is the site of _Velleia_, a town which was overwhelmed by a landslip in the 3d cent. Many interesting objects have been obtained there; which have been deposited in the museum of Parma. In the vicinity are emanations from the ground of carburetted hydrogen gas, which takes fire on the application of a flame.

[Headnote: PARMA--MUSEUM.]

{153}{138} +PARMA+, pop. 46,000, on the Parma. _Hotels:_ Albergo Centrale; Croce Bianca; Leone d'Oro. Parma, although founded by the Boii, and conquered by the Romans 183 B.C., is a neat clean town of modern appearance, surrounded by bastioned walls. The most important of the edifices is the Palazzo Ducale, forming, with the _Palazzo Farnese_, a large unsymmetrical a.s.semblage of buildings in the Piazza del Corte behind the Piazza Grande. In the Ducal Palace is a collection of paintings belonging to the French school. In the Farnese are the Museum of Antiquities, the Picture-Gallery, the Library, and the Farnese Theatre, now in a ruinous condition. It was built in 1620, in the time of Duke Ranuccio, and for many years was the scene of splendid spectacles and grand public entertainments.

_The Museum of Antiquities_ embraces a small collection, in four rooms, of Roman altars, bronzes, busts, and mosaics, princ.i.p.ally from Velleia and Rome. Among the most remarkable, are "The Theft of the Tripoid," in 1st room. In the 2d room, a statuette of Hercules intoxicated, and the "Tabula alimentaria," a rescript of the Emperor Trajan, relating to the support of certain poor children. In 4th room, a bust of Maria Louisa, the first Napoleon's second wife, by Canova. Higher up on the same staircase is the _Library_, with 150,000 volumes, and some thousands of MSS., in several large galleries and halls, at the end of one of which is Correggio's fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin.

[Headnote: PICTURE-GALLERY--CORREGGIO.]

_The Pinacoteca_ is on the same floor of the palace as the library, and is open daily during the same hours. The collection is not large, but is remarkable for the number and value of Correggio's pictures. In selecting the best pictures, we shall arrange the names of the painters alphabetically to facilitate reference.

_Annibal Caracci._--Pieta. _Lodovico Caracci._--Funeral of the Virgin; the Apostles at the tomb of the Virgin (two large pictures). _Cima da Conegliano._--Two very good pictures. (+Correggio.+)--1. The Madonna della Scala, a fresco. 2. The Flight into Egypt, known as the Madonna della Scodella, from the dish in the Virgin's hand. 3. _The Madonna with St. Jerome_, sometimes called Il Giorno, from its bright daylight effect and in contrast with La Notte at Dresden--this is Correggio's best picture here, perhaps it is the best picture he ever painted on canvas, and it is universally considered one of the marvels of art.

The letters A. A. (Antonio Allegri) are worked into the silk that covers the walls of the cabinet. 4. The Martyrdom of St. Placidus and St. Flavia (such subjects are not agreeable, however skilfully treated). 5. The Entombment. 6. Christ carrying his Cross (some critics think this to be a work of Anselmi, others that it is an early production of Correggio). 7. A Portrait attributed to him. (On the walls of some of the rooms are the drawings that were made for Toschi the engraver from Correggio's frescoes at Parma.) _Albert Durer._--Man with a Skull. _Francesco Francia._--Descent from the Cross; the Virgin enthroned with Saints; the Virgin with the Infant and St. John (most charming). _Garofalo._--Virgin and Child in the clouds, with a landscape below. _Giovanni di San Giovanni._--A Singing party.

_Murillo._--St. Jerome. _Parmegianino._--The Marriage of St. Catharine (an exquisite picture); Marriage of the Virgin; Portrait of a Man with a music book (marked "incerto" on the frame). _Fra Paola da Pistoia._--Adoration of Magi. _Pordenone._--Portrait of a Man with an open book. _Raffaello(?)._--Christ in the clouds with the Virgin and St. John, and Saints below (it is by no means certain that this is a work of Raffaello). _Giuseppe Rosa._--Landscape with Cattle. _Lionello Spada._--Fortune-telling, three figures; Marriage of St. Catharine.

_Spagnoletto._--Twelve pictures of Saints. _B. Schidone._--The Entombment; the Maries at the Sepulchre; Virgin, Child, and St. John.

_Vandyck._--Virgin and Child; Portrait of an Old Lady.

_Velasquez._--Portrait of a Man in a black dress (there are other portraits ascribed to him). _L. da Vinci._--Sketch of a Female Head.

_Zuccarelli._--River Scene.

_The Ducal Garden_, open daily to the public, is on the other side of the river, and may be reached from the palace by a bridge called the Ponte Verde. It is a large piece of ground, laid out in a formal style; but when its chestnuts, limes, and acacias, are in leaf, it affords a pleasant promenade. Within the grounds is a palace called Palazzo di Giardino. The _Botanic Gardens_ are at the other side of the town, near the citadel. The broad road near it, called the Stradone, is planted with trees, and is a favourite place of resort for the town's-people, both in carriages and on foot.

[Headnote: CATHEDRAL.]

By a narrow street leading east from the Ducal Palace is the +Cathedral+, a good specimen of Italian Gothic, built in the 13th and 14th cents. The portals are adorned with lions, by B. da Bisoni, 1281.

In the interior, along the top of cl.u.s.tered articulated columns, runs an elegant triforium, and over it extends a lofty elliptical roof, painted by G. Mazzola. The choir is above the level of the nave. Within the great door, left side, is a portrait of Correggio, and on the other, one of Parmegianino. _The cupola_ was painted by _Correggio_ (1526-30), with frescoes representing the _a.s.sumption of the Virgin_, but they are in a ruined state. Those on the vault of the right transept were by a son of Correggio, while those on the left transept were by Orazio Sammachini.

In the Capella dei Canonici, on the right side of the church, at the foot of the choir-steps, is an altar-piece by B. Gatti; and near it a poor bust of Petrarch, with an inscription recording that he was archdeacon here. Beneath the choir is a s.p.a.cious crypt, supported by thirty-four marble columns. On the walls of the sacristy are frescoes of the 14th century, and intarsias by L. Biancho.

[Headnote: BAPTISTERY--S. GIOVANNI.]

The _Baptistery_ is a lofty octagonal building (1196-1281), with four deeply-recessed doorways, enriched with bas-reliefs. The four tiers of open galleries with columns, and a fifth tier of engaged arches, the pinnacled canopies at the top, and the ring of fantastic carvings below, combine to render this one of the most remarkable buildings of its cla.s.s in Italy. In the interior there are two tiers of galleries, some rude sculpture, and a profusion of fresco painting--old, but not of much value. At the middle is a great font, hewn out of one piece of marble, and having in the centre a place where the priest could stand, protected from the water, whilst he immersed the child. The font at which the Parmesans are now baptised is at one side, ornamented with carvings, and supported by a marble lion. +S. Giovanni Evangelista+ (1510), a church standing near the cathedral, and much visited on account of the _frescoes painted by Correggio_ (1520-25) _in the cupola_; they represent the Vision of St. John, and, though blackened and badly lighted, they are fortunately in a better condition than those in the cathedral. The figures are on a large scale, and include the Evangelists and the Fathers of the Church, who look with astonishment at the glory above. Correggio also painted in grey the decorations of the vault of the sanctuary; and over the door of the sacristy in the left transept a fresco of St. John. In the 1st chapel to the right of the princ.i.p.al entrance is a good painting of the Modenese school, and the monument of Sanvitale-Montenuovo; in the 2d an Adoration of the Shepherds, by Giacomo Francia (the painter's portrait is seen in the old man to the left); in the 6th chapel is a copy of Correggio's "Night," now at Dresden. On the arches of the 1st and 2d chapels on the left of the entrance are much-damaged _frescoes by Parmegianino_ (four subjects); and in the 6th chapel is a picture, by Anselmi, of Christ with his Cross. The white marble holy-water fonts deserve notice. In the adjoining _convent_ (now used as barracks) is a damaged fresco of two children by Correggio.

[Headnote: S. PAOLO--CORREGGIO.]

Near the Piazza Grande is the church of the _Madonna della Steccata_, from designs by F. Zaccagni in 1521. The best frescoes are by Parmeggianino, Moses breaking the Tables of Stone, Adam and Eve, and the Virtues, on the archway of the choir. On the vault over the high altar a Coronation of the Virgin, by Anselmi. Gatti painted the cupola. The wooden pulpit combines elegance with simplicity. A good Madonna in corner chapel left of main entrance. Near the Piazza di Corte is the church of S. Lodovico, and adjoining it the suppressed +Convent of S. Paolo+, now a school. In this small building are the best preserved works of Correggio, painted for the abbess of the convent on the walls and ceiling of this her reception-room. The subject is Children, or Amoretti, represented as being seen through the openings of a bower or piece of trellis-work. Their varied att.i.tudes are most charmingly portrayed. Diana herself, whose Triumph is thus depicted, is painted over the fireplace. Below the princ.i.p.al subjects are smaller figures in grey. The frescoes in the next room are by Araldi. The custodian is generally to be found in the picture-gallery.

The famous Parmesan cheese is made chiefly in dairies around Milan, Lodi, and Pavia, and is called Formaggio di grana, because commonly used in a granular form with soup. 17 miles S.E. from Parma is +Reggio Emilia+ (pop. 24,000). _Hotels:_ Posta; Cavaletto. _Cabs_--80 c. the course; 1 fr. the hour. _Sights_--Cathedral; house of Lodovico Ariosto, born here 1474. His _Orlando Furioso_ went through sixteen editions in the 16th cent. 9 m. N.E. is Correggio, the birthplace of the great painter Antonio Allegri, called Correggio. To the Castle of Canossa and back, 14 frs.

[Headnote: MODENA. CATHEDRAL--DUCAL PALACE.]