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most beautiful is the Annonciata , the pillars of which are of variegated marble , the compartments of the roof painted in fresco , and those of the walls filled up with paintings by some of the first masters , arid among them the famous Last Supper , by Coreggio . I happened to enter this church at the moment when a young priest was preaching to a regiment of soldiers , who were drawn up in the nave . I could not catch much of what he said ,
but his appearance and his attitudes were very remarkable . His sallow complexion , his marked but regular features , and his jet-black hair , surmounted by his priest ' s cap , which he only took off when he pronounced the name of Christ , all proclaimed him the true Italian ; and the idea was completed by the impassioned manner of his address , and the violence of his action , which were in the boldest style of tragic declamation . Such preaching as this will certainly not stand the test of deliberate criticism ;
yet I am disposed to think , that in judging it , very great allowance is to be made for the genius of the people . These warm-blooded inhabitants of the South , whose imaginations are as glowing as their skies are cloudless , would freeze and die had they any thing addressed to them much less piquant and inflammatory than what I heard on this occasion . To them the " small still voice" of reason would speak in vain , and the soft tones of persuasion would be absolute insipidity .
22 nd . The weather having become somewhat stormy , the captain of the steam-boat expressed a doubt as to the possibility of our sailing the following day for Leghorn , for which place my friend and I had unfortunately paid our passage-money . Besides this , we had found the vessel very uncomfortable , and we were desirous of arriving in Rome in time for the ceremonies of the holy week : we therefore determined to continue our journey by land , and accordingly agreed with a man , who had a cabriolet , to take us in three days to Pisa , a distance of about a hundred and twenty miles , for which , supper and bed included , we were to pay ninety francs .
23 d . We did not in the least repent of the change which we had made in our plans ; for the day was fine , the country beautiful , and the road , though through a most mountainous district , worthy of Mr . M'Adam himself The hills were planted nearly to the top with olive trees and pines , and interspersed with hamlets , churches , and villas , the white or frescoed walls of which contrasted finely with the surrounding wood . The bold rocks which bordered on the Mediterranean , were feathered down to the very water's
edge with orange and lemon trees , with figs , peaches , and vines , while the waves broke magnificently on their base , and the broad white line of foam was succeeded by the green expanse of the ocean , presenting to every eye , which was not dead to grandeur , one of the noblest objects in nature . There could be no mistake now that Italy was the country through which we were travelling . We slept that night at Sestio , a small town on the coast , and were again on our way early the next morning . In the forenoon we had a tremendous journey of six hours across a high ridge of the
Appennines : it rained , hailed , and snowed by turns , and our vehicle was but a poor defence against the inclemency of the weather , which was , however , only the more in character with the black and rugged aspect of the mountains over which we were passing . At length we arrived at Borghetto , where we soon forgot our troubles in the comforts of a good fire , and an excellent dSjetinS d la fourchette . In the afternoon the weather cleared , and we pursued our journey through a most rich and fertile district , every rood of which was in a state of the highest cultivation . The little patches of wheat looked green and healthy , and the peach and plum trees
Untitled Article
680 - Journal of a Tour on the Continent .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1828, page 680, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2565/page/24/
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