Neither here nor at the
Florentine gallery are fees allowed to be taken; on the contrary a strict
prohibition of them is posted up in the French, Italian, German and English
languages.
On the Ponte Vecchio on each side are jewellers' shops, who sell besides
jewellery, cameos and works in mosaic. The Quais on each side of the Arno
are very broad and spacious and form agreeable promenades in the winter
season. The buildings on the banks of the Arno are magnificent. The streets
of Florence have this peculiarity that they are all paved with large flag
stones, which makes them mightily pleasant for pedestrians, but dangerous
at times for horses who are apt to slip. Most of the houses in Florence
have walls of prodigious thickness; one would suppose each house was meant
to be a fortress in case of necessity.
FLORENCE, 29th August.
On the other side of the Arno, a little beyond the Cabinet Physique and
Museum of Natural History stands the Palazzo Pitti, the residence of the
Grand Duke. It is a vast building and has a large and choice collection of
pictures; but its finest ornament in my opinion is the statue of Venus by
Canova, which to me at least appears to equal the Medicean Venus in beauty
and in grace. The magnificent and spacious garden belonging to the Palace
is called the garden of Boboli. These gardens form the grand promenade of
the Florentines on Sundays and holidays. The alleys are well shaded by
trees, which effectually protect the promenaders from the rays of the sun.
There are a great many statues in this garden, but the most striking is a
group which lies nearly in the centre of the garden. It is environed by a
large circular basin or lake lined with stone and planted with orange trees
on the whole circumference. In the centre of the lake is a rock and on this
rock is a colossal statue in white marble of Neptune in his car. The car is
in the shape of a marine conch and serves as a basin and fountain at the
same time. There are several other fountains and jets d'eau, among which
is a group representing Adam and Eve and the statue of a man pouring out
water from a vase which he has on his shoulder.
The Corso or grand evening promenade for carriages and equestrians is on
a place called the Cascino, pronounced by the Florentines Hascino. The
Cascino consists of pleasure grounds on the banks of the Arno outside the
town, laid out in roads, alleys and walks for carriages, equestrians and
pedestrians. There is a very brilliant display of carriages every evening.
There are restaurants on the Cascino and supper parties are often formed
here.
