Left Milan at 2¼. 6¼ posts to Piacenza, by 8¾. road flat—country most fertile—but this plain, after a little time, like the Wurmser Loch, though in the opposite sense, defies description. At sunset we had the most delicate rosy tints poured over the whole Eastern sky near the horizon. The lights were very fine, the atmosphere being moist. The bridge of boats over the Po rough bad and dear. The doganieri of Piacenza having let us go, one began to ask for money literally choked upon it: I was determined he should speak out & pressed him: he was obliged to give it up: then the other came to the rescue and significantly put his finger into his mouth! As they had given us our congè we thought they might have something—ma.
Tues. Sep. 25.
San Marco at Piacenza; good. 8—7¾. 9¼ Italian posts: spending two hours at Parma, & with innumerable stops for passport, dogana; &c. Asked for money five times today by doganieri. The posting is very good: and we generally changed under five minutes. The country continues rich in the extreme: we find the third crop of hay cutting, with a fourth expected: the vintage in progress: some grape wagons drawn by six oxen; the treading begun: Indian-corn-threshing on a floor in the open air (cf the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite): much of the land ploughed up: the longvine festoons most beautiful.
At Piacenza, admired particularly the men of the bronze equestrian statues.
The division of the cupola of the Cathedral into so many as eight compartments has put the artist (Guercino) at a disadvantage as regards his composition?
Evangelists & Sybils are mixed.
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