CHAP. XVIII.NAPLES.
“Vedi Napoli e po mori,[1]” says a patriotic proverb of the country, in which I was now residing; for the good people flatter themselves there is nothing in the world worth seeing afterward: a farther instance of their national partiality is contained in another adage, expressive of the following sentiment: “When a Neapolitan is out of humour, he has only to open his window and look at his country, to restore his complacency.” And yet, alas! how wretchedly have these people defended that country!
[1]“See Naples and then die.”
[1]“See Naples and then die.”
[1]“See Naples and then die.”
Whatever might be the sensations with which I was affected on entering this city, produced by my conceptions of its beauty and magnificence, I could not avoid feeling rejoiced, at the circumstance of having reached in safety, this boundary of my proposed pilgrimage, and thene plus ultraof the generality of European travellers. But it was some time before I could get comfortable accommodations. Our driver probably imagining I should not be able toseeinto his stratagem, took every other passenger to his destined point, before he would attend to myself, because the Largo Castello, to which Ihad directed him, happened to be near his own quarters; consequently, it was six o’clock before I arrived, and then I had the mortification to find the house too full to receive me. I was compelled to search for apartments elsewhere, and only with great difficulty at length succeeded, and was happy, after taking refreshment, to get into a more comfortable bed than I had met with since I left Rome.
Naples, or Napoli, was originally called Parthenope, a name said to have been given by the Phœnicians, in consequence of its delightful situation. This city is so ancient, that its original foundation is involved in the obscurity of the earliest periods. It is reported to have been founded by the Argonauts, thirteen centuries before the Christian era, and afterwards strengthened and enriched, by colonies from Rhodes, Athens, and Chalcis.
The impression I received on entering this city, was that of commercial importance, from the bustle and confusion which I heard in some of the streets through which we passed: but as all strangers are, in the first instance, forcibly struck by the beauty of its situation, and magnificent appearance, I cannot do better than quote the description given of it by a favourite author, Dr. Moore.
“Naples is supposed to be founded by the Greeks. The charming situation they have chosen, is one proof among thousands of the fine taste of that ingenious people.
“The bay is about thirty miles in circumference, and twelve in diameter; it has been named Crater, from its supposed resemblance to a bowl. This bowl is ornamented with the most beautiful foliage, with vines, with olives, mulberry and orange-trees, with hills, dales, towns, villas, and villages.
“At the bottom of the bay of Naples, the town is built in the form of an amphitheatre, sloping from the hills towards the sea.
“If, from the town, you turn your eyes to the east, you see the rich plains leading to Mount Vesuvius and Portici. If you look to the west, you have the grotto of Pausilippo, the mountain on which Virgil’s tomb is placed, the fields leading to Puzzoli, and the coast of Baia. On the north, are the fertile hills, gradually rising from the shore to the Campagna Felice. On the south is the bay, confined by the two promontaries of Misenum and Minerva; the view being terminated by the island of Procida, Ischia, and Caprea; and as you ascend to the castle of St. Elmo, which is situated on a mountain of the same name, you have all these objects under your eye at once, with the addition of a great part of the Campagna.
“Independent of its happy situation, Naples is a very beautiful city. The style of architecture it may be confessed, is superior to what prevails at Rome; but though Naples cannot vie with thatcity, in the number of palaces, or in the grandeur or magnificence of the churches, the private houses, in general, are better built, and more uniformly convenient; the streets are broader, and better paved. No street in Rome equals in beauty the Strada di Toledo at Naples; and still less can any of them be compared with those beautiful streets which open to the bay. This is the native country of the Zephyrs; here the excessive heat of the sun is often tempered with sea breezes, and with gales, wafting the perfumes of the Campagna Felice.
“The houses in general are five or six stories high, and flat at the top; on which are placed numbers of flower vases, or fruit-trees, in boxes of earth, producing a very gay and agreeable effect.
“The garrison stationed at the fortress of St. Elmo have the entire command of the town, and could lay it in ashes at pleasure, being built on the mountain of the same name. A little lower on the same mountain is a convent of Carthusians. The situation of this convent is as advantageous and beautiful as can be imagined; and much expense has been lavished to render the building, the apartments, and the gardens, equal to the situation.”
On the morning which succeeded my arrival, (Saturday, March 5th), after engaging aservitore de piazza, and delivering some letters of introduction, I had the good fortune to arrange with onegentleman, Dr. K⸺, whom I called upon with the latter view, to be accommodated with apartments in his house; and farther, we agreed to mess together, whenever it suited our convenience to dine at home; under which arrangement, we continued to live in all possible harmony, during the remainder of my stay in Naples.
As the doctor dined out on the following day, I preferred taking my repast at a trattoria’s, called the Villa de Paregi, and had the unexpected pleasure of being placed between two gentlemen, brothers, whom I had known at Nice. Unfortunately, they were quitting Naples that evening: I spent, however, a couple of hours very agreeably with them, at their lodgings.
In the course of my walk on the following day, I met my friend Lady C⸺ with Miss L⸺, and afterwards dined with Dr. K⸺ at the Villa di Roma, where I had the gratification of finding Count K⸺ whom I have before mentioned, as well as two or three other acquaintances. I was much pleased with the situation of this trattoria’s house. It stands by the sea-side, in that part of Naples termed Santa Lucia; there is a room built directly over the sea, where one not only enjoys the refreshing breeze, but also the additional cooling sensation of the waves under-foot. The entertainment of the house is excellently good, and after taking refreshment, it is delightfulto walk by the sea-side, or a boat may be had to sail upon the bay if it is preferred.
On the next day, Mr. C⸺, the gentleman whom I have mentioned as being acquainted with formerly in America, called upon me. I had been at his house, but did not find him at home; I left however, my letter of introduction. This reminds me of some lines of one of the most pleasing poets of our day, whose society I have had the pleasure of enjoying, written under somewhat similar circumstances.
“Tho’ late the word of friendship came,Thanks be to him who said it;Impatient of the tardy claim,Your friend was mine—before he read it.”
“Tho’ late the word of friendship came,Thanks be to him who said it;Impatient of the tardy claim,Your friend was mine—before he read it.”
“Tho’ late the word of friendship came,Thanks be to him who said it;Impatient of the tardy claim,Your friend was mine—before he read it.”
“Tho’ late the word of friendship came,
Thanks be to him who said it;
Impatient of the tardy claim,
Your friend was mine—before he read it.”
We walked together to the Grotto del Piede, and I had the pleasure, and I may say advantage, of finding him, in addition to his original stock of general information, become a most intelligent and agreeable Ciceroni. We measured the entrance of the grotto, and found it seven good paces; it extends in length, nearly a mile through the mountain, to its termination on the other side. At certain points in the tunnel are apertures, which admit an imperfect light from above; the deficiency is supplied by tapers placed near the centre, which at the same time serve to illuminate a figure of the Virgin Mary.
After my walk I took an artificial sulphur bath,and in the evening drank from the spring at St. Lucia, which is impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen; I proposed continuing this plan occasionally during my residence here. After this, I dined with Lady C⸺, and in the evening took a drive with the family on the Strada Nuova.
I had arranged with Mr. C⸺ to accompany him, and two Neapolitan gentlemen, to the royal palace at Caserta, which we had the prospect of seeing to advantage, as the king was yet at Rome, and his chief agent at that place, brother to one of our companions. We fixed on Saturday the 12th for our excursion. We left Naples between four and five in the morning, and arrived at Caserta about eight o’clock, being distance of fifteen miles. In the first place, we inspected a smaller palace at St. Lucia, about a mile distant from the large one, where his Majesty generally resides in perfect retirement. The house is small, and by no means well furnished; but in one room we noticed one of the greatest luxuries of a hot climate, a marble bath, twelve or fourteen feet square, and railed round, with little gates leading to the steps by which you descend into it. We did not prolong our stay at this palace, which contains little worth seeing, but retiring to the house of our companion’s brother, were regaled with an excellent breakfast, but rather a peculiar one; the first part consisted of eggs, cream and othercheeses, with radishes, rolls and butter, and excellent wines; after which, coffee was introduced, and then a variety of fresh and preserved fruits, with two kinds of the finestliqueurs, one of which was said to be only made at the convent of St. Rosa, probably by the hands of fair nuns, at least, whether this was the case or not, the idea gave an additional zest to thegout. It may seem inconsistent, that nuns and monks should employ themselves in the composition of any thing to intoxicate the brain, and contribute to gross and worldly enjoyments; but, I believe, it is almost to them exclusively, that we are indebted for the introduction of aqua vita, and other strong liquors, one of the earliest receipts for making which will be found in the Rosa Anglica of John of Gaddesden, a celebrated medical monk, and the first court physician appointed in England, at the time of Edward the Second; John is, however, so cautious respecting it, that he begs the secret may neither be divulged to women or laymen, or the delicious compound tasted by them, unless a handsome fee has been first paid for the gratification.
After breakfast we visited the king’s manufactory of silks and velvets, in which eight hundred persons are employed; the works and spinning machines are conducted upon similar principles with those of Lyons and Spitalfields; in short, the director has passed some years at both theseplaces, in order to attain a thorough acquaintance with the various processes. As far as I could judge, the quality and texture of the articles manufactured here, were equal to any I had examined in England or France. The larger wheels are, however, not put into motion by the action of steam or water, but by two women walking within them. The manufacturers reside in the adjoining village of Santa Lucia, and are regulated by particular laws, and have privileges different from what are possessed in any other parts of the kingdom, and which were given them by the present king in his own hand-writing.
We now proceeded through the royal grounds, which are abundantly stocked with game of every kind, to San Sylvestre, where is the king’s dairy, and a small house, called his hunting box, situated in the middle of a beautiful park well planted with the chesnut, and fine young oaks. After this we visited the gardens, stored with the choicest fruit-trees, and ornamented with flowers of every description. We here found, as guards, two beautiful mastiffs, who were said to be in royal pay, each receiving six ducats per month, which is wholly expended in provisions for them, as they happen to require no other clothing than what nature has liberally provided.
After this we passed through a woody walk to the cascade, formed by the waters from the PonteMadeloni, six miles distant, which I shall hereafter describe. This cascade issuing from a reservoir situated on an eminence termed Gazzano, is precipitated into a plain, where, formed into a long straight canal well stocked with mullet, and losing its rapidity, it is conducted by a succession of artificial falls to the palace; from whence it is conveyed by pipes under-ground to Naples, affording a supply of the best water which that city possesses.
After a most delightful walk, enhanced by the fineness of the day, we reached the palace of Caserta, said to be the largest royal residence in Europe, and which we found a truly noble and magnificent structure. The building comprises nearly a square, and as the kitchens and offices are under-ground, there is as much contained beneath, as above the surface. After passing through a magnificent hall, we ascended a marble staircase, fine without a parallel, the massy balustrade composed of the richest workmanship, and of the whitest marble, said to be taken from an ancient temple near Naples. The entrance upon the staircase on each side is guarded by a lion of the same description of marble.
At the head of the first flight of stairs, apartments branch off in different directions, which, however, were only slightly furnished. The first room we entered was a chapel, most elegantly although only partially fitted up. After this wewere ushered into a suit of spacious saloons and bed-chambers, with baths, &c.
The ground-floor contains a beautiful theatre, on the model of the present one of St. Carlos, and so contrived as to admit of a side being thrown open, to exhibit the natural scenery of the country around. This palace also has a circular road from the bottom to the top, to allow the king to ride up or down at pleasure.
Our time was too short, to enable us to take more than a cursory view of this immense pile of building, as we had determined to visit the aqueduct of Madeloni, before our return to Naples, and which was some miles out of the direct road.
The palace of Caserta was commenced by CharlesIII.of Spain, in the year 1757, under the celebrated architect Vanvitelli, and is not complete at the present day. I shall finish my account of it with the following description from Dr. Moore.
“This palace is built on a plain where ancient Capua stood. It was thought prudent to found a building, on which such sums of money were to be lavished, at a considerable distance from Mount Vesuvius. It were to be wished, that the contents of the cabinet of Portici were removed from the same dangerous neighbourhood. That he might not be limited in ground for the gardens, may have been his Spanish majesty’s motive for choosing that his palace should be at a distancefrom Naples; and that it might not be exposed to insult from an enemy’s fleet, was probably the reason that determined him to place it at a distance from the sea.
“This immense building is of a rectangular form, seven hundred and fifty English feet, by five hundred and eighty; about one hundred and twelve feet high, comprehending five habitable stories, which contain such a number of apartments as will accommodate the most numerous court without any accessary buildings.
“The rectangle is divided into four courts, each of about two hundred and fifty-two feet, by one hundred and seventy. In each of the two principal fronts, are three corresponding gates, forming three openings, which pierce the whole building. The middle gate forms the entry to a magnificent portico, through which the coaches drive. In the middle of that, and in the centre of the edifice, there is a vestibule, of an octagonal form, which opens into the four grand courts at four sides of the octagon; two other sides open into the portico, one to the staircase; and at the eighth side there is a statue of Hercules crowned by victory with this inscription;
VIRTUS POST FORTIA FACTA CORONAT.
The grand staircase is adorned with the richest marble; the upper vestibule to which you ascendby the grand staircase, is an octagon also, and surrounded by twenty-four pillars of yellow marble, each of which is one piece of eighteen feet high, without including the pedestals or capital.”
After quitting the palace, we were detained some time by dinner at the village of Caserta, and which our exertions had made indispensable; after this we visited the governor, a friend of one of our companions, who received us with politeness, and paid a high compliment to the discipline and bravery of the British army, which he had witnessed in Calabria and Sicily.
We did not arrive at the Aqueduct before the evening began to close in, and our driver, in consequence of the risk of banditti, became solicitous for our returning to Naples, now seventeen miles distant. We descended however from our carriage, and walked under one of the arches, followed by a number of beggars and Ciceroni. This wonderful structure consists of three rows of arches, elevated over each other, and filling up an extensive chasm between two approximating mountains, over which it conveys a whole river of the purest water, the channel for which is about four feet wide, and covered over by an excellent road of sufficient breadth to allow carriages of every description to pass.
The lower tier consists of nineteen, the second of twenty-seven, and the upper one of forty-threearches, and the whole built of brick from the designs of Vanvitelli, in magnitude and effect surpassing all similar works of ancient or modern construction. Of the former we may in some measure gain an estimate by drawing a comparison between the present and the famous Roman aqueduct, the Pont de Guard near Nismes, of which I may give the following description.
“It was raised in the Augustan age, by the Roman colony, at Nismes, to convey a stream of water between two mountains, for the use of that city. It stands over the river Gardon, which is a beautiful pastoral stream, roaring among rocks, which form a number of pretty natural cascades, and over-shadowed on each side with trees and shrubs, which greatly add to the rural beauties of the scene. This work consists of three bridges, or tier of arches, one over another; the first of six, the second of eleven, and the third of thirty-six. The height, comprehending the aqueduct at the top, amounts to one hundred and forty-seven feet three inches; and the length between the two mountains which it unites, extends to 723 feet. The order of the architecture is the Tuscan, but the symmetry of it is inconceivable.”
Thus it will be seen that the Ponte di Madeloni loses nothing in comparison, as respects its height, and length, and number of arches, in all of which points it exceeds the Pont de Guard; as to architecturalqualities, I must leave it to better judges to determine, which of the two has the advantage.
My friend C⸺ was so delighted with the beauty and magnificence of this aqueduct, that we could not induce him to leave it, until the obscurity of evening made a longer stay unavailing; when we commenced our return to Naples. On our way we had some reason to think the driver’s fears not altogether groundless, as when within four miles of the city, we were surprised by three fellows making their appearance upon a heath, who followed the carriage for some distance, and kept looking at us as if to reconnoitre our force. One of them even attempted to spring up behind the carriage, but my friend C⸺ calling out loudly in the Italian language, he desisted, and with his companions made off immediately. We certainly acted imprudently in travelling near Naples at so late an hour, for although the city was kept quiet by Austrian troops, it was well known, that numbers of disbanded soldiers, and discontented peasantry, were spread all over the country. We did not arrive at Naples until half after ten o’clock, when I went immediately to my lodgings, leaving my companion to settle the customary dispute of fare with the coachman; and which I understood was not concluded until midnight, and then terminated in our paying a dollar more than had been stipulated for.