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14 February 1894 — Salerno | |
Wednesday. 14th [February 1894]. Altho the sun was not shining when we breakfasted at 8.30 a tramontana wind suddenly got up & being assured that it insured us fine weather we hired a carriage with 2 horses & drove off to Ravello & Amalfi. As we went the wind increased & it was very cold– Nearly at the highest point of the Capo Tumolo the coachman got off the box to walk up the hill when a sudden gust of wind came & carried away the cushions he had to sit on—his umbrella—on over the wall into the sea—& it was vain to run after them—we clutched our hats & luckily lost nothing. The coachman was much distressed when he realized the loss of his license for the carriage which had cost him 3 fcs & so we promised to refund the money for it. The wind was less on the other side of the cape & at last the sun came out & the tramontana wind succeeded in driving back the scirocco clouds over the sea– After passing thro’ Minori we began to wind up the hill & a valley which took us to Ravello. It is a new road & very steep but our horses made very little of it. We found Ravello a most deserted place—large palaces mere shells. We had to walk a little way to the Albergo Palumbo & found table d’hôte about to begin. The hotel is kept by a servant of Mr Read an Italian married to a Swiss. It seemed very clean & comfortable. Her house is the Archbishop’s Palace & belongs to Mrs Read the widow of Mr Read & the next heir to all this property is Sir James Lacaita’s son. There were 4 ladies staying at the Pension who were at table d’hôte. We had simple & good food. Afterwards we were accompanied by the old guide who showed us the town. He took us thro’ the deserted streets to the Cathedral where we saw the fine ambone inlaid with mosaic & then to the Reid villa an ancient Palazzo Ruffo. There is an old court yard with sort of Saracenic arches ornamented with brickwork—& remains of medieval towers &c. There were lovely views in the garden from different terraces & as the sun was now shining & the wind a little gone down we saw them to advantage. The gardener hearing we were about to go to Leucaspide to pay a visit to Sir James Lacaita became very friendly & we talked of flowers. He showed us in a summerhouse pieces of the mosaics of the Ambones found in the Archbishop’s palace which the priests to avoid blame had had painted yellow. They had been taken from the cathedral when the ambones was “restored” & made into its present form– The gardener says he remembers scraping off the paint when he was a boy. He begged us to give his duty to Sir James saying he will know “Luigi the gardener.” Abt 2 we returned to the carriage & left Ravello & our queer old guide– He is a small jewish looking man with a large hooked nose & black ringlets. He wore a peaked cap with the name of the Pension in gold letters & a long light coloured coat wh flapped about his heels down to the ground. But he was civil & tho’ a bore as most guides was very grateful for a couple of francs which Henry gave him as he saw it was such a bad season—so few travellers on acct of the insurrection in Sicily. Tho’ there is said to be 2000 inhabitants at Ravello the streets seemed quite deserted. We drove back to Minori & then took the direct road along the coast to Amalfi wh took us there in about ½ hour. We went into the cathedral which has been restored & excepting the mosaic pulpit & a few old columns is not very interesting. There is a chapel & a crypt covered the coloured marbles of the bad Jesuit time. We were beset by beggars & indeed seldom see such a miserably poor looking population basking in the sun. We started on our return journey abt 2.30 & got back to Salerno soon after 4. Had tea. Read aloud to Henry. Dined at 7. | |
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