JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 975, 21 June 1883, Page 4

JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL.

rWBmEN.BFXCIikIiIiY POTRiTHE “ASHBURTON ... - i No. XYIII. I VaLTXGGIA— AFrOWNINgFoRTRESS—SAFi from Brigands—Porto Mattbizxo A Prison —A Specimen op Bad Taste—| A Snug Watering Place— Albinga-4 A Ruined Castle—Monte Carmklo-4 An Elaborate Cathedral—A Finr Yibw —Columbus’s Birthplace I After passing through another the landscape widened. The meandering stream Taggia gives the name Val-Taggia to the locality. A little further on the features of the country become rugged again; and the fortress San frowns from the crest of a steep hill. 1

noticed, at intervals, as we ran along! massive towers erected on commanding heights ; come of them falling into decay! others apparently occupied as dwellings! On enquiry, I was told by a fellow travel! ler —an intelligent native of the country! that these towers date back to the ninth and tenth centuries, and were erected as places of refuge and defence against Saracen marauders. V\ hat a difference ' between past and present times ! The inhabitants of these districts can now live] without fear, and literally sit “ under, their vines and fig trees, none daring tomake them afraid ” : for even brigands; dare not shew their noses in the Riviera. - The next place, San Lorenzo, is unimportant, and may he dismissed with a* word. But not so Porto Maurizio, a] seaport town three miles further on. It* is a place of some note ; possesses a good harbor for small vessels, formed by artificial breakwaters, numbers some 8,000 inhabitants, and prides itself on being a kind of seat of Government, because the officials of the district have their respective bureaus and reside there. The scenery around is very pretty, olive trees abound, and a lucrative trade in olive oil is carried on. Settlements became more frequent along this part of the line. A mile and a half othdrleaportf but the harbor is shallower and less secure, I should think, than that of Porto Maurizio. My curiosity was excited by a building rclose to the station. It looked like a cross between a Church and a Hospital. I inclined to the former, and was prepared to hear the refrain of the veapeMbwiJiil Cjßiff I saw an armedWremmef pacing to and fro between the pinnacles. On enquiry I found that the hybrid structure was by no means sacred, in the ordinary sense of the word; instead of beijig a pl<»oe for the wor hip of God it was for the confinement of Umae who violated the laws, human and divine. In short, it was a prison for felons. hat an outrage gaol in a style a godlv shrine I But perhaps it was originally designed for a church, but converted, from necessity, to its present ignoble .pse. Diana Gastello, Diana Marina, Cervo, and Andora Marina are picturesque settlements overlooking the sea ; each havinghdistincß but not sufficiently attractive to detain the traveller. Alassio is a snug little watering part of the coast; many invalids go to winter there. The ..environs are very pleasant, and manyrcharmi l -g rural walks and cool retreats may be enjoyed within a short distance of the town. Soon after leaving Alassio route lay inland.- i! rh#%Ba‘ in sight. The change was very agreeable. Instead of ,a limited view, bounded on one hand by and towering cliffs, and on the other hand by the monotonous expanse of the Mediterranean. a. Y® 8 , hfcfme. Olive groves, vineyards, and orchards, with here and there humble but thrifty - looking homesteads made a pleasant chapghl>i^ns'hftQfllustry and cultivation continued all the way to Albinga, only occasionally shut out from view by provoking tunnels. At .Albjnga I was interested in the ®n)tnairi& of a Roman bridge, which, even in rains, serves to give some, idea of the original structure. Its present condition is doubtlessly owing more to the violence-and: vandalism of the middle ages than to the gradual effects of time. This is not the only relic that gives au air of antiquity to Albinga. There are erected by the nobles of former tunes, and the rocky island of Sallinaria, in the' offing, is crowned by an ancient tower. The Cathedral roll® ’ modern building ; but it has a lofty spire and is symmetrical in design. At Loana, the next when ruthless, mail-clad barons acknowledged no authority but that of force, and lived and acted oa-Ahe principle : “That he should take who had the might. And he should keep who can.” On the heights around, are.irregalac masses’-I>l OHnTl'Sfiigs, %dca' 1 occupied bycommunities of monks, and forming two distinct monasteries. Bat they have been suppressed.. only.interest that lingers round centres' in Monte Oarmelo—the highest of the two, which was built by the Dorias in 1609. They - also built the church,...which is an ornament to the town ; it is peculiar in design, having no less than twelve fronts. For what practical purpose the usual cruciform pftrjtedlf dd)} St* iierial Ward to saj—unless to display the exuberance of the architect’s resources, and thabundance of material and labor at his command with comparatively little cost. I must summarise my description of some of the places through which I passed. Piatraligure and Borgio Yarezzi are common-place settlements. /Knalmariaa c did not see*many indications of commerce. It comprises three separate villages, unitedly called Finale ; the principal bailing; uC&lbodral Which waV erected ny the celebrated Italian artist, Benjgg. It has someufinbdswhite marble columns, a handsome tower, and the interior is ornamented with a profusion of gilding. The oldest part of the settlement is called Finalborgo ; it boasts a castle, and at no great distance there are some remarkable caves in which pre-his-toric remains are said to have been found. Noli, is a little town, but also has its castle. The feudal edifices made me wish I knew their history. What stirring scenes were once enacted within their massive walls 1 What boisterous revelry woke the echoes of their spacious halls 1 I should liked to have seen those mediaeval fortresses when chivalrous knights in burnished armor curvetted on their caparisoned chargers, and dames and damsels of high degree, in gay attire, watched the bearing of their favorites in the tournament, or graced the feast that followed it! But alas t one cannot think only of the bright side of those days of yore ; visions of violence and of deeds of cruelty and oppression rise before the eye of the mind and mar the beauty of the picture. Spotorno is an insignificant place, devoid of interest. From this point we ran through a number of tunnels in rapid succession. It was annoying to be compelled - every few minutes, to pull up the window toprevenl the carriage being ’filled with smoke |and steam. The construction of this part of the line must have taxed the engineer’s skill and cost a great deal of money. Tunnels numerous till we got to : Vado; there we were repaid by a splendid view, embracing nerrly the whole of the Riviera and the coast line away to the gulf of Genoa. .. Savona ia but a short distance from Vado. It is a large busy town, and . though a seaport with a harbor commanded by a fort, surrounding' groves of ■ orange trees and lemon trees, and qrohard* gave the place quite a rural ap-

pearance. We next pulled up at Cello, -where ther&ara extensive potteries. It is the principal industry of the place. I saw some very creditable and curious specimens of the manufacture. From thence more tunnels and some deep cuttings till we reached Yarraza, Ship building is carried on here. I saw several good sized crafts upon the stocks. The next place k of interest was Cogoleto ; the interest, however, is historical rather than local. It is the reputed birthplace of the discoverer of America The town itself is unattractive. I don’t wonder that Columbus left it to seek fame and fortune elsewhere, it it was as dreary looking in his day as it is now. The houses are huddled together, the majority of them ef inferior style, and many of them dilapidated. An Italian house of the common order, with its gaunt square walls and irregular windows, is not a thing of beauty at any time; but especially .offensive tothe.eye of taste when, from the upper story—as is very frequently the case—the clothes of' the week’s wash are suspended in the air to.dry; The house that' is pointed out as that in which Columbus was born is now a dirty-looking wine tavern, but it bears an inscription which shields it from.the disgust which it might otherwise be regarded:—

“Hospes, siste gradum. Fuit hie lux prima, Columbo ; Orbe viro majori heu nimis arcta dotnus ! Unus erat "mundus. ‘Duo sunt,’ ait iste fuere. ” [To be continued.]