UNDER FASCIST RULE

Evening Star, Issue 23377, 21 September 1939, Page 7

UNDER FASCIST RULE

IMPRESSIONS OF A MOTOR TOUR THROUGH ITALY PROGRESSIVE NATION [By A. O Built, in the ‘ Weekly Scotsman.’] I have recently returned from a motoring tour with friends in the sunny and fascinating land of Italy, during which we visited the principal cities from north to south and passed rapidly and easily over 2,000 miles and more of good motor roads. The quick transit from place to place provided a comprehensive, if somewhat surface view of present conditions, about which one hears so many contradictory reports. But there was no doubt about the warm welcome and willing service offered to us everywhere by the Italian people, and whether caused by the brilliant sunshine or not, there seemed to be a gaiety and sparkle in everyday life. Outwardly there wore no signs of political strain or warlike preparations, and there was an abundant supply of food in hotels, restaurants, and shops. MODERN MOTOR ROADS. Many changes and improvements can he seen in the standard of life since Signor Mussolini rose to power. Broad, well-constructed motor highways traverse the length and breadth of Italy, passing over mountains, descending into valleys, and connecting the cities, towns and villages of the plains with the outlying walled towns and steep mountain villages of medieval Italy. The roads are kept in good repair and aro edged with little black and white blocks. The margins on both sides are tidy and frequently planted with (lowers. Nearby houses, cottages, and enclosing walls aro all in good order, and one almost longs to see a few broken-down ruins, so frequent of yore, which luxuriant Nature had transformed into wayside pictures. An elevated super auto-strada runs straight from Naples to Pompeii, and on this a tax is charged I forget how many thousands of liras wore spent on its construction, but it is the most costly piece of road in Italy. No fertile ground is allowed to lie fallow, and _ cultivated fields, fruit orchards, olive groves, lemon and orange groves, and vast vineyards extend over every suitable tract of land, the vines being trained up high supports to enable the earth underneath tc be cultivated BUILDING ACTIVITIES. Building activity is going on throughout Italy In the towns there are immense new blocks of residential flats, schools, colleges, handsome offices, and the old palaces of the nobility have been reconstructed into palatiariiotels, furnished with every modern comfort. In the, countryside acres of ground are covered by new factories, and electrical power stations, from which pylons carry tho electricity to distant towns and vil-

lages. The new buildings are imposing only in size, and are constructed in the plain modern standardised stylo of architecture to be seen in other European countries.

After lying waste for centuries, the extensive Pontine marshes near Romo have been drained, and the new settlement of Littoria established on the reclaimed land. We had a good view of it while motoring along the intersecting highway, which is bordered by eucalyptus trees to prevent malaria. Tho ground has been divided into little farms and given to ex-servicemen. Each “ podesta ” has a tidy house, a farm steading, and a few acres of land. In the midst stands the new township of Littoria, with houses and offices painted in garish colours, but without surrounding trees to offer shade from tho blazing sun. Officers and soldiers were walking about the streets, and the place looked bare and unattractive. A few children at the roadside wore ragged and unkempt, an unusual sight in modern Italy, but there was no begging. ITALIANS AND THEIR HANDICRAFTS. The annoyance of public begging has been stopped, and it is a relief not to see the crowds of ragged and deformed men and women who formerly sat at church doors or begged in the streets. Even tipping seems to be going out of fashion, as hotel cards given to me bore the inscription in English, “ Patrons are kindly requested not to give tips to the staff to avoid their immediate dismissal.” The Italians have gained in selfrespect, and 1 was impressed by tho well-dressed and well-nCurisbed appearance of men, women, and children and the atmosphere of industry- and prosperity throughout the country. In the course of conversation an Italian explained that a man appearing badly dressed or untidy out-of-doors is reprimanded by an official of the local Fascist club; on a second rebuke ho is warned that a third rebuke for the same offence will destroy all chance of his future promotion. Ho said that wages are lower than formerly, but a man is now sure of his money, and ho stressed tho point that railway trains now start at the scheduled time and not half an hour or so late. Artistic handicrafts have been greatly developed in recent years. Each city has its charactexiotic industry, and the shop windows are (i"ed with lovely examples of Italian n.,udicrafts —in Venice, glass, lace, embroideries, and leather work; in Florence, gold and i silver work, ornamental leather work, china, lovely hand-painted fabrics with old Florentine designs; in Naples, white and red coral ornaments, cameos carved on precious stones and on large shells, which are used for electric _ lamp shades, and numerous displays of small i and inexpensive pictures; at Sorrento, inlaid woodwork, coral, and pictures. | The Italians are naturally artistic, loving song and dance, music and beauty, but they have a certain goodnatured indolence, probably induced by the warm, sunny climate, and the soft breezes blowing in from the Mediterranean. To counteract these influences Signor Mussolini, it is said, is trying to drive into them, by the help of Fascist propaganda, energy, and force of char- j acter, the will to work and to war. 1

SIGNOR MUSSOLINI. It is marvellous liow the power of Signor Mussolini lias been able to raise the material standard of life of the Italian people; but one is not allowed to forget bis pervading and dominating personality. His name and effigy are painted large on walls and fences, ! bouses and roofs, and* even on church 1 walls throughout the land, especially lin small towns, villages, and country I roads. Literally he who runs may read. I While approaching llapallo in the I Italian Riviera, I counted 100 consecu--1 tivo copies of the word, “ Duce,” painted in large letters on walls and fences, then I stopped as “ Dace, j Duce,” continued on and on. | I'he following are a few of the shorter 'Fascist slogans, in enormous letters, that appear more frequently :—“ Be- , lievc, Obey, Fight ” ; “ Peace Rests Only on Force of Arms “ Many Sacrifices. Much Honour”; “Long Live the Fascist Revolution ” ; “ The Duce For Us ” ; “ Long Live the Founder of the Empire ” ; “ Peace Rests Only on Our Armed Forces.” I only once saw the name of the King of Italy mentioned, and that was near Naples on a I wall inscribed with “Viva! Rex Imperator.” The large cities, though modernised, have been left unspoiled by Fascist inscriptions. ANCIENT CITIES OF ITALY. In the ancient cities one looks into soul of Italy. There are gathered | the' innumerable and wonderful works I of art created in the past by the great sons of the people: cathedrals, churches, I aqd palaces of noble architecture, con- . structed of gleaming marble, encrusted with precious stones, and adorned with masterpieces of art in sculpture and painting. The public galleries contain countless treasures of art in painting and sculpture, the works of Italians, whose names are world-famous. The very names of the cities recall memories of beauty. Milan with its magnificent Gothic cathedral founded ( in 138(1, the third largest church in ' the world. Romantic Venice, a city built on the sea, with palaces, churches, and ancient bridges reflected in the sparkling waterways, over which float graceful gondolas. Florence retains its old-world charm and character as a centre of art and literature. It was the home for many years of the English poets, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, and Mrs Browning lies buried in the little English cemetery there. Every winter a large numj ber of American and British visitors 1 conic to reside in villas on the surrounding hillsides It would be impossible in a few wods to give even a dim idda of the interests that centre in this quiet city on the banks of the slow-flowing River Arno Walking along the narrow old pavement, one comes to the ancient bridge. St. Trinita, where the youthful Dante first saw the fair Beatrice, who ever after remained his ideal, and the inspiration of his poetry. In the Monastery of St. Marco, the home of the great preacher and reformer, Savanrola. the walls of the monks’ cells are adorned with frescoes painted by Fra Angelico, so called bocanes the women’s faces in his pictures are lovely and angelic. He and other famous artists dwelt there as .monks, and apparently created those master-

pieces without effort, and in the joy of self-expression. Florence counts among her famous sons Dante, Boccaccio, Galileo, Savanarole. Fra Angelico, Giotto, Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, patrons of science, art, and literature and the Medici family the princely MAGNIFICENT ROME. Rome, the ancient mistress of the world, has developed into a modern city, with rapid traffic on its wide, steep streets, which are lined with handsome shops and towering offices, banks, and hotels. Trees and flower gardens add a touch of brightness to many of the boulevards. Numerous houses have been removed to make room for the broad, new roadways, which run through the centre of the city; and the excavated Roman ruins have been renovated and tidied, thereby losing their old romantic appearance of mossy and hoary antiquity. A modern forum named the Mussolini Forum has a curious fountain, consisting of a large sphere standing on a large disc. In spite of all changes Rome abounds in magnificent monuments, fountains, palaces, and churches, the rich heritage of past ages, and the outward symbols of a great history. v Pisa was founded by a colony of Romans, and developed into an important centre of commerce and art, At the height of its power in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Pisans erected a remarkable group of buildings, the Cathedral, Baptistery, and Campanile, constructed of gleaming white marble with black and coloured ornamentation. Owing to the favourable climate the marble has remained white and unsullied throughout the centuries, and its appearance is dazzling in the full sunlight. The Campanile, commonly called the Leaning Tower, has a scientific interest as Galileo made use of its oblique position to conduct experiments in the laws of gravitation. The Umbrian hill towns have retained much of their old-world character and charm, and they possess cathedrals and other notable buildings, dating from medieval times when they were centres of commerce and art. The cathedral at Siena has a wonderful facade of white, black, and red marble, and the floor of the nave is covered with mosaics representing scenes from the Bible. Perugia is a lofty and fascinating place ; we stayed at a comfortable hotel owned and conducted by an Englishwoman. who has been 45 years in Italy. Tt is a reconstructed palace, and stands on the highest point of this high town ; from the terrace there is a marvellous view of the far-stretching Umbrian Plain, which I saw transfigured by the light of the setting sun ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISSI. Almost within smbt is Assissi. the birthplace of St. Francis, it has a curious group of three superimposed churches, the lowest of which contains the Saint’s tomb. In the upuer ch.--/-b one can see the story of the Saint’s i life in frescoes painted by Giotto. The I most charming picture shows St. Fran- | cis preaching to his brothers, the birt!«. t Giotto had also close sympathy with 1

Nature, and as a shepherd boy practised his art by tracing the forms of his sheep in the sand. Southern Italy has a beauty and interest all its own. Over the roadsides and houses hang graceful clusters of heliotrope wistaria, and in the crannies of the walls grow pink geraniums, flowering plants, and greenery, making the wayside gay and beautiful. In the large lemon and orango groves nearby one sees the golden fruit gleaming amid the dark green leaves. It is impossible in a few words to give even a slight impression of Naples with its quaint steep streets, its worldfamous aquarium, and the museum filled with relics from the ancient city of Pompeii. Smoking Vesuvius stands sentinel at the eastern end of the bay, and almost overlopks the city, which was buried in 79 a.d. beneath a dense covering of ashes and cinders from the volcano. The excavated ruins of Pompeii are of groat interest, and with crowds of other visitors wc walked through the narrow streets, marked by the chariot wheels of long ago. SORRENTO AND CAPRI. Further south lovely Sorrento stands on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea,' over which hangs a magical haze softening all outlines. We stayed at Hotel Victoria, named after Queen .. Victoria, who was a guest here during a sliortj visit to Sorrento; it has now been Italianised into Albergo Vittoria Tbf» large gardens surrounding the hotel were beautiful with blossoms of every hue. shaded by palms and trees of golden mimosa. One evening a gailydressed company of Italians entertained us with songs and folk dances, and whirled round with Italian verve in the tarantella From the high terraca of the hotel one cun sec : m the dim distance the Island of Capri. This small island is full of fairy-Hke beauty On its const is the famous Bins Grotto, where the water and surrounding rocks appear irradiated with a bright blue' light. Capri is a haunt of artists and of writers, and T visited the white marble villa of San Micbe’e, which Stan,-' ■ lon ~'- ■■ looking towards the exquisite Ba\ of Naples. A. C. Burt.