ITALIAN HOSPITALITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9790, 13 October 1917, Page 8

ITALIAN HOSPITALITY

The hospitality of the Italian p<*oplft was referred to in terms of warm appreciation in the course of a letter received recently from an Auckland soldier who, with a- number of other Now Zealand and British troops, landed at. an Italian port from a vessel which was torpedoed and sunk, .. while on a voyage between France and Egypt, says the “Herald.” ‘‘We landed at Savona,” writes the soldier, “and got a royal welcome from the population. The wharves were crowded, and ambulances were ready to tako away tho injured. We marched to tho Bersaglieri cyclists’ barracks, and all the way the streets were thronged with thousands of people, lie marched in a rain of flowers, thrown upon us from tho windows of tho houses along the route. Tho -people gave us presents of fruit, wine, cigarettes, and other articles. Of all the many peoples 1. have coma across in ray journcyings tho Italians are tile kindest and most sympathetic. The women wept,when they saw us without shoos, etc. Tho officer commanding, and the troops at the barracks, gave us their own supiper and spare uniforms, and wo could not tell who wore Italians and who were British. The funeral of tho dead who drifted ashore was most impressive. Our stay at Savona- was just a holiday, and everyone was more than good to us,_ and the theatres were free to all British troops. _ We were feted, and taken on excursions, and dinners were given in our honour. Wo left Italy for France in four trains, and the New Zealanders were in the last, so we were there eight days. We bad a great reception at the station, with bands, a guard of honour, and thousands of people cheering us and covering our train with flowers. We gave all our buttons away as souvenirs, and got others in return. I was lucky enough to get one of the -badges of tho famous Borsaglieri Regiment. Our trip through Italy was a triumphal progress. At Bordeghiera everyone came to tho station with their pockets filled with cigars, cigarettes, papers, wine, etc., and always flowers and yet more flowor*. We were very sorry when w» crossed the frontier at Mentone.”