CONTINENTAL TRAVEL.

Shannon News, 1 May 1928, Page 2

CONTINENTAL TRAVEL.

MRS HUTCHINGS' TALK TO CLUE MEMBERS. The. Whakatane Club had an interesting address from Mrs A. W. Hutchings on Thursday evening. The speaker was introduced by the Club's chaperon, Mrs W. Plaster, and there was a large attendance, all the seating accommodation being taken up in the club's social hall. : Mrs Hutehings described her travels in Italy and Sicily, and delighted her hearers with the narrative form of her address and the many mental pictures which she was able to evoke when dealing' with the lives of the people among whom she had moved. The 1 speaker displayed some charming views of places visited, and brought the lure I of their atmosphere very close to the listening circle. She explained' that Mr Hutehings and herself had travelled unrestricted by the limits imposed on organised touring parties, and had usually carried little luggage, leaving the bulk of it in London. As she aptly remarked, "It was easier to buy a hat than to carry one." On crossing from the south. of France ""into Italy they were fascinated with the abundance of flowers grown in that region for many distant markets. . Stocks, violets and carnations provided a wealth of colour and perfume, and they could be seen growing for.miles. A •surious fact mentioned by Mrs Hutehings, in the course of her description of the Italian itinerary,, was that there are two cities of Bassano—the old- and the new. The old city had suffered a. big earthquake; the inhabitants lef: that city, fled down the hillside, and built a new city. The old place was like a city of the dead, with deserted-, houses and streets. There were quainl rock villages in the hills, whei'e peoplehad lived in the time of the Saracens and fought hand to hand with them. They were stone houses for the most part, and crowded, tightly one againsl ( another. - The visitors had been surprised at the ideas of sanitation prevalent' in Italy as well.as in France. There; was no water supply in the houses in many of the towns,; but there was a common wash-house where the womenfolk gathered. Much washing was also done in the rivers, and an old man had been observed whose duty it was to watdh the clothes that were placed at the side of the road, to see that nobody took them away. Baths were a costly item to the tourist, prices ranging from 6d to 2s 6d having to be paid for them. When she had asked for this comfort in San Remo, a big pitcher of hot water was sent up, but there was no bath. The girl who brought the water, on being questioned about the habits of the people in this respect, said, "Sometimes we have a bath in the summer, but not in the winter." The pleasure of having a daily bath added tremendously to an hotel bill, especially when there was a charge of 10 per cent, for service. Mrs Hutehings spoke .of palm-grow-ing in Italy, and of an historic privilege that was granted in that connection. At one time an obelisk was being raised in the courtyard of St. Peter's, in Rome, and an order had been given that strict silence was to be observed during the operation. The obelisk began to sink and was in danger of falling, when a sea-captain broki the silence by calling out, "Wet the ropes." His advice was followed and the monument was safely raised. The Pope pardoned the captain for having broken the silence, and asked him what, boon he would desire, and the captain replied that; he should like the privi-lege-of supplying palms to the Papal hoftsehold during his life. This patent was granted in perpetuity, and the captain's descendants were- growing palms in San Remo to-day. r i'he seaman was made a captain iu the Papal Guard and given the right to fly the flag on his ship. Mrs Hutehings described the attractions of Genoa, and the wonderful art displayed in the sculptures of the | Campo Santo, or cemetery. She went on to speak of Pisa, with its x'amous Leaning Tower and beautiful Baptistry; of Rapallo, where she and Mr Hutehings stayed in the hotel that had ! accommodated Sir Austen Chamberlain; of Porto Fino, where old women were seen in the streets making lace goods; of the extraordinary Carrara mountains of marble; of the fertile fields '.of Tuseauyj, with their wihite oxen at work. She also described the efficiency fostered in the national life under the Directorship of Mussolini, and gave a graphic account of the excitement which prevailed when an attempt was made on his life by Miss Gibson. The beauties of the Bay of Naples and the sordidness which permeates the city were described, and the final portion of the lecture was a vivid j recountal of the joys of travel among the bright fields and kaleidoscopic towns of Sicily. At the conclusion Mrs Hutehings was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks by acclamation, and a pleasant social { time was spent over supper.