INTRODUCTION.
"Thou art the garden of the world, the home
Of all Art yields, and Nature can decree;
Even in thy desert, what is like to thee?
Thy very weeds are beautiful, thy waste
Mure rich than other climes' fertility,
Thy wreck a glory, and thy ruin graced
With an immaculate charm which cannot he defaced."
Byron.
From the earliest ages down to the present time Italy has
ever exercised a powerful influence on the denizens of more nor¬
thern lands, and a journey thither has often been the fondly
cherished wish of many an aspiring traveller. At the present day
this wish may be gratified with comparative facility. Northern
Italy is now connected by a direct '•iron route" with the southern
portion of the peninsula, as far as Naples and Brindisi, and the
approaching completion of the great network of railways will soon
enable the traveller to penetrate into the interior of provinces
hitherto untrodden by the ordinary tourist. Prior to i860 the
peninsula possessed but few railways, and these of insignificant
extent, and exclusively of local importance. Rapidity of locomo¬
tion is not, however, the sole advantage which has been attained
^ince that period. A single monetary system has superseded the
numerous and perplexing varieties of coinage formerly in use; the
annoyances inseparable from passports and custom-houses, with
which the traveller was assailed at every frontier, and even in
many an insignificant town, have been greatly mitigated; and
energetic measures have been adopted in order to put an end to
the extortions of vetturini, facchini, and other members of this
irritating class. Whilst those in search of adventure and excite¬
ment will miss many of the characteristic elements of former
Italian travel, those who desire the more rational enjoyments de¬
rived from scenery, art or science will not fail to rejoice in the
altered state of the country.
I. Travelling Expenses. Monetary System.
The cost of a tour in Italy depends of course on the travel¬
ler's resources and habits. Generally it may be stated that the
expenses need not exceed those incurred in the more frequented
parts of the continent. The average expenditure of a single tra¬
veller may be estimated at 25 1. (francs) per diem, or about half
that sum when a prolonged stay is made at one place. Travellers
acquainted -with the language and habits of the country may sue-
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