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Sketches of Italy and the Italians.
QJan.
SKETCHES OF ITALY AND THE ITALIANS, WITH REMARKS ON ANTIQUITIES
AND FINE ART.
INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.
THE following sketches are principally drawn from the works of Winkel- mann, Goethe, and other intellectual Germans, whose copious and valuable remarks on Italy have been hitherto a sealed book to English readers. The Germans, whom Sterne would have classed amongst his " inquisitive travel- lers," wander over the classic soil of Italy with intense delight, and qualify themselves for this darling object of their youthful ambition by years of pre- paratory study. As observers of human nature and of human art, they are at once acute, industrious, and impartial ; and they are enabled, by a previously acquired and sound knowledge of Latin and Italian, of Ron an history and antiquities, to gather much valuable information, where the more indolent and prejudiced travellers of other nations discern only a gleaned field. The com- piler has numbered the sketches, and at the conclusion of the series, an index to the various authors will be added.
I. ROMAN BANDITTI.
The most authentic and interesting of the numerous banditti tales which circulate in Rome, is the detail of an attack made upon the villa of Baron v. Rumohr, at Olevano, on the 16th of June 1819, of which a narrative was transmitted to a friend in Rome, by the hero of this romance of real life, a young and intelligent Swiss painter, named Salathe. I have extracted the most striking particulars in the words of this modern Salvator.
" I had been residing some time at Olevano, a small town in the moun- tains, near Palestrina, and 38 Italian miles from Rome, for the purpose of sketching the scenery ; and before my departure, paid a farewell visit to the Baron v. Rumohr, who occupied a vil- la in the vicinity. I arrived there about ten o'clock in the forenoon, and my return being delayed by a thunder storm of uncommon violence, accom- panied with torrents of rain, I sat down to a game at chess with the Ba- ron, after which, as the storm still ra- ged, we were pacing up and down the saloon, accompanied by a young artist from Mentz, named Rambour, when suddenly two Italians, armed with car- bines, and dripping with rain, entered the room, and, in tones too perempto- ry for guests or travellers, inquired for the master of the house. The Ba- ron, whose opulence was well known in the vicinity, saw at a glance that
these men were banditti ; and, guess- ing their object, replied, with ready arid wonderful self-poSsession, ' that he would go and call him.' Hastening from the saloon, he ran down stairs, and escaped from the house ; but, as I afterwards learned, was pursued by one of the gang, who fortunately slip- ped and fell on the wet soil, as he was levelling his carbine, and, before he could recover himself, the Baron was far enough on his way to the adjacent town, to reach it in safety. Rambour had succeeded in quitting the saloon with the Baron, but finding himself pursued by one of the robbers, sought refuge in the kitchen, where the cook was preparing dinner. ' There are robbers in the villa ! How shall we escape?' said he to the cook, who, coolly pursuing his employment, re- plied in a whisper, ' I know it, but I shall remain where I am.' Rambour then darted out of the back door, and across several gardens, until he arri- ved at a lonely house, where he re- quested of the female inmates shelter from the storm, and was no little sur- prised to find them perfectly aware of the attack upon the villa, which they told him as the news of the day. He did rot long delay his departure, and eventually succeeded in reaching Ole- vano.
" During these occurrences, I remain- ed in the saloon with one of the rob-
