UNDER FASCIST RULE

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 October 1939, Page 11

UNDER FASCIST RULE

CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS. f 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 2000 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, writes A. C. Burt, in the “Weekly Scotsman.” 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 were no signs of political strain or warlike preparations, and there was an abundant supply of food in hotels, restaurants, and shops. Many changes and improvements can be seen in the' standard of life since Signor Mussolini rose to power. Broad, well-constructed motor higliways 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 are edged with little black and white blocks. The margins on both sides are tidy and 'frequently planted with flowers. Nearby houses, cottages and enclosing walls are 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. 1 forget how many thousands of liras were 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 to be cultivated.

Building activity is going on tjiroughout Italy. In the. towns there are immense new blocks of residential flats, schools, colleges, handsome offices, agd the- old palaces of the nobility have been reconstructed into palatial hotels, furnished with every modern comfort. In the countryside acres of ground are covered by new factories, and electrical power stations, from which pylons carry the electricity to distant towns and villages. The new buildings are imposing only in size, and are constructed in the plain modern standardised style of architecture to be seen in other European, countries.

PONTINE MARSHES DRAINED. After lying waste for centuries, the extensive Pontine marshes near Rome 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 tree? to prevent malaria. The 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 the blazing sun. Officers and* soldiers’ were walking about the streets, and the place looked bare and unattractive. A few children at the roadside were ragged and unkempt, an unusual sight in modern Italy, but there was no begging.. 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.”

•Tho Italians have gained in selfrespect, and' 1 was impressed by the well-dressed and well-nourished 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 he is warned that a third rebuke for the same offence will destroy all chance of his-future promotion. He said that wages are lower than formerly, but a man is now sure of his money, and lie stressed the 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. Bach city has its characteristic industry, and the shop windows are filled with lovely examples of Italian handicrafts —ill Venice, glass, lace, embroideries and leather work; in Florence, gold and 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 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 sofe 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 character, the will to work and to war. SIGNOR MUSSOLINI. It .is marvellous how the power ol j Signor Mussolini has been able to raise the' material standard of lite ol the Italian people; but one is not allowed to forget his pervading and dominating personality. His name and effigy are painted large on walls and fences, houses and roofs, and even on church wall: throughout the land, especially in snail towns, villages ami country roads.. Liictallv he who runs may read. "While approaching Rapallo in the Italian Riviera, 1 counted Uhl consecutive copies of the word “Duce," painted in large letters on walls and fences, then I stopped as "Duce. Dime." continued on and on. . , Tho following arc a few ol Lie shorter Fascist slogans, in enormous letters- that appear more frequently: “Believe. Obey. Fight”: J’l’micc Rosts Onlv on Force of Arms : -.Many Sacrifices, Much Honour"; "Long Live the Fascist Revolution’;: “The Duce

r For Us”; “Long Live the rounder of \;he Empire”; "Peace Rests Only on Our Aimed Forces.” I only once saw the name of the. King of Italy mentioned, and that was near Naples on a wall inscribed with "Viva! Rex Impcrator.” The large cities, though ' modernised, have been left unspoiled by Fascist inscriptions. In the ancient cities' one looks in to the soul of Italy. There are gathered the innumerable and wonderful works of art created in the past by the great sons of the people; cathedrals, churches, and palaces of noble . architecture, constructed 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 1386, 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 piany years of the English poets, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, and Mrs. Browning lies buried in the little English cemetery there. Every Winter a large number of American and British visitors come to reside' in villas on the surrounding hillsides, it would be impossible in a few words to give even a dim idea of the interests that centre in this quiet city on *the banks of the slow-flowing River Arnp. 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 because the women’s faces in his pictures are lovely and angelic. He and other famous artists dwelt there as monks, and apparently created these masterpieces without effort, and in the joy of self-expresSion. Florence counts among her famous sons Dante, Boccaccio, Galileo, Savonarola, Fra. Angelico, Giotto, Michael Angelo. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, patrons of science, art, and literature, and the Medici family.

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.

Pisa was founded by a colony of Romans and developed into hn 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 the marble has remained whit© 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 1 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 had been 45 years in Italy. It is a reconstructed palace, and stands on the highest point of this high town; from the terrace there is a marvellous view of the farstretching Umbrian Plain, which I saw transfigured by the light of the setting sun. Almost within sight 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 upper church one can see the story of the Saint’s life in frescoes painted by Giotto. The most charming picture shows St. Francis preaching to his brothers, tine birds. Giotto had also close sympathy with 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 orange groves nearby one sees the golden fruit gleaming amid the dark green loaves.

It is impossible in a few words to give oven a. slight impression of Naples, with its quaint steep streets, its world-famous aquarium, ami the museum filled with relies from the ancient city of Pompeii. Smoking Vesuvius stands sentinel at the eastern end of the bay, and almost overlooks 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 great interest, and with crowds ol other visitors we walked through tho narrow streets, marked by the chariot wheels of long ago.

Further south lovely Sorrento stands on the shore of the 1 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 short visit to Sorrento; it has now been Italianised into Albergo Vittoria, 'the large gardens surrounding the hotel were beautiful with blossoms of (‘very hue. shaded by palms and trees of golden mimosa. (Ini' evening a gaily-dressed company of Italians entertained us with songs and folk dances, and whirled round : :'n Italian verve in the tarantella. From the high terrace of the hotel one

can see in the dim distance ihe Island c.f Capri. , . . This small island is full ot fairylike beauty. On its coast is the Limans Blue Grotto, where the wilier and surrounding rocks appear iiiadnued with a. bright blue light. Capri is a haunt of artists and of writers, and I v'sitod the white marble villa oi Michele, which stands on the top ol a cliff looking towards the exquisite Bay of Naples.