Pictures in Umbria

. Beyond the convent of San Francesco the ancient wall goes northward, and the

rises up directly from La Cupa, as the indentation which the valley here makes is called. The wall follows the curves of the hills, always keeping close t

A SU

ig and mulberry trees; plots of blue-green cabbage and shining lettuce cove

d its shoulder a more distant mountain showed opal; tall regular houses of the ancient city rose

ate opal, while the sunbeams become less powerful. On the right the hills stretched in two purple undulating lines, between them a rosy vapour moved slowly, deepening in tint as it rose towards the orange-coloured clouds. Masses of grey now sent up warnings from below, and partly obscure

inclined to consider it one of the most interesting, from the double view it offers of the town and of

vines and figs, and brilliant orange begonia blossoms which peep above them. Quaint side-streets looked tempting on our

pointed arch, was filled with charming foliage and flowers; an iron crane projected from the balcony over a brick water-tank beside the broken steps. The variety of form and colour was most vivid against

t last the Ivory Gate, the Etruscan Porta Eburnea,-that very quaintl

int, and completely obscuring all view of La Cupa; the point itself crowned by a mos

A EB

ng them over their shoulders, or put them in their baskets; then, with brown bare feet and legs, they went down the steep dusty road with rapid, swinging steps. Most of these bare-footed women wore

DE PE

rch itself has a house above it; a second arch within, with grey projecting imposts, shows a broad steep descent,-a long flight of shallow brick

k steps, while transversely right and left are stone walls; that on the right is high and mass

he vine. From the deep hollow into which the steps descend the town rises up in front, and as we go down, the old ho

PIA AN

d patches of green moss. First comes a series of gardens, green with vines and fig-trees; beyond these, among the grey houses and tree

atching sight through the viaduct arches on the left of a succession of pictures: cottages backed by trees

ft by another broad arch of the viaduct. Through this a group of feathered acacias

ed windows, mostly open; some of them gay with scarlet flowers; one window had a faded green curtain, dra

ng the road is the mosaic pavement discovered several years ago in some Roman baths. The pavement is in singularly good preservation, and the design is very remarkable. Orpheus, a colossal black figure on a white ground,

LA CONCA

ry soon reached Piazza Grimani, which has on one side the Palazzo Antinori. Close by is the wonder of Perugia-the Etruscan gateway, or, as it is called from the inscription set over it by the Romans when they took the city, the Porta Augusta. It was growing dusk, and the effect of this grand mass of stone-work was stupendous. On each s

up and cold meat at a sort of counter. The brown characteristic faces and shining eyes of their ragged customers told out wonderfully as occasional gleams from the lamps above singled them fro

UGUSTA,

s that these great blocks of stone must have been brought from a long distance, it is sad to think of the poor slaves whose labour brought them and set them in their places for their Etruscan masters. Near here must have been the house of that chief citizen who, seeing the Romans, headed

before we reached this, our way was blocked by two wine carts laden with barrels of new-made wine, and drawn by a pair of huge cream-coloured oxen, with soft dark eyes and long horns reaching from one sid

artist who, knowing every street of Perugia, had so kindly told us how to take this walk; for the little narrow

BULI

valley. Through the open, green doors of the gate the road winds beside the grand wall, which, covered w

pal. Plots of maize glow through a grey mist of olives; the vines, swinging from tree to tree, are golden-green. As the road goes down beside the wall beyond the gate, it passes a white-walled cottage nestled in trees. The view tempted us along this road, and

and vines, covered every scrap of ground. Here and there a tangled bit of hedge served to prop

; at last we found ourselves in the road again, and went on till

SAN

second circle at San Angelo. This interior is very interesting. In it is a well-preserved sacrificial altar, and the woman who guided us explained with much unction how the victims were formerly sacrificed. She also showed us some horrible instruments of torture, and another altar, said to be Roman. There is a curious bas-relief on the wall near the sacristy. We had already seen this church on a festa, when, the altar blazing with candles, the gaily-dressed people kneeling in front of it and between the surrounding circle of pillars, had a very picturesque effect,-marred, it is true, by the presence of sundry dogs among the worshippers, and the extremely cracked and untuneful sounds proceeding from th

n some schooling. She sighed heavily, and darted an

hat can become of me when these"-she stretched out her brown, capable-looking hands-"can no longer wor

re to take care of her hereafter, but at this her face sh

are what they ought to be. No! not one.-Pardon me, Signore," she looked deprecatingly towards my companion. "The Signora has as

n larger; but evidently she was not greedy, she clasped both her brown hands round my arm and squeezed it, while she poured forth effusive thanks. Then she went ba