1936 On the Continent

refectory and the cells—it is these things that show the deep, sincere Christianity of St. Francis of Assisi and his age. The Ermeo delli Carceri is situated in beautiful, poetic, scenery. It is a pleasant hour and a half’s walk from the Porta Cappucini, or an hour’s donkey ride from the same spot. But there is also a motor road to the monastery. The monastery was founded by St. Bernhard, the inventor of pawnshops.
    From Assisi you travel to Rome through Foligno, Spoleto—famous for its Dome—Terni—which contains the largest Italian armament works—and Narni.
Rome
    Up till now we have refrained from giving a detailed programme, leaving it largely to the tourist’s individual taste what he decides to see and providing only a general outline of the things worth seeing. Rome, however, is so big, and there is such a multitude of things to be seen, that the foreigner if left to his own devices would be completely lost and would not know where to begin the process of getting acquainted with the Eternal City. We have therefore compiled an exact programme spread over a number of days. However, before dealing with the programme we must give the tourist a few hints concerning accommodation.
    The hotel industry in Rome is in a high state of development. The luxury and first-class hotels are all good. The catalogue issued by the E.N.I.T., the official organisation we have already mentioned, contains precise details of their prices and the tourist may make a choice accordingto his means. With regard to the luxury hotels—the Grand Hotel, Ambasciatore, Excelsior, etc.—we can say nothing further than that they are excellent. A very good first-class hotel is the Russia, on the Via del Babuin, with a beautiful garden on the Pincio side. A good medium hotel is the Imperial on the Via Veneta, while the Quirinale, the Plaza (where the world-famous Italian composer Pietro Mascagni lives), the Royal, and the Flora are also excellent. Whether you go to an hotel or a boarding-house, choose, if possible, an establishment situated between the Via Nazionale, the Corso Umberto I, the Villa Borghese, Via Veneto and Piazza Esedra. The hotels in the Pantheon district are mainly interesting ancient monuments, while the more distant hotels are not convenient, as they necessitate a great deal of tramway travel. Those desiring to stay for several weeks or months may rent a furnished room or even a furnished flat.
Settling Down
    The “sights” can be enjoyed according to the tourist’s point of view. If you are not afraid of fatigue and are determined to see
everything
, you are advised to take part in the conducted tours organised by the C.I.T. This travel agency takes tourists round all the sights in four days in its large charabancs. The detailed programme mentioned above is for those who have more time to spare and, in addition to Rome’s art treasures, desire to become acquainted with the people of Rome. We assume that the reader will arrive in Rome in the evening, say by the 8 p.m.
rapido
, intending to spend five days in Rome. (If you have even less time, you can, of course, cut the programme to suit your requirements.)
    Upon your arrival at the station you drive to your hotel by the hotel bus or by taxi. If you can afford to rent a room without board, so that you can get acquainted with the little
trattorias
as well as with the big restaurants of the Italian capital, you will have a quick “wash and brush up” at your hotel and go out for your dinner to the Papagaletto, a charming, inexpensive and most excellent little restaurant on the Via Frattina. You may finish dinner towards ten o’clock. It is too early to go to bed, so you pay your bill, and upon leaving the restaurant youturn to the right and walk as far as the Corso Umberto I, where you turn to the left. In a few seconds you will find yourself in the Piazza Colonna, and stop in front of the Galleria, opposite the 130 foot high Marcus Aurelius memorial commemorating on twenty spiral strips the Emperor’s victories over the Germans and other foes (between 176 and 193). In the right-hand corner of the square is the Palazzo Chigi, the famous building of the Italian Foreign Office. Now you may either sit down on the terrace of some café or go on. In the latter case you walk along the Corso and reach one of the finest squares in the world, the Piazza Venezia. To the right of the colossal white marble memorial to Victor Emanuel is the magnificent Palazzo Venezia. The