1936 On the Continent

world.
    But let us return to Syracuse. The modern part of the city with its narrow streets, interesting medieval dwelling-houses, is a picturesque and attractive sight. The Dome, which is built between the Doric columns of the former Temple of Minerva, is gorgeously beautiful. The Museo Nazionale has unique collections of pre-Hellenic and Hellenic art treasures. The neighbourhood of the legendary Fontana Aretusa is also interesting.
“Whispering Gallery”
    You will need a whole day in order to see the Old Town. You will first visit, by bus or horse cab, the mine of the Capucine monks, which at the time of the wars between Athens and Syracuse served as an internment camp. There were times when 7,000 Athenians were accommodated here. You will continue your journey to the church of S. Giovanni, where a Capucine monk will show you over the vast catacombs, the scene of the secret religious meetings of the early Christians. From S. Giovanni a nice walk will take you to the amphitheatre dating from the time of the Emperor Augustus. There is a horse cab rank here, and you can hire a cab to take you past the charming S. Nicolo church to the Latomia del Paradiso and the “Ear of Dionysius,” an artificial cave 180 feet long which, according to legend, was built by Dionysius as a prison. The acoustics of the cave are such that Dionysius could hear—sitting at a height of 66 feet at the top of the cave—what his prisoners were whispering below. The cave has the shape of an “S” and even the noise of a dropped pin can be heard in it.
    To the east of “Dionysius’ Ear” is the 2,300 years’ old Greek theatre, from which a good view of the city can be obtained. Close to the theatre there is an
osteria
, where you can lunch fairly well. After lunch you will drive back to the city, and if it is not too late you will take a buson the Piazza Archimede for the Euryele, the largest and best preserved Greek fortress, built by Dionysius on the topmost point of Epipolis.
    The loveliest and most poetic excursion point near Syracuse is the charming Cyane river. According to legend Cyane tried to abduct Proserpina, so Pluto changed him into a river. If the sea is calm you can approach the river by a boat from the Porto Grande. If the sea is rough, you can travel by bus to the river bank, where you are bound to find a boat that will take you farther on.
Sardinia
    From the tourist’s point of view Sardinia differs from all the rest of Italy. Conventional tourists do not visit this second largest island in the Mediterranean, and those who prefer smooth travelling, easy train connections and comfortable accommodation, are undoubtedly right in avoiding Sardinia. The hotel industry and tourist traffic arrangements are still in their infancy here. But if you like wild scenery, interesting local costumes and customs you will probably enjoy a visit to Sardinia. Tourist traffic is not regarded as a lucrative business, and the foreign visitor is not regarded as a profitable traveller who has certain requirements but as a guest in the nobler sense of the word, and he is treated accordingly.
    It is best to visit Sardinia during the winter or spring, since in summer and autumn the risk of malaria is still very great. However, in spite of this risk people who come to the island to hunt—Sardinia is rich in game—prefer the autumn. The two most important towns of Sardinia are Sassari and Cagliari, which are connected by rail.
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    To condense all that a travel guide should contain about Italy, and a great deal of what other travel guides do not contain, in a few pages is both a difficult and a thankless task. Those who read this necessarily brief article are requested to communicate with the Editor of the present work if they have any observations to make concerning its contents or omissions.
WHAT IS THE COST OF A VISIT TO ITALY?
    I have been requested by the Editor to calculate and state in detail the cost of a visit to Italy. Needless to say, this is a most difficult task. Italy is each year visited by several millions of foreigners, and it would be necessary to prepare almost as many budgets as the number of people who enter Italy in order to spend a few days, weeks, or months on the Peninsula. No doubt, if a member of the Rockefeller family pays a visit to Italy he will spend a little more money than Mr. Brown or Mrs. Smith, worthy employees of one of the Rockefeller concerns, would spend in like circumstances.
    The difficulty is