Italy from the Alps to Mount Etna . he inhabitants who had taken up their abode in the archedcorridors were strictly watched, and at length there was even a public tax imposed topay for the repair of dilapidations. In this way alone has it been possible to preservethe famous monument—at all events as a whole—although but few of the marblebenches are the original ones, and although the external wall has been broken away,all but four mighty arches. The lead and iron which formerly bound the huge blocks 42 ITALY. of stone together, continued still to be pilfered by thievish hands, and were change
Italy from the Alps to Mount Etna . he inhabitants who had taken up their abode in the archedcorridors were strictly watched, and at length there was even a public tax imposed topay for the repair of dilapidations. In this way alone has it been possible to preservethe famous monument—at all events as a whole—although but few of the marblebenches are the original ones, and although the external wall has been broken away,all but four mighty arches. The lead and iron which formerly bound the huge blocks 42 ITALY. of stone together, continued still to be pilfered by thievish hands, and were changedunder the hammer into weapons with which new generations were to destroy eachother. How thearchitectural form of the amphitheatre arose is declared by its name, andancient authors add numerous explanations of it ; the semicircles of two theatres weremerely joined together, so as to form a complete circle. Nearly all the important citiesof Italy built similar theatres, at first of wood, but afterwards of stone ; and the size of. COURT-YARD OF A HOUSE IN VERONA. them gives one a surprising glimpse of the population and traffic of the provinces in thosedays. According to Maffeis measurements the arena of Verona is four hundred and fiftyfeet long, and three hundred and sixty feet wide, and the forty-four rows of seats whichrise step by step one above another, could accommodate more than forty thousandspectators. The seats were divided by passages which spread like rays from the centreof the arena to the topmost gallery, so that the crowd, which entered by no fewer thanseventy arched doorways, could easily disperse itself over the enormous space. As aprotection from sun and rain, a colossal awning of sail-cloth was spread over thespectators ; and under its shelter the many-headed public could sit at ease, listeningbreathlessly to the growl of the panther as it crouched beneath the feet of the elephant;or watching the sword of the gladiator as he gave his adversary the coup-de-g
Size: 1803px × 1386px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorcavagnasangiulianidig, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870
