Byways in southern Tuscany . y a desire torepel condescension I could not make out. We talkedgravely of the marvellous situation of Sorano, of theincomparable outlook, of the general we spoke of the castle. He remarked shyly andinterrogatively, They tell me there is not a finer castlethan ours in all Italy? You are not far wrong, said I. He flushed, and turning so as to face me more directlysaid eagerly: You have traveled much in Italy perhaps, Signora? Yes, I have, but I have yet to see a more massivefortress. His eyes sparkled, he smiled and looked over at thehuge bulk o
Byways in southern Tuscany . y a desire torepel condescension I could not make out. We talkedgravely of the marvellous situation of Sorano, of theincomparable outlook, of the general we spoke of the castle. He remarked shyly andinterrogatively, They tell me there is not a finer castlethan ours in all Italy? You are not far wrong, said I. He flushed, and turning so as to face me more directlysaid eagerly: You have traveled much in Italy perhaps, Signora? Yes, I have, but I have yet to see a more massivefortress. His eyes sparkled, he smiled and looked over at thehuge bulk of the castle with repressed exultation. Theice was now broken, we chatted easily, but our subjectshad little to do with the past. The castle as a presentpossession, lendingimportance to the town, gave him satis-faction; about its history he was vague. He admiredthe flagrant new villa which has been constructed in oneof the castle courts, and evidently regarded it as anembellishment of the highest type. Before we left the 278. Sorano, from the River. BYWAYS IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY piazza I noticed that the floor of it was entirely irregularas it followed the outline of the rock it covered, further-more it was bounded by a solid parapet with no openingsfor drainage during the winter rains, therefore it mustbecome a shallow lake. As underneath this floor the rock,somewhat porous, was hollowed out for dwellings, the con-sequences seemed inevitable. Does not the water percolate through to the roomsbelow? I asked. Oh, yes, but we place large basins under the leaks, saidhe contentedly. As we descended and threaded the streets toward thecastle we looked into the church but did not linger for itwas uninteresting and disgracefully dirty. Farther on Istopped for a moment before an open door, noticing withina typical example of the focolare, the important hearth-stone and centre of the Italian home. A pleasant-facedwoman came forward and I praised it. She begged me toenter. *We are poor, very
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjecttuscany, bookyear1919
