Italy from the Alps to Mount Etna . he ancient chroniclers, but a history in sweet sounding song ; for^Catullus lived thousand years ago the conquerors of the world had found in their path the azurejewel that we call the Lago di Garda ; and though the stormy spirit of the Caesarspassed on unmoved towards Gaul and the Germanic forests, the spirit of the poet pausedhere in silent ecstasy, and asked for nothing more. The little city which stood here atthat period, and of which some remains of walls are still extant, was called Sirmio. Itwas Sirmio that Catullus greeted in exulting verses
Italy from the Alps to Mount Etna . he ancient chroniclers, but a history in sweet sounding song ; for^Catullus lived thousand years ago the conquerors of the world had found in their path the azurejewel that we call the Lago di Garda ; and though the stormy spirit of the Caesarspassed on unmoved towards Gaul and the Germanic forests, the spirit of the poet pausedhere in silent ecstasy, and asked for nothing more. The little city which stood here atthat period, and of which some remains of walls are still extant, was called Sirmio. Itwas Sirmio that Catullus greeted in exulting verses, when after a long absence he returnedto tarry there, and to exclaim : u O quid solutis est beatius curis ? And whoso knows the songs written by that wondrous hand can feel in them even to-daythe light pulsing of the waves which gave them their form and spirit. It is a picture from the antique world with which we begin :—the great poet in themidst of this smiling Idyl, his eyes lovingly beholding every detail which the beauty of. 3H1 jo ON THE LA GO DI GARDA. 29 Nature presents to them, with no ambition but to comprehend them ; with no wish but tosing them. The Lago di Garda is mentioned also in the poems of Virgil and in the DivinaCommedia. But the hands of many powerful personages were rudely stretched to graspthis jewel, and fought for its possession. The most noble families of Verona and ofVenice met here in arms ; the Kaiser and the Church, Guelph and Ghibellinecontended for it, and not seldom the history of the beautiful lake is as stormy as its
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Keywords: ., bookauthorcavagnasangiulianidig, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870
