POZZUOLI.

OZZUOLI, situated in a district not more remarkable for the political and social, than for the physical revolutions which it has undergone, is built on a promontory near the centre of the beautiful Bay of Baiæ, which adjoins the western part of the Bay of Naples. The excellent shelter which it enjoys early marked it out as an advantageous site for a harbour, and it was accordingly taken possession of for this purpose by the Greeks, who had settled outside the bay, and there built the city of Cuma. Not satisfied with its natural advantages, they had recourse to art, and built a mole of such massive structure, that the storms of more than two thousand years have spent their force without completely destroying it. The formation of the harbour was naturally followed by the gradual erection of a town, which received the name of Dicæarchia, and became prosperous from the traffic which it carried on both with Cuma, of which it was considered the port, and with various other settlements along the coast. In course of time, as the Romans extended their conquests, Dicæarchia became so completely Latin, that it exchanged its Greek name for that of Puteoli, which was given to it, according to some, from the number of little wells or springs which it contained, and, according to others, from the putor, or stench of the sulphurous vapours exhaled from the numerous volcanic caves and fissures in its vicinity.

After the Roman conquests had embraced the greater part both of the East and West, Puteoli became a great commercial emporium. At the same time, its importance was not exclusively commercial. The mildness of its climate, and the beauties of its scenery, made it the favourite resort of the wealthiest and most distinguished citizens of Rome, and magnificent piles of building, not confined to the solid land, but carried out into the sea, from which their foundations had been gained by enormous expenditure, rose up on every side. It was here also that the apostle Paul terminated his eventful voyage when on his way to Rome; the last portion of it being from Syracuse, whence he sailed, two days previous to his arrival at Puteoli, in a ship of Alexandria, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

In the general barbarism which accompanied the fall of the Roman empire, Puteoli once more changed its name, and became Pozzuoli. Its situation has never allowed it to sink into absolute insignificance. It still contains about 10,000 inhabitants; and, though, on the whole, indifferently built, possesses, among other public buildings, a cathedral, occupying the site and built mostly out of the ancient materials of a temple which was dedicated to Augustus.

The ancient ruins include the remains of an amphitheatre, and of a still more interesting building, which bears the name of the temple of Serapis, though there is reason to believe, both from its structure and the rigid proscription of the worship of that Egyptian deity at the date ascribed to it, that it was not a temple, but a kind of public bathing establishment. It was not discovered till 1750, when the tops of three pillars, which had remained concealed by bushes among the alluvium of the shore, were perceived, and led to an excavation, which showed that the pillars were still standing on their original pedestals, and formed part of a splendid edifice. The pavement was nearly entire, and the original plan of the whole building could be distinctly traced. Its body had consisted of a quadrangle, 70 feet in diameter, and its roof had been supported by forty six noble

columns, twenty-four of granite, and the rest of marble. Unfortunately the work of spoliation immediately commenced, and soon little more of the building remained than the three pillars which had originally attracted attention to it. These, considered merely as architectural remains, are of no great value; but their surface contains a record of the deepest interest, engraved in most legible characters, though not by human hand. Each of the pillars consists of a single block of marble, and immediately above the pedestal, for the height of 12 feet, is smooth and uninjured; but the next 9 feet are pierced in all directions by the Lithodomus, a species of marine perforating bivalve. The Lithodomi live only in water, and hence it is perfectly obvious that the pillars, where perforated, must have been beneath its surface. The ground occupied by the temple must, therefore, have subsided at least 21 feet; namely, the 12 feet at the bottom uninjured by the Lithodomi, probably because protected from them by a covering of debris, and the 9 feet which they have perforated. The perforations are again far above the surface, and hence the subsidence must at some period have been followed by a corresponding rise, bringing the ground back nearly to its original state. The date of the subsidence is not easily traced, but that of the rise appears to be historically fixed to have taken place on 29th September, 1538, when, after a number of earthquakes, continued at intervals during two years, the earth suddenly opened, and threw up in a few hours, partly on the site of the Lucrine Lake, a hill with a base of 8000 and a height of 440 feet. This hill, called Monte Nuovo, forms a most striking object in the scenery of Pozzuoli.

TURIN,

HE capital of the new kingdom of Italy, presents few objects to interest the antiquary or the historian; in this respect contrasting remarkably with many other Italian cities. It derives its name from the Taurini, a Transalpine nation, by whom the surrounding country was in early times colonized, and who, along with the other Ligurian tribes, were ultimately brought under subjection to the Romans, who founded here a city, which occupied the site of modern Turin, and in honour of Augustus named it Augusta Taurinorum. In the decline of the Empire it shared the fate of Rome and other cities of the West, and was taken and plundered by the Goths under their king, the celebrated Alaric. To guard against the recurrence of similar disasters, it was surrounded with walls and fortified, but these defences were unable to shield it from the violence of the Lombards, who next became its masters. On the establishment of a universal monarchy by Charlemagne, Turin passed under his sovereignty, and was bestowed by him in feudal tenure on the bishops of the diocese, who governed it for a considerable period, some of them with great tyranny. It afterwards became incorporated with the territories of the Marquises of Susa, and on the heiress of that house allying herself with the Count of Savoy, Turin and its dependencies were conveyed by her with her other patrimonial estates to her husband. The traveller who has descended into Italy by the pass of Mont Cenis, cannot fail to be most favourably impressed both by the position and the general aspect of the city of Turin. It is situated

nearly in the centre of Piedmont, 72 miles from Milan, and 118 from Genoa, at the confluence of a small stream, the Dora Riparia or Susina, with the Po, which even at this early stage of its course has become a deep and rapid river. The plain on which the city stands is bounded on the north and west by the giant masses of the snow-capped Alps, among whose summits that of Mont Cenis towers aloft in silent majesty; on the south by the Collina di Torino, a beautiful range of low hills dotted with villas and gardens; and to the east it extends away in unbroken continuity to the horizon, forming the commencement of the great plain of North Italy, a very garden of fertility and loveliness, that stretches from the Alps to the Apennines and to the shores of the Adriatic. The approach to the city from the west is by a magnificent avenue of trees, the longest probably in Europe, which commencing at the town of Rivoli leads thence to Turin, forming a noble vista, to which the dome of the church of the Superga forms a fitting and picturesque termination. Nor are these pleasing impressions dissipated on a nearer acquaintance with the city. The elegance and regularity of its buildings-with the cleanliness and straightness of the streets-will bear comparison with the finest capitals of modern Europe; whilst the mingled sublimity and beauty of the surrounding country impart to it an aspect which few other large cities can rival. Its total want of suburbs never fails to strike the stranger with surprise, who thus passes at once from the open country to the busy town.

The town was formerly encircled by fortifications as well as suburbs, but both have now disappeared, the only vestige remaining of the former being the citadel, now almost abandoned, and its outworks razed. This stronghold, built by Emanuele Filiberto in 1565, is the earliest specimen of regular fortification in Europe. The destruction of the fortifications of the town was mainly the work of the French, who held possession of Turin from 1801 to 1814. Their places have been supplied by gardens, public walks, and splendid rows of houses. Among the first of these may be mentioned the Ripari gardens, a favourite place of resort, and forming a boulevard encircling the city from east to south. The Dora Riparia is crossed by two, and the Po by three bridges. The principal bridge over the Po was erected in 1810, under the government of the French, in room of an ancient bridge of thirteen arches, then taken down, which had existed from the beginning of the fifteenth century. It consists of five elliptic arches, and is seen in the middle distance of the engraving. Napoleon was so highly pleased with this bridge that he used to speak of it as one of the grandest monuments of his sovereignty. The piazze or public squares of Turin are thirteen in number, the principal, though not the handsomest, being the Piazza Castello, so called from the ancient castle of the Dukes of Savoy, which stands in its centre. It is surrounded in great part by arcades, and has on its north side the royal palace, and on its east the grand theatre. The Piazza di San Carlo is the finest square in Turin. In this piazza stands the bronze equestrian statue of Emanuele Filiberto, by Baron Marochetti, of whose works it is perhaps the finest.

The oldest ecclesiastical structure in the city is the Cathedral or Duomo, founded in 1498 and completed in 1505, on the site of an older edifice erected by Agilulph, king of the Lombards. It is in the Renaissance style, but has been much altered, and is not remarkable in regard to architecture. Behind the cathedral, and communicating with it, and also communicating with the royal palace, is the chapel of the Santo Sudario, considered the master-piece of Guarini. Its cupola is original and elegant in design, being composed of a series of arched ribs, from the summits of which others spring in succession, thus forming a species of dome, the light being admitted through the various perforations of the arches. In recesses around this chapel are placed fine marble monuments of the most renowned members of the house of Savoy. Many of the other churches are remarkable

for the splendour of their decorations, and among them may be noticed that of San Agostino, erected in 1551, and distinguished by its monuments of many eminent public men; La Gran Madri di Dio, opposite the bridge over the Po, a building in imitation of the Pantheon at Rome, seen on the right of our view; La Consolata, so called from possessing a picture of the Virgin which claims a miraculous origin; and the churches of San Filippo and the Santissima Trinita, the former the largest, and the latter one of the most beautiful sacred edifices in Turin. None of these churches however are specially distinguished for architectural merit, and contain few works of art by the great masters. Though not within the town, reference must here be made to the splendid church of La Superga, which occupies a steep and elevated position at five miles' distance, commanding the finest possible view of the city and surrounding country. It was erected in fulfilment of a vow made by Victor Amadeus II., in 1706, when looking down with Prince Eugene from the heights of the Collina upon his capital invested by the forces of Louis XIV.; he vowed, if success should crown his arms, to found a church to the Virgin; and the subsequent victory of Turin and raising of the siege were interpreted by him as an answer to his prayers, and commemorated by the erection of La Superga. It is a magnificent structure, the work of Juvara, somewhat after the model of St. Peter's at Rome, and has a fine portico of eight red and white marble columns, and a most sumptuously decorated interior. Previously to 1821 it was the burial-place of the royal family. Among the palaces of Turin the first place is due to the royal palace in the Piazza Castello, a building of unpretending appearance externally, but fitted up in the interior with great magnificence, and containing an extensive library, in which many valuable letters and manuscripts are preserved. There is also in the palace a fine collection of ancient armour, called the Armeria Regia, which being open to the public forms one of the principal sights of Turin. The apartments occupied by the Senate are in the ancient castle in the centre of the Piazza del Castello, known as the Palazzo Madama, which also contains the royal picture-gallery, a good collection of works of art. In the Palazzo Carignano, a highly decorated but somewhat fantastic building, the Chamber of Deputies holds its sittings. In the Palazzo dell' Academia Reale delle Scienze are several museums of natural history, antiquities, &c., of considerable importance.

The University of Turin is an extensive and magnificent edifice. It was founded in 1405, but the present buildings belong to the last century. The court is surrounded with a double tier of arcades, under which is a valuable collection of ancient sculptures, bas-reliefs, and inscribed marbles, many of them obtained from the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Industria, situated eighteen miles from Turin, and discovered in 1744. An extensive library is attached to the institution, which contains forty-seven professorial chairs, and has an average attendance of nearly 2000 students.

Like the other Italians the Turinese are enthusiastic lovers of music, and the Teatro Reale, or Teatro dell' Opera, is among the finest in Northern Italy, vying even with the famed La Scala at Milan. It was erected after the design and under the superintendence of Count Benedetto Alfieri, a distant relative of the celebrated tragic author of that name, and is capable of accommodating 2500 persons. There are also the Teatro Carignano, where the first tragedy of Alfieri was performed in public; the Teatro d'Angennes; the Teatro Nazionale, and other theatres, including two of fantoccini or marionettes, of which the Piedmontese claim to be the inventors.

As a place of resort for strangers, Turin cannot be said to have as yet found much favour, partly owing to its want of archæological and artistic attractions, and partly also from the severity of the climate, which in winter is apt to be foggy, and is frequently extremely cold. At other seasons, however, the air is remarkably balmy and salubrious. The population numbers about 160,000.