This route lies through Calabria, a picturesque, though backward region of Italy; and is the one followed (though in reverse order) by Garibaldi, in his famous advance from Sicily, in 1860, when the kingdom of the Two Sicilies was overturned The various incidents of this remarkable expedition áre described in Count Arrivabene's Italy under Victor Emmanuel, and Captain Forbes' work. Captain Forbes accompanied the expedition as an amateur; Count Arrivabene (formerly Professor of Italian at University College), as correspondent of the Daily News. Mr. Gallenga, author of the "History of Piedmont," was correspondent of The Times. Naples to Eboli (Stat.), see page 255. At Eboli, then the terminus, that astounding telegraph trick was practised, 4th September, 1860, which resulted in the withdrawal of a Neapolitan corps d'armée of 12,000 men and thirty guns, placed at Salerno to arrest the march of Garibaldi towards Naples. "This telegram had only just been transmitted along the wires when a minister of Francis II. telegraphed back to Eboli, "Any news of the division of Calandrelli ?" To this Peard and Gallenga answered, General Calandrelli and his division passed yesterday under the orders of Garibaldi, at Lagonegro, and now form a portion of the national army. This trick, together with other telegrams sent by these two gentlemen to the Sindaco of Salerno, ordering him to prepare an imposing number of rations for the next day, determinedas I was myself afterwards told by De Martino, the minister of Francis II.-the backward movement of General Afant de Rivera's corps d'armée.” quake, 1857, when whole villages were ruined, and many thousand (some say 10,000) persons killed, at Auletta, Potenza, Sala, Padula, Polla, Saponara, Sarcone, Montemurro, Viggiano, &c. At Montemurro 6,000 persons were overwhelmed. Large sums were subscribed in England and abroad, much of which was swallowed up by the officials and clergy. PERTOSA, or PETROSA (population, 1,086), in a deep ravine, was half-destroyed by the earthquake. Here the River Negro, breaking into a number of cataracts, passes under the promontory on which Auletta stands. The Campestreno Bridge crosses a branch of this river. A little farther on a road branches to the right, across the Negro, to POLLA, a town with 6,046 population, which suffered in the earthquake of 1857; and the river for a time follows a subterranean course under the cliffs. SALA, or LA SALA, has a population of 8,503, which suffered from the earthquake of 1857, and faces DIANO (population, 7,000), on the opposite bank, which gives name to the valley. PADULA (population, 8,274) also suffered in the earthquake, which overturned an old monastery. Here is a road over the hills to MARSICO Nuovo, which was half destroyed in 1857, in common with other places beyond it; as VIGGIANO, a curious old troubadour city, whose inhabitants still wander about the world with harps, violins, flutes, &c., and come back to settle. It has a statue of the Madonna, on a neighbouring hill. Here the loss was 1,000. Montemurro lost as many as 6,000. Saponara lost 2,000, and its churches, &c., were nearly destroyed; and Sarcone suffered in like manner (see Mr. Major's Earthquake Experience in Household Words for 1858). Near these was the ancient Grumentum, where Hannibal was defeated by Claudius Nero. CASALNUOVO (population, 2,529) is near the head of the Negro and Val di Diano. The road winds over a ridge of the Apennines, and descends to LAGONEGRO (population, 5,718) in the province of Basilicata, in a valley, near a dark lake, from which it gets its name. It suffered in the French invasion of 1806. Here General Calandrelli was overtaken and capitulated in 1860. It is about 10 miles from Policastro. POLICASTRO, on the gulf of that name, is now a small village (population, 600), and was destroyed by Robert Guiscard and the Turkish rover, Barbarossa (1544). Hence it is about 15 miles to Palinuro, near Spartimento Point, where Æneas buried his old pilot, who was drowned by tumbling overboard when asleep. Here is a lighthouse, 675 feet high, seen 25 miles. About 15 miles farther is the site of Velia or Elea, a Roman place of banishment, facing the Enotrides Islands of Strabo. From this it is about 20 miles to Pæstum. LAURIA (population, 8,000), among wild mountain scenery, is divided into high and low town, and stands near the Trecchina or Noce, which runs down to the Gulf of Policastro. AULETTA, as in Route 37, which parts off here, through the Basilicata. Its churches and public buildings were damaged by the earthquake of 10th December, 1857. From this place our route ascends the Negro or Calore, in the fertile Val di Diano, under the Apennines. It is 4 miles wide and 20 LA ROTONDA, a mountain village (population, miles long, and suffered greatly from the earth-4,889), on the banks of the Lao. The road then enters the province of Calabria Citra (or the Nearer Calabria), and ascends the Apennines to CAMPOTENSE, on a dreary bit of bleak tableland, 6,000 feet high, covered with snow in winter. Thence down a defile, 4 miles long, to MORANO, or MORRANO (population, 9,497), a picturesque town on the cliffs, with an old Castle. Castrovillari (pop.7,741), a fortified town, near Spezzano Station (Route 39), with clean streets, seated among the mountains, on a fine green plain, watered by the River Sybari, or Cocile. Here roads part off via Cassano (see Route 39), round the Gulf of Taranto and the east coast of Calabria. It is the native town of Guiseppe Pace, a Neapolitan exile in London, who had been imprisoned for many years in Procida, and led the Albanian volunteers from Spezzano, as below, in 1860. About halfway to Tarsia, on the direct route, a branch road turns off to the left, down the Crati, to the Gulf of Taranto. [It passes SPEZZANO ALBANESE (population, 4,046), the centre of some colonies of Albanians settled here in the fifteenth century by the Prince of Bisignano, upon his marriage with the daughter of Scanderberg. They still keep their language and religion, and have a college here for their sons, and are a fine warlike race. RIVOLTA stands in a beautiful spot, among groves of oaks, ornamented with festoons of the vine. COPIA, in the midst of fertility (as its name implies), is the ancient Thurii or Copia, between the Rivers Sybaris and Crathis, which now unite to form the Coscile or Crati. Herodotus and Lysias, the orators, both resided at Thurii, which was an offshoot of Sybaris, and gave the nickname of "Thurinus" to Augustus. At the mouth of this stream, on the Gulf of Taranto, was the famous Greek city of Sybaris, which once ruled over twenty-five cities, and became a proverb for luxury and effeminacy. Milo, the Crotonian, destroyed it by turning the course of the river, which now runs through a desolate marsh. The suburbs of this large and ancient city stretched for 6 miles along the Crathis. Extensive remains have been turned up here, like to another Pompeii.] Tarsia (Stat.)--population, 1,964-has a ruined seat of the Spinelli family, hanging over the River Crati. Ascend the river to RITORTO. To the west are the villages of Montalto (Stat.) and S. SISTO, named after Pope Sixtus V., in whose reign their former inhabitants were exterminated by the Neapolitan Viceroy for professing Protestantism. Such of the men as were not killed were sent to the galleys, while the women and children were sold as slaves. The road towards Cosenza was lately infested by brigands. Cross the River Busento to Cosenza (Stat.)-pop., 16,542-the capital of Calabria Citra, and an archbishop's see, on a branch rail from Buffaloria (Route 39); the ancient Consentia, at the junction of the Busento and Crati, among hills covered with villas, vine rds, groves of olives, &c. Saffron, manna, and flax are grown here. It was partly destroyed by the earthquake of 1857. In 1860 it was held by General Calandrelli, who gave it up conditionally, and retired towards Naples. Consentia was the chief town of the Bruttii, and was taken by Hannibal. Alaric, the Visigoth, was besieging it when he died in A.D. 410, and was buried at the bottom of the Busento, the course of which was turned for the purpose. Monte Cocuzzo lies to the south-west, and about 10 or 15 miles east is the elevated limestone plain of Reggia Sila and Monte Spineto. Monte Riparossa, 5,000 feet above sea, is covered with rich pasture and vast forests of pine, oak, chestnut, &c., which for ages have furnished timber for ship-building. From its circular edge short rivers run down to both seas, towards every point of the compass. It occupies the centre of the broadest part of the Calabrian Peninsula. From Cosenza it is about 12 miles north-west over the Apennines to PAOLO, a fishing port (population, 7,000) on the west coast. Following the main road from Cosenza, the next place is ROGLIANO, or RUGGIANO (population, 5,243), on a hill, which has been rebuilt since its destruction by the earthquake of 1638 Gravina, the jurist, was born here 1664. The advocate, Morelli, a wealthy resident, was one of the leaders of the insurrection of 1860. SCIGLIANO. Here the new road towards Catanzaro and Tiriolo parts off from the old and more direct one, which goes by Nicastro. It runs among picturesque glens and high rocks. SOVERIA MANELLI, near Passaggio, is the birthplace of a famous brigand, Caligari. It commands the road towards Naples. Here General Ghio, with a force of 7,000 infantry, cavalry, and artillery, surrendered in 1860 to Garibaldi and a few Calabrese and National Guards. Garibaldi, as usual, was 30 or 40 miles ahead of his troops, and might have been taken prisoner by the Neapolitans hundreds of times without their knowing it. TIRIOLO (population, 3,425). In the province of Calabria Ultra-Secondo, is near the back-bone of the Apennines, between Nicastro and Catanzaro, commanding an easy view of both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. [1. NICASTRO, on the old road, a few miles west, has a population of 12,400, and farther west are the sulphur baths of S. BIAGIO, and SANTA EUFEMIA (population, 7,631), which gives its name to the gulf on this side, and had a Benedictine Abbey, founded by Robert Guiscard, which was overwhelmed by the earthquake of 1638. 2. To the east of Tiriolo is Catanzaro (Stat.) (see above), on the coast rail, the capital of Calabria Ultra-Secondo, and a bishop's see (population, 20,981), where the law courts and gymnasium (college) are seated. It is built on a rock, in the valley of the Corace, near the Gulf of Squillace, and has a trade in silk, wine, corn, and other produce. Route 40.] COSENZA, COTRONE, MAIDA, MILETO, PALMI, ASPROMONTE. Squillace (Stat.)-pop., 2,812-the ancient Scyl- | lacium, is 10 miles south, and hence the rail, close to the old Via Trajana, winds down the east coast of the peninsula to Cape Spartivento (60 miles), at its farthest extremity, past Gerace (Stat.) and other Calabrian towns, which were half ruined by the earthquake of 1783. From Catanzaro a road stretches along the Gulf of Squillace, to Cotrone (Stat.), population, 5,910, as in Route 39. This is the ancient Crotone, at the mouth of the Gulf of Taranto, 35 miles north-east. It was one of the largest and oldest cities of Megale Hellas, or Magna Græcia, as this part of Italy was called, from the number of its flourishing Greek settlements. It was 12 miles round, but began to decay after the invasion of Pyrrhus. An old castle stands here. Crotone was famous for its beautiful women; also, as the residence of Pythagoras, and as the birth-place of the strong man, Milo. (See the carving on the old Bull and Mouth, opposite the Post Office, London "Milo, the Crotonian, Killed an ox with his fist, Ye gods, what a glorious twist ") The Ancona steamer touches here. A few miles from this is the Lacinium promontory, now Cape Nao, or Della Colonna, so called from a solitary Doric Column, 28 feet high, of a Temple of Juno Lacinia, which stood here, and which contained the Helen of Zeuxis, the painter.] From Tiriolo our high road passes CASINO DI CHIRACO, near Maida, a picturesque old town (population, 3,940), with narrow streets and a ruined castle, in the Valley of Angitola, famous for Sir John Stuart's defeat of the French, under Regnier, in 1806, on 6th July. The English had about 5,600 men, against 7,500 French, who lost nearly 5,000. The two armies crossed bayonets before the French gave way. Here Stocco, a Calabrese leader, who had been exiled in 1848, joined Garibaldi. The Calabrians are a manly and robust people, very different from the mercurial Neapolitans. CURINGA is a little village perched on the top of the heights. TORRE MASDEA is on the beautiful Bay of S. Eufemia, which is surrounded by villages, churches, villas, gardens, and ruins. The Lipari Islands soon come into view. Pizzo, a little further on (population, 8,785), is the spot where Murat landed in October, 1815, and tried to get up a rising in his favour, by showing a banner in the square. He was taken, tried by court-martial in the castle, and shot. He was buried in the Church. For this service Pizzo was created a city, and styled "Fedelissima" by King Ferdinand; and was further exempted from taxes. Monteleone (population, 10,310), on a height near the south end of the Gulf of S. Eufemia, has an old castle of Frederic II., with an Augustine Convent close to it, on the cliffs, commanding a 271 splendid view of the Gulf, the Apennines, Etna, and the Lipari Islands. Stromboli is 40 miles distant. Monteleone was built out of the ruins of Hipponium, a Greek city, called Vibo Valentia and Vibona, by the Romans, on the site of S. Pietro, close by. Here was a Temple of Proserpine. On the shore of the bay are remains of Sicca's Villa, in which Cicero resided for several months after his banishment. The fertile plain round this town, called the Piano di Monteleone, yields much silk and oil.. Away to the east is Mileto, or MELETTO (population, 5,724), a bishop's see, founded by Roger of Sicily, who made it his capital, and built an abbey with the stones of Proserpine's Temple, in which he and his wife, Eremberga, were buried. Many remains of churches and palaces, broken columns, &c., are still to be seen. It has been rebuilt since the earthquake of 1783, which almost ruined it; and has a large seminary for priests, built by Ferdinand II. Here General Briganti was massacred in 1860, by his own troops, as a traitor. "Paese" is the common name for a village or town in this neighbourhood; among which are a number of Greek colonies, descended from Albanian and Epirote settlers of the time of Scanderberg. They have spread across the peninsula, and retain in part their language and costume. Such names as Pentimele, Malanisi, Jeropotamo (a river), occur. Many villages have been overturned and ravines made, all along this district, by the earthquake of 1783, and by frequent landslips. ROSARNO (population, 3,180), on the River Mesima, near the ancient Medma. Many pits, shaped like wells, and filled with water to the brim, were formed near this by the earthquake of 1783. GIOJA, the ancient Metaurum, is a decayed place (population, 1,347), at the mouth of the Marro, where it falls into the Gulf of Gioja. The wide plain between the sea and the Apennines, watered by the Marro and Mesima, was the principal scene of the ravages occasioned by the earthquake of 1783. The Marseilles Steamer calls here. An is picturesquely seated on a rock above the sea, in About 10 miles from this the Apennines take the name of Aspromonte, from their rugged appearance. It was in attempting to cross these that Garibaldi received his wound, and, with 2,000 of his followers, was taken prisoner by the royal troops, under Colonel Pallavicini, 29th August, 1862. His boot pierced by the bullet was picked up, and is kept as a precious relic. Pictures of it are sold in Italy. His son, Menotti, was also wounded. Garibaldi was put on board an Italian frigate, taken to Spezia, and treated with the greatest consideration. He returned to the Island of Caprera in December. Oppido, on the flanks of the mountain, was the centre of the great Earthquake of 1788; the ravages of which, though its effects were felt as far as Naples, were confined to Calabria and Sicily, but especially to a space of 400 or 500 square miles, within a distance of 20 miles round Oppido. They were described by Sir W. Hamilton. The first shock, on 5th February, lasted two minutes; and during the rest of the year, 1783, about 950 were felt, but the worst were the earliest, in February and March. They were repeated now and then for four years; and about 40,000 persons are reckoned to have been killed. It changed the face of the country in many parts, leaving great gaps and hollows, choking up rivers, overturning hills. Oppido, many houses, farms with their stores of oil, &c., were swallowed up, with hundreds of the inhabitants. At At Laureano, up the Mesima (see Rosarno, above), two tracts of land covered with olives were carried the distance of a mile. Higher up the same river, at Plaisano, several gaps were made which are still to be seen. One is a mile long, 105 feet broad, and 30 feet deep; another is mile long, 150 feet broad, and 100 feet deep; another is 225 feet deep. At the head of the river, at Polistena, a Greek village, a tract of land was moved across a ravine, with hundreds of houses upon it; some of the residents of which were unhurt; but 2,000 out of a population of 6,000 were killed. At Fosolano two pits are left, about 300 and 700 feet square At Terra Nuova, 1,200 out of 1,600 inhabitants were killed. It is mentioned as a curious fact, that none of the shocks took place over rocks of a volcanic or trap character. · SEMINARA (population, 4,090), was half destroyed by the Saracens, and again by the earthquake of 1783. An olive garden was moved 200 feet, without disturbing the trees, which continue to grow upon it. Here Gonsalvo de Cordova obtained a victory over the French. Bagnara (Stat.), population, 8,597, finely situated above the ancient Portus Balarus, contains several churches, palaces, &c. It is celebrated for its beautiful women, tall and straight, with noble Greek features, black eyebrows, brown hair, and a mixture of Saracen blood in their veins. They are joined in a Calabrian proverb, with "Sicilian wine and Cosenza saffron." From here a line is being made in a northerly direction along the sea coast of the upper side of the "instep," which will join the line from Naples at Castelnuovo-Villa. Inns were once very rare in this part of Italy; hence persons having an introduction were taken in by private residents, who gave them a letter for the next halting-place. Scilla (Stat.), population, 7,429, a small town, the ancient Scyllaeum, on the Faro of Messina. The "Aquila Nero" Inn is tolerably clean. Swordfish (pesce spada), red mullet. sausages, raw ham; green figs, melons, grapes, and other delicious fruit, to be had. It faces the north-east corner of Sicily, where the channel or Faro is 3 miles wide. The Charybdis of Virgil's well known proverb "Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim," is near Messina, 8 miles distant. The tides run strong through the strait, and where they meet cause eddies, but there is no whirlpool to make the passage dangerous, except to such small craft as the ancients had. The noise of the waves, in rough weather, as they roar under the limestone cliffs, edging both sides of the channel, has been compared by travellers to the confused barking of dogs. Hence, the Scylla of the poets, like Milton's Sin, was a mermaid-a beautiful woman ending in a dolphin's tail, with sea-dogs howling round her waist, and ready to tear the sailor to pieces. The Upper Town is a mixture of narrow zigzag streets, hovels and palaces. It was half ruined by the earthquake of 5th February, 1783, along with the old feudal Castle which overhangs it; a "diminutive Gibraltar" (Arrivabene), Spanish in its origin, increased by later additions. It was occupied by the English after the battle of Maida, and surrendered to the French after eighteen months' siege; but in 1860, the dastardly Neapolitan troops gave it up to Garibaldi without firing a shot. On the night of the earthquake of 1783, the Prince of Scylla and 4,000 of its inhabitants were gathered on the beach for safety from the falling houses, when the Sirocco wind began to blow, the herald of a shock. It severed part of Monte Baci or Capella, which fell into the sea; a great wave then rose on the Faro side, swept up the Calabrian coast, and carried off 2,700 of the people on the beach, with the prince. Mysterious voices are said to be heard from the sea, on this eventful 5th February. Scylla produces excellent silk and wine. A Villa S. Giovanni (Stat.)-pop., 3,791)-under a hill, close to the water and opposite Messina, to which there is a ferry, about 3 miles wide. railway bridge is projected to cross at this point. Here two squadrons of Neapolitan lancers surrendered, 1860, to Major Nullo and six guides, who had been sent out to reconnoitre. Putting a good face on it they came up boldly to the Neapolitans, drew their revolvers and commanded them to surrender. "Surrender! to whom?" said the officer, "where are your troops?" "Garibaldi is ten minutes from here, and I advise you to spare useless bloodshed." They retired, and Nullo remained master of the town. Soon after, General Melendis and 2,500 surrendered; and this was followed by the unconditional surrender of his superior officer, General Brigante. Mr. Hallam has a large silk factory here. Reggio (Stat.), the ancient Rhegium. Popu- be attacked not in the rear, but from the sea, lation, 23,853. secundum artem. Hotels: Vittoria; Europa. Steamer to Messina, in connection with the Rail. The capital of Calabria Ulteriore Primo, and an archbishop's see, in a charming situation, on a spur of Aspromonte, near the end of the peninsula and the Apennines. It has a splendid view of Sicily and the Strait (7 miles across to Messina), and of Etna. The land here is some of the most fertile in Italy; rich in silk, oil, oranges, lemons, and other fruit, besides the aloe, cactus, palm, &c. Monte Alto, behind it, 4,380 feet high, is covered with forests of pine, chestnuts, and other trees. Reggio though modern-looking is one of the most ancient cities of Magna Græcia, having been founded seven centuries before Christ. It was rebuilt by Julius Cæsar after an earthquake, and called Rhegium Julü. Here St. Paul touched on his voyage to Rome, after landing at Syracuse"we fetched a compass and came to Rhegium"; and hence he sailed right before the south wind, to Puteoli. It fell under the power of the Goths, Saracens, and Normans; was burnt by corsairs in 1544 and 1558; was almost destroyed by the Earthquake of 1783, and much shaken by those of 1841 and 1851. The present town, having been restored on a regular plain since 1783, consists of three streets or corsi, one above another, parallel to the shore, intersected by other streets running down to the sea. At the upper end is a strong Castle or Fortezza Alta, with a small fort near it. The Cathedral has some old mosaics and monuments. Reggio was the first place on the mainland taken by Garibaldi, in his celebrated march of 1860, after running through Sicily. On the 21st August, General Gallotti, who commanded 1,500 troops in the castle and fort, was surprised to sec one of Garibaldi's lieutenants appear on the heights behind, and immediately gave in. He expected to The total force under Garibaldi was 24,500 men, armed with Colt's Enfields, and seventeen guns; most of them belonging to the respectable classes, and many being sons of gentlemen, all serving from patriotism. The actual pay of the privates was lid. a day, and of the officers, 2 francs, from the general downwards Sistori was chief of the staff, and the other lieutenants were Eber, Medici, Bixio, Türr, Correz, besides Colonel Peard, "Garibaldi's Englishman," a Cornish gentleman, who had lived in Italy, and after joining as a private in Lombardy, had been made a colonel at the battle of Milazzo. A so-called English regiment, consisting mostly of foreigners, deserters from ships, &c., was commanded by Colonel Dunn. Their one faith was to follow Garibaldi, and to make Italy a nation under Victor Emmanuel:-"When Garibaldi goes back to Caprera, we return home too." Part of the force was left to garrison Messina, Palermo, and other Sicilian fortresses. The Regi or royal troops opposed to them in Calabria, numbered 25,000 men, under General Viale, whose head-quarters were at Monteleone. They were well provided with artillery and stores, but were soldiers only in name, being nothing better than an armed police. Garabaldi was here again (1862) before the affair at Aspromonte (page 271.) From Reggio, a road, identical with the Via Trajana, follows the white cliffs of the coast, to Cape Pellaro, the ancient Leucopetra (5 miles), and thence round to Cape Spartivento (25 miles), or promontory of Herculis, at the extreme end of Italy. Here and there are Greek hamlets perched on the crags, inhabited by noble-looking men and beautiful women. The new coast Rail from Reggio runs near the road above mentioned, in conjunction with the line from Bari and Taranto to Cotrone (see Route 39.) SICILY (SICILIA), Which takes its name from the Siculi, is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and is separated from the mainland by the Faro, or Strait of Messina. From its triangular shape, Horace calls it Triquetra, and Virgil, Trinacria. The east, or shortest side, is 145 miles long; the south, or south-west side, is 190 miles; and the north, or longest side, is 215 miles. This gives a circuit of 550 miles, or nearly 700 miles, following the winding of all its bays. Its area is about 8,000 square miles. A Government Survey of the island, in fifty sheets, was published 1872. A chain of limestone hills runs near the north coast, from Trapani to the Faro of Messina, the highest parts of which are 3,000 to 4,000 feet high; but Monte Madonia is said to be about 6,000 feet. A lower chain, from Cape Passaro, joins this at Monte Artesino, near Nicosia. Etna, which stands by itself on the east coast, is 10,874 feet high, and is covered with forests, but the other mountains T of Sicily are naked. The plants are in common with those of Italy and Africa; and the fossils correspond with animals now in the Mediterranean, showing (says Lyell) that the Island has gradually risen from the sea. The longest Rivers are the Giaretta, or Simæthus, near Etna, the Salso, Platani, and Belice. The rest are summer torrents. There are three or four small Lakes; the largest is that of Lentini. Granite is found in the Pelorus range, near Messina. Round Etna the soil is volcanic; elsewhere it is chiefly limestone. The chief mineral production is sulphur, on the south side of the island. About 600,000 cwts. are shipped yearly. from Girgonti, Terranova, &c., of which two-thirds come to England. Sicily produces marble, rocksalt, soda, and soapstone, and has mines of copper and silver (neither of which are worked), but no iron. |