File:Travels in Italy, Greece, and the Ionian Islands. - In a series of letters, description of manners, scenery, and the fine arts. (1820) (14766357212).jpg

Identifier: travelsinitalygr00wi (find matches)
Title: Travels in Italy, Greece, and the Ionian Islands. : In a series of letters, description of manners, scenery, and the fine arts.
Year: 1820 (1820s)
Authors: Williams, Hugh William, 1773-1829
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Publisher: Edinburgh : Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. London : Hurst, Robinson, and Co.
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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lse of necessity to the want ofprinciple. This, I am persuaded, is a principalcause of those frequent robberies which are said totake place ; though certainly they are much exag-gerated by the timidity of the Italians. If the peoplewere more courageous, these depredations wouldbe more frequent, for the olive harvest has failedin three successive years, and the necessities of thelower classes are extreme. From Lecce to Otranto the distance is 28 miles.The fields are divided with stone walls ; the stoneappears to be an aggregation of stalactites. Theagriculture is not good, but the barley was in theear. The Greek village of Kalimara struck us,as greatly resembling the ancient city of Pompeii.We stopped for refreshment at the village of Cer-pignano, and for Is. 4d. had as much bread,cheese, and excellent red wine, as seven people re-quired ; here we observed that weights were madeof rude stone. The country towards Otranto becomes desolateand bare, extensive downs covered with thyme, with
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CASTLE OF OTRANTO. 145 occasionally the dwarf holly, the Rosa marina, andlavender, stretch around like wild moorlands. TheLake Alemenie, on the left, varies a little the mo-notony of this district, but nothing is seen ofOtranto till we drop upon it unexpectedly. It is a poor looking town, situate on an elevatedprojecting point, between two small bays, and is wal-led and mounted with cannon. Finding, on our ar-rival, that there was no inn, we sent for the Britishvice-consul, who lodged us in the house of an Italianmarquis. We laid down our beds, which we bor-rowed, in a large damp and comfortless apartment,without furniture of any sort, and in anothersquatted ourselves around a pan of charcoal. Dur-ing the nights we were disturbed, and most of uskept sleepless, by the swarms of musquitos and fleas,the room having probably not been visited by abroom, during the time of the present generationof the noble proprietors of the palace. The celebrated castle of Otranto is an imposingobject of

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