AN ENGLISHWOMAN IN ITALY. [To THE EDITOR OP TDB "SPECTATOR."
Sin,—I think the following letter which I have received from a friend who is now living in Italy may be of interest to Tour readers. It shows in a very striking way the bad a-nd
the good sides of Italian life.—I am, Sir, &c., S.
DEAR A.,—I think we must go "back to the land"; at any rate we could live off it and sell something. Although fruit and vege- tables are cheap the demand is enormous, because even in villages Italians will live in these horrid flats, so they cannot grow things for themselves. I used to wonder when I first came why Italians always hung the family washing out of window or upon any avail- able projection—the knockers on the doors being most useful to hang stockings upon—till I found there were no back-gardens or backyards such as nearly every cottage in England possesses, but dozens and dozens of families living in great barrack-like houses We have heard of a beautiful place on the coast where living and land are both cheap. It is a large place, and if we are on the spot, cheapness of lessons might be made up for. I should like to have poultry again ; eggs are dear—lid, each— we get them for B. only, and it would be such a comfort to " grow " a few for household use, also our fruit and vege- tables. A goat costs 10 lire to buy (about 8s.), and I firmly believe goat's milk has done B. an enormous amount of good—he has it every day. The goats come up from the Cam- pagna, and are milked at the street corner. I believe I could make money by jam if we had fruit trees. It is most expen- sive-1.75 lire a small pot. The principal shop here tells us it all COMM from France or from England. I can't think why they don't make it in Italy ; even with dear sugar it would be cheaper than importing, because fruit is so plentiful. I made most delicious jam in the summer, and I know of three places in Rome that would sell any amount for me to English residents.
The Italians about here don't seem to have any enterprise and absolutely no method; they are too unbusiness-like as a rule. An Italian himself said to me the other day," In Italy we are always late; in England you are so very exact," which is perfectly true. We tried to find out at what time a train would reach a certain place. We went to three stations to ask ; they would tell us its time of departure, but no man could be induced to commit himself as to its time of arrival. Generally the trains are about two hours late. It is a curious country. In these six months I have seen more of real Italy, Italian life, than if I had spent six winters in Rome in the track of the tourist.
It is also a very poor country—the people seem so heavily taxed, and they are so industrious and hard-working. The war is not really popular, and you cannot believe a word the papers say. They conceal losses and talk in such a bombastic way sometimes that it makes me sick. They do it to blind the people, I think. Twice now we have seen men drafted from these villages, and they just crept away in the early morning—by tram, silently, with no demonstration—leaving behind a weeping village, and next day in the — we read how the reservists had left — "amid demonstrations of the most enthusiastic patriotism, waving of handkerchiefs, and playing of bands."
E. talks a great deal to the Contadini. We are very in- terested in getting at what the people feel, and not one yet has been in favour of the war. The majority of them don't want Tripoli; they have the sense to see that war is very costly ; they are already miserably poor ; and if they get Tripoli will they be able to keep it ; and is it worth the cost ? Italy has some idea of "dry-farming" there ; but dry-farming is a very expensive pro- cess, for which they will have to pay, and when the crops are raised if they come back into Italy they will be taxed by the Customs. The more educated men realize the great difficulty also of governing a Mohammedan population. I suppose it is politicians who have brought about the war, for I really don't think the nation knows or cares very much about Tripoli. They are frightfully touchy though, and up in armsat once if the foreign Press criticises them unfavourably. I feel very sorry that so much notice should have been taken in England about these charges of cruelty. I don't believe the Italian soldiers have been guilty of anything worse than would have been done by any other nation in time of war. War is cruel. When men's blood is up and they come across the enemy they naturally shoot him ; but that the Italians shot defenceless women and children I'll never believe—I think they really love children. When their tempers are roused they are demons, though. E. stopped two boys knifing each other the other day : one had got the other down and was kneeling on him, just in the act of stabbing, when E. gave him such a buffet from behind that he rolled on the ground. He got up and promptly hurled a rock at E., when another man came up and caught him a smack on the other side, so he retired worsted.
B. is splendidly well. Goat's milk and the air of — have really done wonders for him, but the house is hardly fit for tho winter. The rain comes in everywhere—our front door opens into our one sitting-room, and, no matter what the weather may be, we have to have the door wide open, otherwise we get no light. It is the open-air cure with a vengeance : every one tells us we cannot go through the winter in the "chalet," and although, on the whole, the weather is lovely, still we do have wet days, and when it rains here it comes down as if poured out of pails, and we sit in thick boots and coats, with basins and pie-dishes round to catch the little streams of water pouring in.
We all love Italy : its beauty is a great joy to me.
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