IN THE CITY OF ROME
"I feel as if vacation time were over," said Molly, a few days later,as she looked from their window out upon a busy street in Rome. "Ishould much rather play in the orange garden at Sorrento or climb overthe island of Capri with Giorgio and Luisa than to see Rome."
"So should I!" said May. "I am sure there can't be any more surprisesas nice as the ones we have had."
"Oh, yes, there can be!" said their father, who overheard what hisSunbonnet Babies were talking about. "There is one big surprisecoming, which I believe you will think is even nicer than Sorrento orCapri."
"O father! Is it here in Rome?" asked May.
"No," answered her father. "Not the surprise I am thinking about,though there are many nice ones here. We can drive about the city alittle now, and see what it looks like."
"That will be fun," said Molly. "I hope the streets will not be sonoisy and dirty as they were in Naples."
They were soon driving through broad streets and narrow streets,through streets where electric cars were speeding along, through old,old streets, and through big beautiful squares. It seemed as if theypassed more great stone churches and handsome fountains than they hadseen in all their lives before.
Their driver stopped his carriage near one of the largest of thefountains and said they should each throw a penny into the basin ofwater and take a drink from it before leaving Rome. Then they wouldsurely visit the city again, for the legend says:
Cast your obulus in Trevi's fountain, Drink and, returning home, Pray that by stream or desert, vale or mountain, All roads may lead to Rome.
"I am not sure yet that I want to come to Rome again," saidMolly. "I think I will not throw my penny into the fountain until thelast day I am here."
"I will show you something that will make you want to come again,"said the driver. "I know what the Americans like."
He then drove them through more narrow streets, until they came to alarge square with a fountain in the center of it. This fountain lookedlike an old Roman war vessel.
Already the Sunbonnet Babies had learned that in Italy a public squareis called a _piazza_, and their driver told them that this square wasthe Spanish Piazza.
"It should be called the Flower Piazza!" exclaimed May. "It looks likea big flower market. May we buy some of those lovely cherry blossoms?"
"Yes, indeed! Buy all you want," said their driver. "This is only oneof our flower markets. There are many others in the city."
"Why are the people waiting on those great stone steps?" asked Molly."And why do they wear such odd, pretty clothes?"
"_It should be called the Flower Piazza!_"]
"Those people are models for artists," answered their driver. "Many ofthem live in the country and come into the city every pleasantmorning. They wait on these steps, hoping artists may come and askthem to pose for their pictures. They are dressed in the old Romancostumes."
"I like their costumes," said May. "I wish your people would all dressthat way. How nice that little girl looks with her bright-coloredapron and red coral beads. She is barefooted and bareheaded, too."
"_Isn't she lovely?_"]
"See, she is running down the steps with a tall jar on her head. Isn'tshe lovely? I wonder if she will let us take her picture."
"I will ask her," said May. "Do you suppose that woman is her mother?She is knitting with long, crooked needles. Her cap looks like a whitehandkerchief laid over her black hair. Perhaps they think father andmother are artists who want to paint them in a picture."
"I will tell them that my little daughters are the artists," said theSunbonnet Babies' father. "It does not take you so long to make apicture as it does most artists, so I think they will be glad to posefor you."
And they were. When the camera had been snapped, Molly and May eachgave the little girl a _soldo_ and said they hoped a real artist wouldpaint a beautiful picture of her soon.
"I should much rather see the picture you have just taken in yourqueer, black box," said the little Italian girl.
"Would you really like to have us send it to you when it is finished?"asked Molly.
"Oh, yes, thank you! I would take it home to _il padre_ and show himwhat happens when I come to the big city."
"Where do you live?? asked the Sunbonnet Babies' father.
"We live in the country, two miles beyond the city walls. We go outthrough St. Paul's Gate. My father has a little farm out there."
"May we drive out to see you some day?" asked the Sunbonnet Babies'father again.
"We should be proud to have you do so, sir," answered the littlegirl's mother politely.
"We will come next Friday afternoon, if you will be at home that day."
"And we will bring the picture we have just taken," Molly said to hersmiling little friend.
"Please tell us what your name is," said May.
"My name is Maria," answered the little girl brightly.
"Why, that is the Italian name for Mary, isn't it? My name is May."
"Addio, Maria! Here are some cherry blossoms for you, and here is abunch of kisses. Addio!"
Then they drove away, blowing kisses from the tips of their smallfingers to the lovely little model standing on the Spanish FlowerSteps.
Soon they came to a handsome bridge which crossed the river Tiber.Their driver said this bridge was built by the famous Emperor Hadrianin the year 136. At the end of the bridge was a great round castle,which was also built by Emperor Hadrian, as a burial tomb for himself.
Three hundred years ago ten large stone angels were placed on eachside of the long bridge, and another angel was put high on top of theround castle. Since then Hadrian's Tomb is often called theCastle of the Holy Angels, and the bridge is called the Bridge of theHoly Angels.
_The Bridge of the Holy Angels_]
As Molly and May drove slowly across this fine old bridge between thetwo rows of angels, they felt very small and very young indeed.
"I wonder if any of the bridges in America will last eighteen hundredyears," Molly said thoughtfully. "And what do you suppose the boys andgirls were like in those days?"
"I believe they were very much like the Roman children to-day," saidher father. "And I am sure those old Roman men must have beenvery wise to build such fine bridges as this one. In a few moments weshall see the largest church in all the world."
"Why, I thought the largest buildings were all in America," said May.
"The largest and tallest business buildings are there," said herfather, "but not the largest churches. Half a dozen of the bigchurches in New York City could be set down right inside the Cathedralof St. Peter's, and forty thousand people can walk about in theCathedral and not be crowded at all."
"Oh, dear! We shall get lost in such a big place!" exclaimed May.
But when they were once inside the great cathedral, it did not seem solarge as they had expected. Not until they had walked around one ofthe great pillars which support the high dome did they realize howvery, very large the cathedral was. They had to take as many steps inwalking around that one pillar as they would have taken in walkingaround their own home in America. And there were four of thesegreat pillars, besides many smaller ones. On some of the pillars therewere marble figures of babies as large as men, and figures of men aslarge as giants, while each of the many chapels along the two sides ofthe cathedral were the size of small churches.
"Is this great church named for St. Peter whom we read about in theBible?" asked Molly.
"Yes," answered her father. "And he is supposed to be buried underthis beautiful altar. See, there is an old bronze statue of him on theside of that pillar."
"And look! A woman is lifting up her baby to kiss the foot of thestatue!" exclaimed May. "Why is she doing that, father?"
"She wants to show her honor and love for St. Peter. And she wants toteach her child to honor him, too," said her father. "One of the greatbronze toes is nearly worn away, so many people have kissed it. Noware you ready to do something almo
st as hard as climbing a mountain?"
"Of course we are! We are ready for anything. What is it, father?"
"Follow me and you will soon find out."
Then they all passed through a small door on one side of the greatchurch and began to go up some broad, winding stairs. They climbed upand up and up, until it seemed as if they could not climb any higher.
"Would you rather have come up these stairs on a donkey?" asked theirfather at last.
"Oh, dear! I don't know," said Molly, laughing. "I guess the Capridonkeys could come up here all right, but I think I'd rather be on myown feet. A donkey might get tired and lie down, or turn around and goback."
"Well, here is a resting place for us," said her father. "We haveclimbed as far as the base of the great dome. We can walk around thegallery now and look down into the church where we stood only a littlewhile ago."
"How tiny the people look 'way down there! And how high the great domestill is above us!" exclaimed May.
"It is more than two hundred feet from this gallery to the top of thedome," said her father. "Shall we climb up there?"
_He carried his little girls by turns_]
"Yes, indeed!" said Molly, who had courage for anything.
Their father did not want the little legs to grow too tired with thelong climb, so he carried his two little Sunbonnet Babies by turns upthe last part of the steep, winding stairs, until they stood on asmall open gallery above the great dome.
The whole city of Rome lay spread out before them like a great map.They could see the new city with its fine buildings, and the oldercity with its narrow streets and crowded houses, and the stillolder, dead city, which had lain buried many centuries and now lookedvery much like old Pompeii.
_The whole city of Rome lay spread out before them_]
There was the river Tiber with its muddy water flowing lazily alongbetween the crowded houses. And not far away was the Tomb of Hadrianand the handsome Bridge of the Holy Angels. Their father pointed outparts of the ancient stone wall which once surrounded the whole of oldRome, and St. Paul's Gate, through which Maria said they mustdrive in going to visit her father's farm.
Beyond the old city wall they could see miles and miles of level farmsand pastures, and away in the distance rose a line of dark mountainsagainst a blue sky. It was a big and wonderful view, but Molly and Maysoon became more interested in what they saw on the great, flat roofof the cathedral just below them.
"It looks like a little village down there," said May. "Is it reallythe roof of the cathedral?"
"It really is," answered her father. "Those men are busy repairingdifferent parts of the cathedral and the great palace buildings. Theysay there are eleven hundred rooms in that palace. There are artgalleries and museums and chapels in it, and it is also the home ofthe Pope, who is the head of the Catholic Church. We must visit theart galleries some day. There are many beautiful things in them."
"Look, father!" cried May at last. "How dark the sky is growing! It isgoing to rain."
"I am afraid it is," said her father. "We must leave this hilltop andhurry to our hotel."
A few moments later they were out on the beautiful piazza in front ofthe cathedral. It had already begun to sprinkle, but they found acarriage and driver waiting to take them wherever they wanted to go.
"I am sure it will rain hard before we can reach the hotel," saidtheir mother. "How would you like to drive to a restaurant near by andhave one of our nice tea parties?"
"Oh, we should love it!" exclaimed Molly and May. "It is hungry workto climb so high."
After a tea party of hot chocolate and bread and butter, they wererested once more. The shower had passed, and they had a wonderful timebuying Roman beads and sashes and hair ribbons in the gay little shopsalong the busy street.
The Story of the Twins]