Identifier: heroinesofgenoa00stal (find matches)
Title: Heroines of Genoa and the Rivieras
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Staley, Edgcumbe, b. 1845
Subjects: Women -- Italy Genoa Genoa (Italy) -- History Riviera (Italy)
Publisher: London : T. W. Laurie
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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s and valleys, with all the dwellers in thecontado, gathered up their loins and sped alongto crowd still more suffocatingly the congestedcity bounds—there to gaze and gaze and wonderat the raree shows. Pageants, plays and func-tions — religious, amorous and warlike — wereenacted in every quarter and in every church.Fearful blushing maidens and bolder titledmatrons leaned out of gaily decorated ironbalconies or stood by heavily gated portals, onemoment to cross themselves as II Santissimo —the Sacred Host—was borne past in solemnpanoply : the next to toss scented kisses withred roses to gay cavaliers in return for theirsalutes. The busy women of the harbour, themarkets and the alleys shared their richersisters infatuation : every lass had her foreignlover as well as her jealously devoted GiovanniBattista, and everyone loved Christ the Son ofMary. As in the days of Genoas boyhood, hordes ofinvaders, ruthless then, made of the peacefulLigurian shore an arena of butchery and de-
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LA MARCHESA GIOVANNA CATTANEO. Anthony Vandyck. PALAZZO CATTANEO, GENOA. Christ and Cupid struction, and troop on troop of spoilers laid barethe smiling countryside ; so in the days of theTroubadours and Crusaders Love ravished themanhood and womanhood of Genoa. Hearts werebroken ruthlessly while those who broke themsailed out of the old port of Genoa to the blessedshores of Palestine. Benvenuto ! — Addio ! Welcome ! — Farewell! and Come backagain quite soon! were the greetings ofGenoese and their passing guests which flutteredwith the unfurling of the sails of the greatgalleys in the offing of the port. Each pilgrim,gay or serious, was pledged to wrest back forChrist His Holy Places, but the gay Troubadourof the armed hosts had to win by the way forhimself a blushing bride. Prince Cupid wassupreme. A very quaint tale, as old as the days of HolyJohn of Damascus, seems to give us a happyreason for the genesis and the escapades of PrinceCupid : A certain king had an only son, who,fo

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