n an average, seventy-three days of rain, and one
of snow, between October and April. We remained there only two days, and
it rained almost incessantly during the whole time; the place looking
very miserable under the circumstances. However, the inhabitants
appeared quite used to it, and walked about unconcernedly enough, with
their _green_ umbrellas, evidencing at least some sunny days in the
past.

The busiest part of the town is the Lung 'Arno (Street along the Arno),
a broad, handsome quay extending down both banks of the river. The
houses here are very imposing; one, in particular, is fronted with
marble so exquisitely smooth and pure it might serve as a looking-glass.

Fortunately for visitors, most of the objects of interest are
concentrated in one spot--a large square some ten minutes' walk from our
hotel. The streets we passed through on our way thither were very
quaint, the overhanging shops and cloistered pavements reminding us much
of Chester. On the way we visited San Stefano di Cavalier, the church of
the Knights of the Order of St. Stephen, and were much interested in the
number of flags--Turkish trophies captured from the Moslem by the
valiant Knights Crusaders. There were also some beautiful ceiling
paintings of the battle of Lepanto, and other subjects.

On reaching the Piazza del Duomo, we found the four chief objects of
interest we had come to seek. Forsyth pithily observes, "Pisa, while the
capital of a republic, was celebrated for its profusion of marble, its
patrician tower, and its grave magnificence. It can still boast some
marble churches, a marble palace, and a marble bridge. Its towers,
though no longer a mark of nobility, may be traced in the walls of
modernized houses. Its gravity pervades every street, but its
magnificence is now confined to one sacred corner. There stands the
Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower, and the Campo Santo, all
built of the same white marble, all varieties of the same architecture,
all venerable with years, and fortunate both in their society and their
solitude."

The Cathedral is indeed very fine; the columns, arches, and carvings are
curiously beautiful. It was built by the Pisans after their great naval
victory in 1063, and is, I think, the finest specimen now existing of
the style called by the Italians the Gotico-Moresco. Baedeker says,
"This remarkably perfect edifice is constructed entirely of white
marble, with black and coloured ornamentatio