we see S. Dominic himself in a friendly
embrace with S. Francis, a very beautiful group by either Luca or
Andrea della Robbia.

In the loggia cabmen now wrangle all day and all night. From it
S. Maria Novella is seen under the best conditions, always cheerful
and serene; while far behind the church is the huge Apennine where
most of the weather of Florence seems to be manufactured. In mid
April this year (1912) it still had its cap of snow.

CHAPTER XXII

The Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele to S. Trinita

A city of trams--The old market--Donatello's figure of Abundance--An
evening resort--A hall of variety--Florentines of to-day--The war
with Turkey--Homecoming heroes--Restaurants--The new market--The
bronze boar--A fifteenth century palace--Old Florentine life
reconstructed--Where changes are few--S. Trinita--Ghirlandaio
again--S. Francis--The Strozzi palace--Clarice de' Medici.

Florence is not simple to the stranger. Like all very old cities
built fortuitously it is difficult to learn: the points of the
compass are elusive; the streets are so narrow that the sky is no
constant guide; the names of the streets are often not there; the
policemen have no high standard of helpfulness. There are trams,
it is true--too many and too noisy, and too near the pavement--but
the names of their outward destinations, from the centre, too rarely
correspond to any point of interest that one is desiring. Hence one
has many embarrassments and even annoyances. Yet I daresay this is
best: an orderly Florence is unthinkable. Since, however, the trams
that are returning to the centre nearly all go to the Duomo, either
passing it or stopping there, the tram becomes one's best friend and
the Duomo one's starting point for most excursions.

Supposing ourselves to be there once more, let us quickly get through
the horrid necessity, which confronts one in all ancient Italian
cities, of seeing the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele. In an earlier chapter
we left the Baptistery and walked along the Via Calzaioli. Again
starting from the Baptistery let us take the Via dell' Arcivescovado,
which is parallel with the Via Calzaioli, on the right of it, and
again walk straight forward. We shall come almost at once to the
great modern square.

No Italian city or town is complete without a Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele
and a statue of that monarch. In Florence the sturdy king bestrides
his horse here. Italy being so old and Vittorio Emmanuele so new,
it foll