Leo told Lucille of the popular festivals at Rome, especially of the
Carnival that extends over several days, which consists of daily
processions in the Corso, accompanied by the throwing of bouquets and
comfits; the whole concluding with a horse race from the Piazza del
Popolo to Piazza di Venezia, upwards of a mile. On the last, or the
Moccoli evening, tapers are lighted immediately after sunset. Balconies
most suitable for observing these animated scenes are expensive, but
always in great demand, especially by tourists.
Colonel Harris took his family and Leo to an excellent hotel on the
Piazza de Popolo. The weather being uncomfortably warm, it was decided
to spend only a few days in the city, and go as soon as possible to the
country. Leo was very familiar with Rome, ancient and modern, and he
felt that weeks were absolutely necessary to study and comprehend the
grandeur of a city that for so many centuries had been mistress of the
world. He agreed with Niebuhr, "As the streams lose themselves in the
mightier ocean, so the history of the people once distributed along the
Mediterranean shores is absorbed in that of the mighty mistress of the
world."
Leo back again in Rome was in an ecstasy of joy.
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