II.
THE MOUNTAIN VILLA--LAGO DI COMO (Continued).
113. Having considered the propriety of the approach, it remains for us
to investigate the nature of the feelings excited by the villas of the
Lago di Como in particular, and of Italy in general.
We mentioned that the bases of the mountains bordering the Lake of Como
were chiefly composed of black marble; black, at least, when polished,
and very dark gray in its general effect. This is very finely stratified
in beds varying in thickness from an inch to two or three feet; and
these beds, taken of a medium thickness, form flat slabs, easily broken
into rectangular fragments, which, being excessively compact in their
grain, are admirably adapted for a building material. There is a little
pale limestone[17] among the hills to the south; but this marble, or
primitive limestone (for it is not highly crystalline), is not only more
easy of access, but a more durable stone. Of this, consequently, almost
all the buildings on the lake shore are built; and, therefore, were
their material unconcealed, would be of a dark monotonous and melancholy
gray tint, equally uninteresting to the eye, and depressing to the mind.
To prevent this result, they are covered with different compositions,
sometimes white, more frequently cream-colored, and of varying depth;
the moldings and pilasters being frequently of deeper tones than the
walls.
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