The insides of the grottoes, however, when not cut in the rock
itself, are left uncovered, thus forming a strong contrast with the
whiteness outside; giving great depth, and permitting weeds and flowers
to root themselves on the roughnesses, and rock streams to distill
through the fissures of the dark stones; while all parts of the building
to which the eye is drawn, by their form or details (except the capitals
of the pilasters), such as the urns, the statues, the steps, or
balustrades, are executed in very fine white marble, generally from the
quarries of Carrara, which supply quantities of fragments of the finest
quality, which nevertheless, owing to their want of size, or to the
presence of conspicuous veins, are unavailable for the higher purposes
of sculpture.
[Footnote 17: Pale limestone, with dolomite. A coarse dolomite forms the
mass of mountains on the east of Lake Lecco, Monte Campione, etc., and
part of the other side, as well as the Monte del Novo, above Cadenabbia;
but the bases of the hills, along the _shore_ of the Lake of Lecco, and
all the mountains on both sides of the lower limb of Como are black
limestone. The whole northern half of the lake is bordered by gneiss or
mica slate, with tertiary deposit where torrents enter it. So that the
dolomite is only obtainable by ascending the hills, and incurring
considerable expense of carriage; while the rocks of the shore split
into blocks of their own accord, and are otherwise an excellent
material.
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