considerable height. Quaint, or even ugly, as some might call it, it
was to me an object of peculiar interest. Its water is of the purest
and sweetest; and in the stillness of the hot noon its bright sparkle
and dreamy murmur were delightfully refreshing. No city in the world
is so abundantly supplied with water as Rome. You hear the lulling
sound and see the bright gleam of water in almost every square. A
river falls in a series of sparkling cascades from the Fountain of
Trevi and the Fontana Paolina into deep, immense basins; and even into
the marble sarcophagi of ancient kings, with their gracefully
sculptured sides, telling some story of Arcadian times, whose nymphs
and naiads are in beautiful harmony with the rustic murmur of the
stream, is falling a gush of living water in many a palace courtyard.
This sound of many waters is, indeed, a luxury in such a climate; and
some of the pleasantest moments are those in which the visitor lingers
beside one of the fountains, when the blaze and bustle of the day are
over, and the balmy softness of the evening produce a dreamy mood, to
which the music of the waters is irresistibly fascinating.

The most distinguishing feature of the Piazza di Spagna is the wide
staircase which leads up from one side of it to the church of the
Trinita dei Monti, with its twin towers, through whose belfry arches
the blue sky appears. This lofty staircase comprises one hundred and
thirty steps, and the ascent is so gradual, and the landing-places so
broad and commodious, that it is quite a pleasure, even for the most
infirm persons, to mount it. The travertine of which it is composed is
polished into the smoothness of marble by constant use. It is the
favourite haunt of all the painters' models; and there one meets at
certain hours of the day with beautiful peasant girls from the
neighbouring mountains, in the picturesque costumes of the contadini,
and old men with grizzled beards and locks, dressed in ragged cloaks,