The big opera house at Florence commences its
season quite late in the autumn. There is another
smaller opera house, the Verdi, which is generally
open when the big opera house is closed ; there is a
comedy theatre, and there is the big Politeama, which
must have been built originally as a circus, but which
has a proscenium which occupies one of its eight
sides. When comedies or operas are played there,
chairs occupy what is in circus times the ring, and
people move about with a good deal more freedom
than they do in an ordinary theatre. The prices are
cheap, but the performances are often very good. It
is, however, a temple of the winds, and in cold
weather it is well to keep on one’s greatcoat when
going there. The Alhambra, in the Piazza Beccaria, is
the old-established V ariety Theatre ; but it has a rival in
the Apollo, which is a much newer building. The
Apollo is in a narrow little alley leading out of a little
square, and it has its gas signs and its ticket office in
the square. It is about half the size of the London
Tivoli, and is prettily decorated in pink and gold, with
plaques on the ceiling of ladies on horseback jumping
over tigers, of Chinamen and guinea-pigs turning
head over heels, and of other such-like subjects. I
was present on the opening night of this hall, and
there were in the stalls, amongst other very respectable
people, officers of the garrison in uniform and their
wives and daughters. The audience in the gallery,
who I should think generally consisted of students,
had come on that particular night with the intention
of making as much noise as they could. The first
25 B The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
three “ turns ” were contributed by damsels who had
no voice to speak of, and who as a compensation wore
no garments worth mentioning. They came on
smiling, and the audience in the gallery received them
as old friends. Their first songs were allowed to pass,
except that now and again some one in the gallery
would help them with a high note, but the audience
thought their second songs were superfluous. A very
small puppy, a human one of course, up in the gallery,
always gave the signal for the commencement of the
noise by a very shrill howl, and then a cock crew
and a big dog barked, and a donkey began to bray,
and the damsels, smiling and not in the least dis-
turbed, finished their songs in dumb show. But when
the management brought out its good “ turns,” the
gallery recovered its manners and became enthusiastic.
A woman with a very good voice sang some operatic
airs ; there was a comic man and an impudent little
Frenchwoman dressed as a baby, and an imitator of
the chief Italian actors of the day, who was the most
popular of all the people appearing.
FlESOLX
There are various little restaurants in Fiesoli, each
of which depends more on the views from its windows
and terrace than on its cookery. The first place of
refreshment to catch one’s eye on arriving is the Res-
taurant Brioschi, and this, if one can obtain one of the
two tables which are set on the little terrace, is
perhaps the best place at which to lunch. The
dining-room is comparatively airy, for it has windows
in front and behind, and from the terrace the view
over the country to Florence is a beautiful one.
Italy
259
Pisa
Page 142
Presented as published in 1903. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The big opera house at Florence commences its season quite late in the autumn. There is another smaller opera house, the Verdi, which is generally open when the big opera house is closed ; there is a comedy theatre, and there is the big Politeama, which must have been built originally as a circus, but which has a proscenium which occupies one of its eight sides. When comedies or operas are played there, chairs occupy what is in circus times the ring, and people move about with a good deal more freedom than they do in an ordinary theatre. The prices are cheap, but the performances are often very good. It is, however, a temple of the winds, and in cold weather it is well to keep on one’s greatcoat when going there. The Alhambra, in the Piazza Beccaria, is the old-established Variety Theatre ; but it has a rival in the Apollo, which is a much newer building. The Apollo is in a narrow little alley leading out of a little square, and it has its gas signs and its ticket office in the square. It is about half the size of the London Tivoli, and is prettily decorated in pink and gold, with plaques on the ceiling of ladies on horseback jumping over tigers, of Chinamen and guinea-pigs turning head over heels, and of other such-like subjects. I was present on the opening night of this hall, and there were in the stalls, amongst other very respectable people, officers of the garrison in uniform and their wives and daughters. The audience in the gallery, who I should think generally consisted of students, had come on that particular night with the intention of making as much noise as they could. The first
25 B The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
three “ turns ” were contributed by damsels who had no voice to speak of, and who as a compensation wore no garments worth mentioning. They came on smiling, and the audience in the gallery received them as old friends. Their first songs were allowed to pass, except that now and again some one in the gallery would help them with a high note, but the audience thought their second songs were superfluous. A very small puppy, a human one of course, up in the gallery, always gave the signal for the commencement of the noise by a very shrill howl, and then a cock crew and a big dog barked, and a donkey began to bray, and the damsels, smiling and not in the least disturbed, finished their songs in dumb show. But when the management brought out its good “ turns,” the gallery recovered its manners and became enthusiastic. A woman with a very good voice sang some operatic airs ; there was a comic man and an impudent little Frenchwoman dressed as a baby, and an imitator of the chief Italian actors of the day, who was the most popular of all the people appearing.
FIESOLI
There are various little restaurants in Fiesoli, each of which depends more on the views from its windows and terrace than on its cookery. The first place of refreshment to catch one’s eye on arriving is the Restaurant Brioschi, and this, if one can obtain one of the two tables which are set on the little terrace, is perhaps the best place at which to lunch. The dining-room is comparatively airy, for it has windows in front and behind, and from the terrace the view over the country to Florence is a beautiful one.
Italy
Pisa