The Riviera Of Italy From Our Special Correspondent SAN REMO Snow has again fallen, this exceptional February, on the gloomy plains of Lombardy. All Northern Italy is still in the grip of a severe winter-all, with the exception of this privileged stretch of land, exposed to the south and sheltered by the mountains. At San Remo, Ospedaletti, and Bordighera the thermometer has never fallen, not even this year, below 44deg. F., and from the beginning of the winter up to now there have been only eight rainy days. Sunshine, warmth, and flowers every- where. The whole Italian Riviera is cultivated with flowers. They are its chief characteristic, its beauty, and its riches. No big companies are interested in this local industry, only small growers, none of whom owns more than four hectares of land. But what skilful care they take of their flowers ! What use they can make of even the smallest patch of soil ! How neat and symmetrical are the terraces they have cut into the mountains! The mimosa, for instance, blooms only in February, but because it is in great demand about Christmas time they force it to blossom almost two months in advance. They carry their large baskets of roses, carna- tions, and mimosa every morning to the market at San Remo, and every afternoon to Venti- miglia. These two markets provide a sight for visitors. In little more than an hour about 2,000 baskets are disposed of every day at both places. The most beautiful roses are now fetching 25 lire a hundred, and the mimosa 2 lire a kilogram. Unfortunatelv the Italian Riviera, which used to have a notable export trade to Germany, Switzer- land, Austria, and, by the Orient Express, even to Istanbul and Athens, is hard hit by the Customs duties everywhere. Consequently the value of the floral production, which a few years ago stood at 250,000,000 lire a year, is reduced to 150,000,000 lire. A great flower show was suc- cessfully held last year, and another, chiefly of ornamental and decorative plants, is being organized in San Remo for the coming April. A FAMOUS GARDEN The whQle region is. however, a permanent show in itself. The golden fruit of the orange trees ripens in the opcn air, sweet-scented roses and carnations set the gardens ablaze, wild flowers light the meadows, hills, and- valleys, tropical plants of all kinds, tall palm trees, aloes, agaves, are seen everywhere. The gardens are well known for their beauty, and surely there is no need to recall the most important of them all, the world-famed garden of exotic plants created 60 years ago at the Mlortola, close to the French frontier, by Sir Thomas Hanbury, whose name, even to-day, is revered as that of a great benefactor of the Riviera, and whose tradition is continued by his son, Mr. Cecil Hanbury, M.P. A visit to the garden, alone in its kind, on the slope of the hill in view of the bluest of seas, is always a delight. It. is so artis- tically laid out, so impressive for the contrast between its dark austere thickets and thc dazzling colours" of the flower beds. One wonders at the variety of fleshy plants-138 species of agave, 150 of aloe, 200 of cereus-at the marble fountains, the statues, and the ponds with their multi-coloured fish. The old Aurelia road, of whose marble pave- ment Sir Thomas Hanburv collected and pre- served specimens, leads to this garden. A tablet on a rustic Cottage recalls the great personages who once passed over it. from Pope Innocent IV. in 1251 to Napoleon in 1796. Now over the fine old road. which started from the Aurelia gate in Rome and extended to Arles, pass the motor- cars of all makes and all nations. Up to about three years ago it was in rather a bad state, but since 1930 it has become the most beautiful road it Italy and one of the most beautiful in Europe. Its asphalt surface is as smooth as a billiard table: bends were widened by cutting the rocks; all the bridges over the frequent torrenlts were recoristructed: walls at some points as high as 14 metres were built on the mountain side. Their tops are crowned with flowers, and tufts of geranium sprout from the crevices. In the bays left at intervals little gardens have been planted. A long parapet runs along the side nearest the sca. The panorania mingles loveliness and grandeur. Frequent are the valleys with deep, dark backgrounds; farmis and hamlets dot the hillsides; the small towns gently descent, as white as doves,towards thewaves of the Mediter- ranean. Over all play the light and shade, vivid colours and vague. It is a mistake to hurry along this road at high speed. To appreciate its beauties one must take it slowly, better in a carriage than in a motor-car, and even bettcr on foot than by carriage. MARATHON MEMORIES This, at least, is the advice Dorando Pietri invariably gives his English clients. Having left his native Carpi 15 years ago, Dorando now owns a garage in San Remo. Does anyone in England still remember the little hero of the 1909 Marathon'? If they do not, it would be a pity, because he remembers. The first thing he does on entering into cohversation is to take out a large pocket-book and display a photo- graph of the Stadium with Queen Alexandra in the act of offering him the gold cup which com- pensated him for his utlucky disqualification. He treasures this cup and the autograph of the late Queen so much that he considered it almost an insult when an Englishman recently offered to buy them. But the nunmber of English visitors has declined since the pound went off the gold standard. There were 3,317 in the 1931 season, and this year about 2,000. Bordighera, how- ever, is always English, just as Ospedaletti is always German. There English is spoken every- where: the Victorian Hall is a theatre for Eng- lish spectacles; the tennis club, the Unioh Club, the golf club (nine-hole course), and the Bichnell Museum for scientific lectures are British insti- tutions. And who does not know the Corso degli Inglesi in San Remo, the Sports Club and the bridge club ? San Remo, Botdighera, and Ospedaletti have English churches, and in all this part of the Rivieta the rhost beautiful villas belong to the English. he Mlunicipality of San Remo has lately done much to make the stay of visitors ever more attractive. A 15-minutes' drive takes the golfer to an 18-hole golf course in a lovely situation on heights varying from S30ft. to 1,160ft. above sea level, vith a wonderful view. The specialist who constructed this course managed to avoid leaving one bad hole in the whole length (5,300 yards). While the first hole is smooth and easy, the folloWibg ones present an ever-increasing proportibin of difficulties to be overcorne anid bunkers to be manoeuvred. The club house, overlooking the greens and the sweeping dip of the ground, is built partly of armoured cement and partly of rough-hewn stone in *a rustic style. It is stated that 6,000,000 lire have been spent lhere. A tennis club, with a fine view over the sea, is available a few minutes from the Corso Impera..i-ice; there are 16 courts on which i;t ernational tournaments are orgarnjed- Recently a big-sports ground wzt6added.to these attractions. Musi~ic, - literature, and ait lovers are lkewise; offered 'opportunities for enjoy- ment. The Municipal Casino of San Remo has been responsible-for many- interesting enterprises, chief among themn.being the "literary Mondays," instituted three years ago. Every Monday a poet, a scientist, or a politician lectures in the main-winter garden. -The names of Pirandello, Gentile, an& Paul.Valery will give an idea of the quality of these lectures. They were so successful that France- hastened to create a similar institution at Nice, the Centre Universitaire Mediterranee. * Every year, too, the Casino arranges in one of its two theatres an opera season Mascagni himself is coming to conduct his Iris and Giordano his Fedora. Every Tuesday orchestral concerts are given, and an excellent quartet plays . chamber music; from Beethoven to Malipiero, every Friday in the ridotto. A dramatic stock company, I dir&ted by Signora.-Marta Abba, presents Italian and foreign 'plays. The Casino offers four annual prizes-one for literature, another for historical and philosophical sciences, a third for drawing and music, and the fourth for physical sciences-of 50,000 lire each,. to be awarded by the Royal Academy of Italy. The season, which begins in December and reaches its height about Easter, is now in full swing and foreign visitors are arriv- ing from every part, particularly from ' poor Germany." But life at San Remo is not dear. On the whole Italian Riviera there is not one of- those very big hotels where the wealthy pay exclusive and pro- hibitive prices. But there are many first- class hotels with satisfying comfort and elegance at reasonable prices; *and good second-class hotels where the terms for full board are modest' Average prices rjin from- a daily maximum of 80-. lire to a minimum of 45 lire. Less preten- tious, but very comfortable, accommoda- tion can be had for as low as 30 fo 35 lire a day, inclusive of meals. The programme of forthcoming fetes and amusements includes masked balls, the battle of flowers, international golf and tennis tournaments, cycle and motor races. Yet the greatest attraction is always the exceptional climate, the pure blue of the sky and sea, the scenery. And there are visitors who prefer to the Corso Impera- trice and the smart shops,of the new-San Remo the little narrow lanes of the old city, with its time-worn houses joined by many arches, and the low porticoes which have something of -the East about them. Here is deep peace, though not so deep as can be found if one follows the paths which ascend the mountainside amid olive and orange groves. V Pictures on page 16. THE RIVIERA OF ITALY i GARDENS BY THE I SEA ALONG THE AURELIA ROAD