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CHAPTER VII.

VILLA CARUSSO—FIRST DETERMINATIONS MADE OF WAVE-PATH'S EMERGENCE—PERTOSA—SOUNDS HEARD.




The Villa Carusso is a large proprietor's house, visible from Auletta summit, at a distance of about 1 1/2 mile in a right line; and seeing by the glass that it was a strong well-built house and nearly cardinal, I resolved to examine it. It is in general plan a parallelogram, with four towers at the angles, and a projecting sort of porch over the front and rear entrances.

Its longest axial line is 110° E. of N. The western end is probably 400 years old, part of an ancient semi-fortified château, and the towers here are of decayed and very inferior masonry. The remainder is modern, and of tolerably good uncoursed rubble limestone masonry, the stones not above 10 to 15 inches average bed, with dressed ashlar window and door jambs, and some Italian brickwork in the arcades over the south entrance. (See Figs. 139, 140, 141, and Photog. No. 137 bis, Part I.)

The wails at the west end appear to be about 2 feet 9 inches in thickness at about 10 feet from the bases, as I found by climbing up to one of the window apertures, that shown in Fig. 141, north elevation of the tower, V, Fig. 139.