A Room with a View

In Santa Croce with No Baedeker

Lucy Honeychurch awakens in her bright, bare room at the Pension Bertolini in Florence on her first morning there. The room features red tiles, a painted ceiling with pink griffins and blue amorini among musical instruments, and windows overlooking the Arno, hills, trees, and marble churches. Below her window, she observes the vibrant street life: workers on the riverbank, a mysteriously busy boat, and an electric tram packed with Italians who prefer standing to sitting. Soldiers march by with a band, and children try to cling to the back of the tram while the conductor spits at them to make them let go. Lucy becomes absorbed in these “trivialities,” forgetting her intention to study Giotto and the corruption of the Papacy. Miss Bartlett arrives to催促 her to hurry, and a conversation ensues about whether Lucy should venture out alone.

Morning Views and Street Activity in Florence

The morning scene in Florence captivates Lucy entirely. She watches from her window as various characters populate the street below: workers digging on the sandy foreshore of the Arno, an officer leading soldiers with their mangy-fur knapsacks, little boys performing somersaults in time with a band, and white bullocks emerging from an archway. An electric tram rushes underneath, its platforms overflowing with Italians who choose to stand rather than sit inside. The conductor keeps children from hanging on behind by spitting in their faces. The road becomes blocked by both the military procession and the bullocks, but an old man selling button-hooks helps clear the way. Lucy, like many travelers to Italy, finds herself slipping away into the beauty and vitality of ordinary scenes rather than pursuing her cultural studies.