Linked to my most recent editing: July of 1867, Mark Twain was in Italy as part of the Quaker City journey. He, and some companions, spent a couple of days in Milan and then departed by train for Lake Como, a very popular spot for today’s celebrities and other rich folk. The train took them from Milan to Como, a town at the southern end of Lake Como, then a steamer to Bellagio, where they were fumigated for cholera. “These miserable outcasts called that “fumigating” us, and the term was a tame one indeed. They fumigated us to guard themselves against the cholera, though we hailed from no infected port. We had left the cholera far behind us all the time. However, they must keep epidemics away somehow or other, and fumigation is cheaper than soap. They must either wash themselves or fumigate other people. Some of the lower classes had rather die than wash, but the fumigation of strangers causes them no pangs. They need no fumigation themselves. Their habits make it unnecessary. They carry their preventive with them; they sweat and fumigate all the day long. I trust I am a humble and a consistent Christian. I try to do what is right. I know it is my duty to “pray for them that despitefully use me;” and therefore, hard as it is, I shall still try to pray for these fumigating, maccaroni-stuffing organ- grinders.” Here is a link to a couple of pages from my twainsgeography site. Much of these pages include descriptions of the region from Karl Bædeker’s tour guide of Italy from 1870. I find it quite interesting to compare what Bædeker describes with what is found in these regions today – not to mention what Twain experienced. https://twainsgeography.com/content/bellagio-and-lake-como