Huck can't seem to shake the king and the duke and soon discovers the king has sold Jim to a farmer . He must decide what to do about it. Should he write back to Miss Watson, Jim's owner, or try and steal him back again.

This is a particularly long chapter covering several interesting topics. Twain begins by discussing the phenomena of discovery, giving several examples throughout history, and saying it confers the greatest of pleasures. He then provides a portrait of America through the ideas of an invented modern Roman. Twain then takes us on a visit to St Peters Cathedral. He is nearly over whelmed by it's size. He follows this with a discussion of the difference between Roman "barbarians" who threw Christians to the lions versus the enlightened Christians and their Inquisition.

This chapter is not so much about a location in Italy but about the extremes of "magnificence and misery" found here. He is particularly critical of Florence and the Medici family. And, again he criticizes to "old masters". "... but I keep on protesting against the groveling spirit that could persuade those masters to prostitute their noble talents to the adulation of such monsters as the French, Venetian and Florentine Princes of two and three hundred years ago, all the same.

Mark Twain travels through Bolognia, Pistoia, and into Florence. Because of the fatigue from the journey as well as the distain he feels for Florence's treatment of Galileo and Dante, he does not speak highly of Florence. Apparently, some years in the future he does change his mind about the place as he chooses to live there for some time, at least circa 1902. He writes of the mosaics and the maltreatment received by the artists, or "pensioners". He then travels to Pisa and climbs the Leaning Tower. Twain writes of the "old original patriarchal Pendulum--the Abraham Pendulum of the world".

In this chapter we learn more about Venice, it's gondolas and it's art, "The Old Masters" and that of the Renaissance. Twain weighs in as an art critique. One area of particular interest to me is his revisiting the characteristics of what might be called the "Ugly American". "It is not pleasant to see an American thrusting his nationality forward obtrusively in a foreign land, but Oh, it is pitiable to see him making of himself a thing that is neither male nor female, neither fish, flesh, nor fowl--a poor, miserable, hermaphrodite Frenchman!"

Much like chapter 11, where we visit the dungeons of France, here we visit the chambers of the Council of Three and the Bridge of Sighs. Twain is not timid about demonstrating man's inhumanity to man. Again Mark Twain is disappointed to learn his preconceived ideas of Venice are not realized. Nighttime, however, returns some of the glamour he expected.

Twain travels from Lake Como to Venice. Along the way he hears the Legend of Count Luigi and his evil brother Leonardo. This is a live recording converted into a slide show with the open source program Imagination.

Twain travels from Milan to Lake Como. He stays in the small town of Bellagio, once the site of a Roman resort. He waxes poetic over the differences between Lake Tahoe and Lake Como but his bigotry in regards to Native Americans spoils the show. Included on this page is a copy of Letter 8 of Twain's offerings to the Daily Alta California, dated September 22, 1867. It was written in July of 1867. Most of the letter applies to this chapter but the paragraphs on The Last Supper were used in chapter 19.

An exploration of the art in Milan, Di Vinci, Michelangelo, etc. We also get a peek at Lucretia Borgia and Petrarch's Laura. The chapter contains Twain's reflections on Di Vinci's The Last Supper and comments on how the image is described by viewers. How is it possible to perceive the many nuances said to be found in the painting when it is in such a degraded condition.

The Last Supper was described by Twain in Letter number 8 to The Daily Alta California. This is only a small portion of the letter. I expect to include a copy of the letter with the Chapter 20 material.