# XXV explained — The Innocents Abroad

> Chapter companion for The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.

## What happens

The narrator critiques Italy's economic and religious state, observing the contrast between magnificent churches and widespread poverty. He discusses the government's seizure of church property to address bankruptcy, describes the luxurious railway depots and turnpikes, and recounts a journey to Civita Vecchia, where he encounters a lively friar and reflects on the squalor and backwardness of the Papal States.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religion and Hypocrisy

The narrator criticizes the Church's opulence amid poverty and the government's seizure of church property, highlighting hypocrisy in religious institutions.

### The Past vs. the Present

Italy's historical grandeur is contrasted with its current bankruptcy and squalor, as seen in the Duomo and the Medici mausoleum.

### Satire of Tourism

The narrator's observations of Italian poverty and church wealth, along with his humorous passport ordeal, satirize the tourist's perspective.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

The narrator observes and critiques Italy's economic and religious conditions, interacts with a friar, and undergoes a passport inspection at Civita Vecchia.

### Three Hundred Happy Priests

Mentioned as the comfortable priests employed in the Duomo of Florence.

### Those Pompeiians

Referenced indirectly in the context of Italy's historical and religious contrasts.

### The Old Travelers

Implied as part of the 'Pilgrims' who use the phrase 'knocked higher than Gilderoy's kite'.

## Key lines

> It is the wretchedest, princeliest land on earth.

Italy is both the most miserable and the most magnificent country in the world.

_The narrator encapsulates the stark contrast between Italy's wealth and poverty._

> They have a grand mausoleum in Florence, which they built to bury our Lord and Saviour and the Medici family in.

In Florence, they constructed a grand tomb intended for both Jesus Christ and the Medici family.

_The narrator criticizes the blasphemous combination of sacred and secular in the Medici mausoleum._

> This Civita Vecchia is the finest nest of dirt, vermin and ignorance we have found yet, except that African perdition they call Tangier, which is just like it.

Civita Vecchia is the worst place for filth, pests, and ignorance we have seen, except for Tangier in Africa, which is similar.

_The narrator expresses disdain for the squalor of Civita Vecchia, comparing it unfavorably to Tangier._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se/chapters/xxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se/chapters