CHAPTER X. 
OF THE FIRS CALLED SUPERNAS AND INFERNAS, 
AND OF THE APENNINES. 
THE Apennines begin from the Tyrrhene Sea, extending 
to the Alps on one side, and the borders of Tuscany on 
the other ; and their summits spreading in the shape of a 
bow, almost touch the shores of the Adriatic in the cen¬ 
tre of their range, which ends near the Straits of Sicily. 
The hither side of them towards Tuscany and Campania, 
is in point of climate extremely mild, being continually 
warmed by the sun's rays. The further side, which lies to¬ 
wards the upper sea, is exposed to the north, and is enclosed 
by thick and gloomy shadow. The trees, therefore, 
which grow in that part being nourished by continual 
moisture, not only grow to a great size, but their fibres 
being too much saturated with it, swell out considerably. 
When hewn, therefore, and squared, and deprived of 
their natural vegetation, they change in drying the hard- 
ness of the grain, and become weak and apt to decay, on 
account of the openness of their pores. They are, there¬ 
fore, of little durability in buildings. On the contrary, 
those which grow on the side opposite to the sun, not 
being so porous, harden in drying, because the sun draws 
the moisture from trees no less than from the earth. 
Hence, those which grow in open sunny places, are more 
solid, on account of the closeness of their pores, and 
when squared for use, are exceedingly lasting. The fir, 
which goes by the name of Infernas, brought from the 
warm open parts, is therefore preferable to the sort called