Really this was almost as charming to look at near at hand as it had been from far away.

Of course the whole thing was crude in detail.
Rough, half-shaped blocks of marble from the neighbouring quarry had been built into walls and columns.

Nothing was finished, and considered bit by bit all was coarse and ugly.

Yet the general effect was beautiful because it was an effect of design, the picture of an artist who did not fully understand the technicalities of painting, the work of a great writer who had as yet no proper skill in words.

Never did I see a small building that struck me more.