noon
The monkey leaped to Carlotta 's arm , snuggled down beside her , and quiet reigned once more . When the snores began again , the children had no courage for a second attempt , and morning found things as hopeless as ever . They were now descending the eastern slopes of the Apennines , and Beppo , remembering his geography , knew that they were getting farther and farther from Florence . At noon that day , as they were walking ahead of the van , they rounded a turn in the road , and came suddenly upon a view stretching far across the plains of eastern Italy to where the blue waters of the Adriatic lay sparkling in the sun . The landscape was dotted with villages , and far away in the blue distance they could see the spires and towers of a large coast town . Beppo 's spirits rose a little . `` See , '' he said to Beppina , `` we are coming out of the mountains into a region where there are many towns .