by 
After reading this book, Rome sounds like an attractive and timeless city in which to live. In fact, it is THE city in which to spend your life because it has excellent food, vivacious people, and a culture that seems to endure no matter which turbulent period of history it is in. This book told the story (first person) of Alan Epstein and his move to Rome with his wife and two children. The extraordinary tidbit was that he left the United States, California to be precise, for a place in which the language, culture, and altogether everyday life were foreign to him. Americans often say they are enamored with Italy and her bucolic charms, but no one actually moves there to start life over in a different city. This book made me long to travel to Italy again and even live there for a few years. The first person narrative and the realistic spin the novel had on it hooked me in the from the beginning; this was an average family that decided to take the leap, not some famous and ridiculously wealthy movie star.
Sentence that Summarizes the Book:
Romans LOVE to eat, have steamy extramarital affairs, and embrace their sexuality—they cherish the slowness of life to point where they are always late for engagements.
Important Events and a Quick Summary:
The book started out with an amusing anecdote detailing the confrontation between an old Italian grandmother (anziane) and a feisty (and sexual) mother defending her ragazzos (young, mischievous boys). They drama, exasperated expressions, and loud plea for attention perfectly characterized the stereotypical view of Italians: loud and emotional. The author discussed his life-changing move from star-studded California to the heart of Rome, the 2,000 year old Eternal City. Epstein described many times his everlasting love for Rome, and the way she seduced him every day with her quirky charms and never-ending barrage of interesting interactions with the locals. He managed to take the Colosseum from its universal pedestal of fame, and tell the real stories of what happens in front of the giant, historic edifice: Africans selling worthless trinkets and hundreds of destination weddings per day. He described the glamorous parties he attended with his Roman friends (i.e. a party celebrating Verdi and the New Year) and the everyday conversations with colorful figures (i.e. the Professor). The meat that really made this book worth devouring was the description of the behaviors of the Romans. They dress to the nines, never want to show themselves as brutta figures (bad form), display their hearts on their sleeves, have sexually charged encounters, and try to protect their childrens’ innocence as long as possible even though the parents are never faithful to one another. They eat as if it were the last meal of their lives every day and never seem to be bothered by the fast pace of modern life that is infiltrating all the other European countries around them. They drink, but never in excess, and take their time observing and making beauty. I adored the parts when Epstein threw in snippets of Rome’s architecture and art: the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Michelangelo, Bernini, Fra Angelico, the Vatican, etc. One of the most vivid and peaceful sections of the chaotic book was when the author described his jogs through Rome on Sunday mornings. I felt like I was actually in Rome and running right beside him when he mentioned the Italian guards having a casual cigarettes, the Spanish Steps, Via San Vincenzo, Michelangelo’s Campidoglio, and countless other memorable features of Rome’s landscape. Overall, this book was a cross between a personal narrative and a travel guide, and I enjoyed every minute of it (especially since the author and I both have a strange fascination with Rome and Roman history).
Overall Message:
If you have truly found your niche in life and the place that makes your inner clock tick, don’t be afraid of moving there and ingratiating yourself into the culture. For the author, the hectic, historical, and beautiful Rome called him there. Rome is a place that never ceases to amaze the traveler and the resident. From being obsessed with Roma or Inter Milan to staying up past 12:00 p.m. with your children, Rome’s citizens are quite a different species of people (at least compared to structured Americans).
Verdict:
I give this book 8 because it perfectly described Rome and maintained the bubble of perfection/idealization that I have surrounded that city with. The author understood my attraction to Rome and perfectly articulated how I feel about the city of history and timelessness. However, sometimes the author was repetitive, used too many Italian words, and used too many vague inspirational/general words. Some paragraphs could have been deleted, but they did not detract from the whimsical and charismatic tone of the book.
Other Books by this Author?
Alan Epstein has only written this book (published in 2000), but he still gives tours of Rome. Find his information here.