“One lifetime is not enough for Rome,” the famous saying goes, and anyone who’s ever been there knows these words to be true. In City of the Soul, William Murray begins to show us why.

Growing up in Rome and spending much of his life in the city, William Murray is an expert guide as he takes us on an intimate walking tour of some of Rome’s most glorious achievements, illuminating the history and the mythology that define the city. Murray leads us through the centro, the city’s historic downtown center. He writes about the Villa Borghese, the Piazza di Spagna, and the Trevi Fountain and describes such singular attractions as the Capuchin Church of Santa Maria della Concezione, whose macabre crypt has impressed visitors from Mark Twain to the Marquis de Sade.

As he walks, he reveals stories that only a longtime resident would know, capturing the sights, sounds, and flavors that make Rome a combination of the deep past and the ever-sensual present.

Murray offers an informal and personal reflection upon Rome, a place that holds an enduring fascination for the world. As he walks, Murray reveals the stories that only a resident would know about the city's artistic, architectural, and historic treasures.

The famous line tells us that "one lifetime is not enough for Rome. In City of the Soul, William Murray begins to show us why. Murray was raised in Rome and has spent much of his life there, first as an opera singer and then as a journalist and author. In City of the Soul, he offers an informal and personal reflection upon a place that holds an enduring fascination for the world.

Murray takes us to the Villa Borghese, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, and the Trevi fountain, as well as such singular attractions as the Capuchin Church of Santa Maria della Concezione, whose macabre crypt has impressed visitors from Mark Twain to the Marquis de Sade. As he walks, Murray reveals the stories that only a longtime resident would know about the city's artistic, architectural, and historic treasures. On every page, he captures the sights, sounds, and tastes that make Rome a unique combination of the deep past and the sensual present.

William Murray is the author of more than twenty books, including Italy: The Fatal Gift and The Last Italian. A staff writer for The New Yorker for more than thirty years, he wrote many of the “Letters from Italy” and has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, The Nation, Playboy, and Esquire. He lives in Del Mar, California.