Synopses & Reviews
Take a Roman holiday with some of the worlds greatest writers
Explore the Palatine with Elizabeth Bowen. Visit the temple of the Vestal Virgins with Georgina Masson. Analyze Michelangelos Moses with Sigmund Freud. Stroll through ancient streets with Goethe and with Henry James. Share Alice Steinbachs midnight epiphany on a shabby hotel balcony. Learn the art of love from Ovid. Visit villas and gardens with Edith Wharton. Enjoy Romes myriad moods and pleasures with Robert Browning, Eleanor Clark, Susan Vreeland, and many others.
An irresistible collection of writing about one of the worlds most beloved destinations, The Smiles of Rome spans the centuries from ancient times to the present day. Each essay resonates with the richness and turmoil of the past and overflows with a great wealth of fascinating facts and intriguing tidbits for todays avid readers and travelers.
“Rome,” writes Susan Cahill, “has the power to blow your mind and heart.” This delicious, many-layered collection honoring the city that is the heart and soul of European civilization has the same power to thrill.