As the Romans Do: An American Family's Italian Odyssey

A Must Read for Italophiles

If you have ever wanted to visit Rome, have visited Rome, or harbor a romantic notion of moving there to escape the "rat-race", you simply must read this book. There were times I literally laughed out loud, and other times where I ran to fetch a pen so I could underline a passage I knew I'd want to refer to later. Mr. Epstein admits Rome's faults (the crowds! the traffic! and why does everything take so long?!) but he also does a phenomenal job of highlighting Rome's many charms and delights. His references to places in and around Rome could serve well as a brief itinerary. It was a fun and easy read. I truly enjoyed this book and I know it's one I will read again and again. I only wish Mr. Epstein had included a bibliography or a list of recommended reading. I'm always on the look out for all things Italian!

As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City

How Eternal City got to be that way AN EXPATRIATE AMERICAN WRITES LOVINGLY OF LIFE IN ROME AND OF ITS RESIDENTS. IT IS ESSENTIAL READING FOR VISITORS Just in time for the Jubilee 2000 celebration in Rome comes As the Romans Do (William Morrow; $20), an insightful look at life in contemporary Rome. With more than a little humor sprinkled through this cultural survey, author Alan Epstein weaves in the 3,000 years of history that informs today's Eternal City. Epstein, an American with a doctorate in European history, allowed Rome to seduce him on his first visit in 1975. On subsequent visits, his ardor grew stronger and, 20 years after that first visit, he, his wife and their two sons shifted into expat mode and moved there. Rome, he writes in his introduction, has been around so long, has been ruler of the known (to Romans, at any rate) world and a mere observer, and has accumulated so much experience over the millennia that 'all it wants to do is exist in eternity according to the wisdom of what it has learned.' For the Romans of 2000, 'the lessons are obvious. Life is to be lived passionately, excessively, publicly - in bars, restaurants, streets and piazzas - applying charm and style mixed with a healthy respect for tradition.' And for the next 284 pages, Epstein tells us with charm and style - and a healthy respect for tradition - what makes the city and, most particularly, its people so attractive, so frustrating, so perplexing, and often so difficult to leave. He delves into virtually every aspect of Roman culture, explaining through examples and anecdotes and the wisdom he has gained from 25 years of observation. For example, take the Roman male. To the uninitiated, he may seem proud, arrogant, worldly, at ease with himself in every situation. But as Epstein learned from female Roman friends, he is also thin-skinned, easily hurt when criticized, particularly by women - his wife, his lover, his mother. Especially his mother. There may be a lot of macho in his confident strolling down the Via Veneto, but lurking under those $1,200 worth of Armani threads is the soul of a mama's boy. Rome remains the capital of la dolce vita, the sweet life, even if it is not quite as excessive as portrayed in the Fellini film of the same name. Romans, according to Epstein, live in the moment more than almost anyone on Earth. Dues are to be paid at some vague future date, perhaps long after a Roman draws the final breath. That explains why, for example, they smoke - almost everyone, almost everywhere. And why they lie for hours in the sun, defying cancer-causing rays, to get that perfect tan. It also explains their attitude toward sex. 'It is no more - or less - than a pleasurable fact of life, like eating and sleeping and talking and walking and reading a magazine,' Epstein writes. 'Romans do not fall in love any more or less than other people, but they do have more sex, and they are more likely to engage in indiscriminate sex - without either guilt or contraception - than their non-Latin counterparts.' Whether discoursing on the excellent cuisine or the historical foundations of the predominant habits and niceties of civil intercourse, Epstein captures the heady atmosphere of Rome so completely as to make this book essential for anyone who would understand the city before heading there.

As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City

'Italy's unique character has never been epitomized more tantalizingly than in Alan Epstein's engaging book, As the Romans Do . For starters, Alan is a completely wonderful story teller. Period. And, the strange, comical, moving, and enigmatic situations he and his family found themselves in are rich material for his skill. I loved this book because it helped me to understand exactly why I find Italy so enchanting. If you are an Italophile, don't miss this book under any circumstances; you will adore it. And if you aren't,you will be after you immerse yourself in the delightful and delicious world created by these pages.

As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City

'The sparkling intelligence with which Alan Epstein manages to celebrate both the virtues and vices of the Romans is much like Luigi Barzini's The Italians, which still makes a good read today, decades after it was written. This is due in part to the timelessness of the issues he brought up and I think it is very much in this vein that Epstein muses about Rome, providing anecdote and historical reference as living drama. Like Tim Parks's Verona based book, An Italian Education, its gentle humour makes it easy to read, and its erudition manages to bring the reader into the vivid, colorful epidsodes. The best thing that can be said is that, though one doesn't have to love Rome or the Romans in order to enjoy reading Epstein's, As the Romans Do, one may be sorely tempted to pick up a tip or two from a people who gave us the ultimate tribute when it came to presenting credentials: 'Civis Romanus Sum,' 'I am a Roman Citizen'.

Delightful stroll through the Eternal City

Ideal for anyone who has ever been to Rome or who has ever dreamed of going to Rome. It is told from the point of view of a man who truly loves the city and who can overlook its shortcomings. His descriptions of life in Rome evoke not just memories of the physical surroundings but also of the people and the mood of the city.

As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City

'Alan Epstein has had an ongoing love affair with Italy. It started long ago when he was younger, and has never waned. This transplanted San Franciscan, in his new volume As the Romans Do, describes his non-fictional odyssey - the history, the culture, how Rome has invaded his very soul with an intense and romantic fervor. Whether on his weekly jog through the centro storico, his discovery of some of the city's hidden treasures, his confrontations with the Roman way of doing business, how his family has adapted to this different lifestyle, you sense his infectious enthusiasm, his passion and joy of just being there. It makes you want to book the next flight to Rome

As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City

'As the Romans Do is a must read for anyone who enjoys anything Italian. It was entertaining, insightful, and very informative. If you liked Mayle or Mayes, you will love Epstein. I plan to give it as a gift to all my friends

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