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

Alan Epstein's As the Romas Do is a terrific book for a reader interested in Rome, since As the Romans Do makes accurate observations concerning the quirks and personalities of the citizens, streets, bars and traffic of Rome. Epstein has the skill to write clearly about observations we all make, such as: Rome has more "beauty, sensuality and creativity" than most other cities (p. 4); to visit Rome is to be surrounded by "Bernini, Borromini, and Brmanete" along with "Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio" (p. 33); and Rome is a city of "anarchy", always was and always will be, "that nevertheless functions" (p. 54). I agree with Mr. Epstein that "St. Peter's is the grandest, most majestic building in Rome and perhaps in the world" (p. 60). Cardinal Ratzinger used to take daily walks around St. Peter's and I wonder if he does so now that he is the pope. Epstein's comparisons between Americans and Romans are insightful. He writes that "Americans devote energy to the accumulation and management of money" while the Romans "devote energy to looking well, eating well, [and] loving well" (p. 67). I miss Rome and Mr. Epstein reminds me why. It is so true that Roman people are funny. They prefer the activity of ironing to using a dryer (p. 151), detest dishwashers, hate to give out change from the cash registers at the stores (p. 68), and the Romans "cannot decorate a Christmas tree to save their lives" (p. 145). The scene of the humorous interactions in chapter 1 that take place in Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice is worth the price of the book alone. And Esptein reveals some of the secrets on how Roman ladies stay so beautiful up to the age of 80 in several chapters (pp. 9, 75, 76, and 131). I notice that several reviews here are negative which is curious since Epstein's book on Rome is one of many wonderful books that help the reader appreciate the ancient city. My hunch is that the negative reviewers are probably people who love Rome and are upset that they did write a book about their views of Rome. Because Epstein is a Jew (p. 17) he misses some of the finer points of Catholic Rome, such as a lack of appreciation of the universities in Rome. The University of Rome has 40,000 students and there are 10 other universities in town. Thus, to say that Rome has "very little here in the way of new thinking" (p. 184) is an honest mistake. As the Romans Do is a delightful book that plan to read and re-read regularly since I miss Rome and appreciate Esptein's ability to highlight the uniqueness of the Eternal City.

I actually got 2 great reads out of this book...before and after my semester in Rome. It's has chapters on lots of important aspects to life in Rome as seen through the eyes of an American. And although he paints a lively and beautiful picture of Rome and her people he doesn't fail to include the reality of things...the inefficiency, some of the challenges of everyday life in Rome, etc. I especially enjoyed it because it is snippets of all sorts of topics so that the reader never becomes too bored with one area of Roman life. He isn't pretentious and he really seems to want to inform his readers about Rome, interspersing his writing with Italian words that really are much more beautiful than their English counterparts. It's a great read for before AND after a trip. The first read found me curious to experience life in Rome myself and the second read found me chuckling to myself about the truth of his observations. Great for anyone who wants to reminisce about their time in bella Roma!

Alan Epstein takes you in his book on a wonderful and enchanting journey to The Eternal City of Rome. I can relate to Alan and his family. I was in Rome in 1999 and fell deeply in love with this wonderful city and the infatuation hasnt left me ever since.This book is one of the finest about Rome. Alan takes you into the heart of what daily ecnounters are like in Rome. Among the people, the beautiful style of the women of Rome, how the bambini are cherished in Rome, and most of all the wonderful food of this magnificant country. Beware once you read As The Romans Do you will be quickly taken and find yourself rather quickly booking yourself a round way ticket to Rome. Great job Alan! This is for sure my favorite book on my favorite place of Rome. A great tribute to the Eternal City!

It`s just whatever you need to know about modern Italy and its inhabitants. By the wideness of the topics and the depth of their discussion the book can be comparable with Luigi Barzini`s classic - though, it`s written by a non-Italian. It`s not only descriptive but also funny - you will love the book!

I read this book having just moved to Rome myself. Epstein's observations about "La Citta Eterna" are accurate and entertaining. If you've ever visited Rome, every chapter will make you smile and nod: maybe you recognize the fierce loyalty of Romans for their soccer teams, or the way Roman women are always so perfectly put together, or perhaps you simply have an appreciation for an incredible city with a fantastic history. Epstein has nicely blended historical perspective with his own adventures. A pleasant read for those who enjoy all things Italian!