Traveller in Rome

H. V. Morton's evocative account of his days in 1950's Rome - the fabled era of La Dolce Vita - remains an indispensable guide to what makes the Eternal City eternal. In his characteristic anecdotal style, Morton leads the reader on a well-informed and delightful journey around the city, from the Fontana di Trevi and the Colosseum to the Vatican Gardens loud with exquisite birdsong. He also takes time to consider such eternal topics as the idiosyncrasies of Italian drivers as well as the ominous possibilities behind an unusual absence of pigeons in the Piazza di San Pietro. Much has been written about Rome's endlessly colorful past and present, but Morton's evocation of Rome and the many generations of Romans past and present is in a class by itself.