What is Rome?

The passage “What is Rome?” below is from Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr.

I read a few pages of his book every few days.  It is like sitting down with a friend.

I am learning a lot from his experiences living in Rome with his wife and twins.

This was a book club selection for my Italian Book Club.*  Some loved this book.  Some found it boring.

Read reviews at Four Seasons in Rome….

“What is Rome? …

“It’s like America before coffee was “to go”, when a playground was a patch of gravel, some cigarette butts, and an uninspected swing set; when everybody smoked, when businesses in your neighborhood were owned by people in your neighborhood; when children still stood on the front seats of moving cars and spread their fingers scross the dash.

“It’s a health-care service that ensures assistance to both Italians and foreigners in…