‘Levi was a consummate listener, as his book often beguilingly demonstrates…[and] like all good writers, is quirky and idiosyncratic, and pounces on… curious details.’ Sunday Times‘the stirring story of an incomparable era’ Times Literary Review‘characteristic elegance and insight,…a tribute to the history, [and] spirit of one of Europe’s most remarkable cities.’ London Review of Books‘this collection of beautifully-fashioned essays spans the post-war and dolce vita years in the “eternal city”.’ Choice MagazineIn this complex love affair with Rome, Carlo Levi explores the streets of a city at once fleeting and eternal, noble and plebeian, a city of dreams and illusions. Through the daily bustle of Rome’s street traders, housewives and students, the children at the little theatre of Pulcinella, the men in the street cafés and the exuberant festivities, Levi magnificently brings to life Rome in the Dolce Vita era.