As the Romans Do is a behind-the-scenes journey through present-day Rome. It goes beyond the familiar tourist attractions and shines a probing light on the often hidden corners of the city and its environs. As the Romans Do amplifies on any traveler's experience of Rome, as people, places, activities, customs, and the habits of the Romans are woven into the various episodes that comprise the deep impression that the city has made on this American writer and his family.

The interplay of the old and the new, the ancient and the modern, the expected and the startling, told with humor, insight and a fresh perspective, is the subject of As the Romans Do. The book highlights these characteristics as they are expressed in everyday life -- in the way people talk; the near obsessive relationship they have with eating well; the things that are important to them; the crucial role played by family, friends, and community; the importance of pleasure, la bella figura, and children; and their unparalleled social adeptness and hospitality.

The book takes place in the locations where Romans congregate -- in eating establishments, markets, stores, homes and piazzas; in conversations, at meals, on the street, and in the sites where they go for outings in the country and holiday vacations. It captures the maddening, sensual, intimate nature of life in the city, how the close physical space and the continuing influence of tradition create the necessity for interactions to be carried out personally rather than anonymously.

As millions of Americans pack their bags for Rome, travel aficianado Alan Epstein offers the perfect touring companion.

In 1981, Alan Epstein fell in love with a city. After years of shuttling back and forth to Rome and missing it more each time he and his wife made the decision to follow their hearts -- they packed their bags and their two school-age sons and moved there permanently in 1995. Since they took that plunge five years ago, they've made the transition from tourist to resident, outsider to insider, and observer to participant in the everyday life of the 3,000-year-old Eternal City.

In As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas, and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City, Epstein shares the culture and history of his new home in warm, personable prose that conveys the excitement and the challenge of creating an entirely different life: "We were hooked on the beauty, the thrill, the incomparable joy of starting over in a new land with a new language. Our spirits were revived, and we were willing to endure whatever it took to make our dreams come alive. We left the shores of the New World and set sail for the Old, as we sorted through documents and personal papers, all the while thinking of the beautiful apartment in the historic Aventino, one of the seven original hills of the city, that awaited us."

Through winning, personal anecdotes about his experiences, peppered with astute observations and historical background, Epstein, who holds a Ph.D. in European History from New York University, celebrates the spirit of the stylish, dramatic city that formed the hub of a far-flung empire and introduced the Mediterranean culture to the rest of the world. He also reveals today's Roman men and women in all their appealing contradictions:

• their gregarious caffe culture;
• inborn artistic flair;
• passionate appreciation of good food;
• instinctive mistrust of technology;
• showy sex appeal;
• ingrained charm and expressiveness;
• surprisingly unusual attitudes toward marriage and religion

In As the Romans Do, readers will imagine a city alive with pleasure and paradox; a place where one can relax, reflect, revel, and rebel all between the morning's cappuccino and the evening's grappa. Through Epstein's evocative, humorous lens and a sprinkling of lively Italian words and phrases the true nature of the city emerges -- challenging, sometimes maddening, yet ultimately sweet, sensual, and satisfying in its alluring manner. A flavorful sampling of Epstein's observations...

On Roman Dining: You have eaten as you've never eaten before, like princes, like pashas and potentates of old, like the ancient Romans who feasted for days on end. You leave a few thousand lire on the table -- a mancia -- just to acknowledge Carlo for having served you a meal that was everything you had hoped for -- and more -- and you stumble out into the soft, Mediterranean air wondering how you will ever eat a tuna fish sandwich at the Gold Nugget Diner on the Miracle Mile in San Rafael again.

On Roman Style: If Americans are always dressed as if they could at the drop of a hat play a round of tennis, Italians have other priorities. They are always ready to receive a special but unexpected invitation to dine in elegant splendor in seventeenth-century palazzo without having to change clothes.

On Roman Women: Is it the hair, the complexion, the figure, the features, the way they carry themselves, the way they wear their clothes, the way they not only don't mind that you look at them, but actually seek your gaze, your squardo, and return it with intensity, looking you straight in the eyes without a hint of modesty, as if to say, 'It's worth looking at me, isn't it?'

On Getting Things Done in Rome: The only thing, really, that is easy to take care of in Rome is getting a coffee at a local bar, which are plentiful and mostly uniform. You walk in and say un caffe to the cashier...get it within thirty seconds, drink it in the same amount of time, and then leave. I've come to the conclusion that the reason Romans go into bars endless times a day to take a coffee is because it is simply the easiest thing in the city to do.

This Season, Give the Gift of Rome

An intimate portrait rendered with elan and flair, As the Romans Do is a valuable guide for anyone who loves anything Italian; for readers seeking to weave the passionate engagement of the Romans into their everyday lives; visitors returning from the country who seek to rekindle the excitement; and tourists traveling to Rome who seek the ultimate insider's view. With a personality as unique as the city it describes, As the Romans Do captures the flavor of Rome in all its eternal glory.