Reflections from a Roman Lake: Trevignano Romano, A Biography of an Adoptive Home

Description

Reflections' is an intimate and joyful portrait of life in Trevignano Romano, a village on the shores of the glimmering Italian lake whose waters spurt from Rome's fountains. Along this Roman Riviera, only an hour from the Colosseum, are the remains of the largest Stone Age village ever found in Europe, plus ruins of summer palaces built by ancient Roman Emperors and one of Italy's most splendid castles. Judith Harris, journalist and former diplomat, introduces you to many of the remarkable citizens who have left their imprint upon the town: the medieval saint whose miracle fish haul fed a starving town, the Orsini prince accused of murdering his wife, the blind postman who delivered the mail on foot, the pioneer teacher of the hearing impaired, the retired international bureaucrat who is 108 years of age. What is now modern Italy's prizewinning, cosmopolitan resort town has also seen barbarian invaders, Renaissance warfare, German military occupation, and an amazing cast of past and contemporary residents. She explores local dialects and shares gastronomical secrets and the finer points of the coffee shop culture.

An American freelance journalist based in Rome, Judith Harris is an honors graduate of Northwestern University. Her articles have appeared in 'Time' magazine, the 'Wall Street Journal', Reuters News Agency, 'ArtNews', 'Current World Archeology' and elsewhere. For her work on an NBC documentary on the Vatican she was included in a Peabody Award for journalism. For 25 years she conducted for Rai International 'Weekend', a radio broadcast on Italian culture. She is the author of 'Pompeii Awakened, A Story of Rediscovery'; 'The Monster in the Closet, a Bumpy Ride down the Genealogical Trail'; and 'Evelina, A Victorian Heroine in Venice'.