Roman Journey 1786-1788

by Unknown Author

Paperback

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Reviews

[Michael Bagnoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book, containing the Roman sections of Goethe’s Italian Journey, in a bookstore near the Pantheon, after arriving in Rome myself. It was one of the few book written in English, and the perfect size to fit in my pocket while walking around during the day. Each day I would wake up, choose a few locations to visit, and carry the book with me with the intention of finishing it in different places in Rome. Ultimately, I decided not to waste any precious time spent in Rome reading a book about Rome, and waited to finish it while in Assisi with my host family from two summers ago, who I am staying with until the start of my program in Bologna.

The following quote aligned with this decision to experience now and read/reflect later: “I will no longer give myself any rest, till there is nothing in or about me which is word and tradition, but till all has become my present, living, immediate personality. From youth up, this has been my capital aspiration and passion of my being; now, when age is coming on, I will at least attain the attainable, so the doable, after having so long, deservedly and undeservedly, suffered the fate of Sisyphus and Tantalus.”

Much of what I can get from books is equally accessible in the world around me. This is clearer to me now in a foreign land, but is nevertheless always true.