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The Italian Job: A Memoir of an American Reporter in Rome
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
4 days and 05:30:34
100 copies available
U.S. only
From Venetian canals to Vatican conclaves, New York Times correspondent Jason Horowitz takes you on a tour of the real Italy.
Italy’s deep history, stunning landscapes and glorious food have uniquely captured our imagination. In The Italian Job, Jason Horowitz, a longtime Rome bureau chief for The New York Times, tells the story of how he too fell under that Tuscan-sun enchantment before ultimately discovering a more fascinating place in the country's long shadows. He shows us an Italy conducting experiments in populist politics, confronting global challenges like immigration, climate change and an aging population.
In telling this story, Horowitz introduces us to an extraordinary range of characters. He flies with popes and drinks Spritzes with prime ministers, talks beauty with top fashion designers in Milan, ponders the big questions with cardinals in Rome, and gets his feet wet in the Venice lagoon with engineers trying to save the sinking city. Throughout, Italy’s streets, layered with history, and its cafés, vibrating with conversation, are full of lessons. So is his life at home, where his Italian wife and their two children offer an even more intimate, concentrated and rollicking view of Italian life. As years pass and the world turns upside down, Italy, more than a vacation destination or land of the past, reveals itself as a vivid lens through which to understand our present and future.
Italy’s deep history, stunning landscapes and glorious food have uniquely captured our imagination. In The Italian Job, Jason Horowitz, a longtime Rome bureau chief for The New York Times, tells the story of how he too fell under that Tuscan-sun enchantment before ultimately discovering a more fascinating place in the country's long shadows. He shows us an Italy conducting experiments in populist politics, confronting global challenges like immigration, climate change and an aging population.
In telling this story, Horowitz introduces us to an extraordinary range of characters. He flies with popes and drinks Spritzes with prime ministers, talks beauty with top fashion designers in Milan, ponders the big questions with cardinals in Rome, and gets his feet wet in the Venice lagoon with engineers trying to save the sinking city. Throughout, Italy’s streets, layered with history, and its cafés, vibrating with conversation, are full of lessons. So is his life at home, where his Italian wife and their two children offer an even more intimate, concentrated and rollicking view of Italian life. As years pass and the world turns upside down, Italy, more than a vacation destination or land of the past, reveals itself as a vivid lens through which to understand our present and future.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Italian Job: A Memoir of an American Reporter in Rome offers more than a look behind the scenes of international journalism. The book brings to life the experience of living abroad, from adjusting to a new country and raising a family far from home to witnessing important events as they happen.
The author welcomes us into his world, letting us experience journalism as it happens. We see the fast conversations, the uncertainty, the rush to meet deadlines, and the quick decisions that shape the news before it appears on our screens.
One section stayed with me after I finished reading: the detailed coverage of Pope Francis’s passing and the election of Pope Leo XIV. The author goes beyond the headlines and familiar images, showing us the seriousness and responsibility of reporting on a moment that caught the world’s attention. The reporting is impressive, and the storytelling is prominent as well.
But this memoir is about much more than journalism. It explores family, communication, the difficulty of adapting to a new culture, and the importance of staying true to your values. Most of all, it reminds us that every news headline comes from real people, and everyone has a story worth hearing.
The author welcomes us into his world, letting us experience journalism as it happens. We see the fast conversations, the uncertainty, the rush to meet deadlines, and the quick decisions that shape the news before it appears on our screens.
One section stayed with me after I finished reading: the detailed coverage of Pope Francis’s passing and the election of Pope Leo XIV. The author goes beyond the headlines and familiar images, showing us the seriousness and responsibility of reporting on a moment that caught the world’s attention. The reporting is impressive, and the storytelling is prominent as well.
But this memoir is about much more than journalism. It explores family, communication, the difficulty of adapting to a new culture, and the importance of staying true to your values. Most of all, it reminds us that every news headline comes from real people, and everyone has a story worth hearing.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This isn’t my usual reading, but my mother is about to go to Italy, so I have been noticing anything Italian-centric, and this looked interesting. So, as soon as Macmillan Audio approved the audiobook ALC via NetGalley, I dove right in.
Interestingly enough, this is the first memoir I have read where the author didn’t do the narration. It’s the only time that I don’t mind an author-led audiobook, but this one is less personal because it’s about so much more than a typical memoir so maybe that’s why going with someone else was the right choice?
Jeffrey Machado does the narration, and he did a great job. He spoke at a nice conversational pace and gave it the needed inflections to help keep up with the energy of the prose. Thankfully, he didn’t have to do much heavy lifting because the prose itself was great!
It spans so many topics that the author had firsthand experience with as a journalist. Some were exciting and some not so much, but the writing kept me fully engaged throughout.
Having a Jewish author start off the book talking about the Catholic Pope was interesting to me. It was human rather than religious, and from every anecdote, the care that Horowitz has for the subject matter was evident.
I really enjoyed this, and whether you like general memoirs, Italian history, or journalistic endeavors, this book has something for everyone.
Interestingly enough, this is the first memoir I have read where the author didn’t do the narration. It’s the only time that I don’t mind an author-led audiobook, but this one is less personal because it’s about so much more than a typical memoir so maybe that’s why going with someone else was the right choice?
Jeffrey Machado does the narration, and he did a great job. He spoke at a nice conversational pace and gave it the needed inflections to help keep up with the energy of the prose. Thankfully, he didn’t have to do much heavy lifting because the prose itself was great!
It spans so many topics that the author had firsthand experience with as a journalist. Some were exciting and some not so much, but the writing kept me fully engaged throughout.
Having a Jewish author start off the book talking about the Catholic Pope was interesting to me. It was human rather than religious, and from every anecdote, the care that Horowitz has for the subject matter was evident.
I really enjoyed this, and whether you like general memoirs, Italian history, or journalistic endeavors, this book has something for everyone.
October 2, 2026
NetGalley gifted me an advanced copy of The Italian Job. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
As someone with a lifelong love of all things Italian, I was excited to hear someone’s adventure in living there.
Jason Horowitz did a phenomenal job in sharing his journey, the incredible history and culture, as well as some of the trials and tribulations of Italy. It was an incredible journey with a lot of information you would not get from someone just touring the country.
As someone with a lifelong love of all things Italian, I was excited to hear someone’s adventure in living there.
Jason Horowitz did a phenomenal job in sharing his journey, the incredible history and culture, as well as some of the trials and tribulations of Italy. It was an incredible journey with a lot of information you would not get from someone just touring the country.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews