5 comments about Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius.

1. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the Galileo affair as an historical event and not simply as the stereotype of obscurantist religion fearing the truths of science. Built around Galileo's six trips to Rome, the authors give a lucid explanation of Galileo's life and work. Galileo's is ever more successful as a scientist and ever more eager to vanquish those who disagreed with him.

   While clearly a scientific genius, he claimed theories to be true without ever having physical proof. He insisted, falsely, that the tides were caused by the earth's rotation and then used the fact of the tides to argue for the Copernican thesis that the earth and not the heavens was in motion. When certain theologians objected that his theory seemed contrary to scripture, he entered, with no expertise, into a theological discussion on the proper mode of interpreting scripture. Unfortunately this intemperance in debate led finally to Galileo's "trial" and house arrest.

   At the same time, the theologians are presented as a mixed lot, some opposing Galileo with an irrational zeal, others soberly weighing the evidence he proposed and so insisting that he treat his theory as a hypothesis and not as proven fact. The authors present the Church's position with some sympathy: it seemed imprudent to change the more obvious understanding of scripture without proof for the scientific theory that undermined it.

   The book's prose is plain, but always clear and readable. The tone is dispassionate and objective. The authors, both serious scholars in the field, have clearly done their homework (but mercifully use endnotes) and present a balanced account. This book may not change your view of Galileo or the Church, but it will certainly leave you much better informed about the facts of the case. Given the importance of understanding science and religion, this is no small matter.




2. Early 17th Century Rome. Any book that is published must first be reviewed and revised by the Catholic Church. The Church still stings from Martin Luther's 95 Theses, and King Henry VIII's secession. A Papal Conclave is disrupted by three Cardinals dying whilst Rome is in the grip of a malaria outbreak. Bubonic Plague rears its ugly head after close to 300 years. The Pope peppers his Cardinal enclave with relatives. The Pope is not only a spiritual leader, but also the mayor of Rome, trying to administrate a bustling city while also nurturing the world's flock. And not all the Cardinals support the Pope, either (and he knows it).
   
   Enter Galileo, who argues that the Earth is NOT the center of the universe; the sun is. The establishment likes his telescope, but not what he sees through it. Galileo will not abide superstition; he believes heliocentricity is a fact, and he's damned and determined to make sure everyone else believes it too. This idea crashes head-on with long-held beliefs, and the Catholic Church is not about to tolerate another compromise. After five journeys to Rome to argue his case, spread out over decades, Galileo is at last subpoenaed by the Tribunal of the Inquisition, where confession is mandatory. The only question is--should the defendant be put to death . . . or merely imprisoned?
   
   Enter this world where free thinking might put you in irons, where paranoia is the rule, where whispers can kill. These learned men, the authors, have left no stone unturned in exploring the role and effect of Galileo's scientific endeavors. At the time, he was an extremely likable man--full of anecdotes, well-read, he could make the ladies laugh--but no one dreamed he would become the father of modern science, as he is regarded today. But he was also a tragic man, beset with lifelong illness, the loss of friends and relatives to disease, and the misery of isolation for his beliefs. And he agonized over the fact that the Church questioned his faith in God.
   
   This book can be dry; it can overload you with Italian names--it can fill you with righteous anger--but it can never bore you. For all ye lovers of truth, of justice, of history, even of Catholicism, I unreservedly recommend this book.



3. Recognized as the father of modern science for his study of physics and astronomy, Galileo's adherence to the Copernican theory of heliocentrism might not have been so problematic had it not been for his personality and misreading of Vatican politics. As it was he felt justified in printing his treatise Dialogue contrary to the church's admonition against his teaching of the theory. It is indicative of Galileo's scholarship and reputation that few of the volumes were handed back to authorities when the Dialogue was banned and Galileo was permitted to serve his sentence under house arrest.
   
   Galileo's six trips to Rome began as a young man seeking employment and culminated with his hearings before the Holy Office forty-six years later when he admitted to "having violated an injunction not to discuss Copernicansim." (194) The author's use Galileo's letters, Papal records, newly discovered documents, and historical references to place the story in context.
   
   As it unfolds the difficulty of incorporating scientific thought into established orthodoxy is shown at the very conception of science. What becomes clear is that a discovery, to be accepted, has to have a welcome mat and the structure of society does not always provide one. Galileo had to operate within an ecclesiastic framework not in tune with his views. While Galileo had many supporters, his opponents, whom he often accused of being ignorant, were powerful adversaries. It did not necessarily matter whether objections were valid or not as long as they adhered to tradition.
   
   Another problem for science, is demonstrated by Galileo's use and improvement of the telescope. The power of the scope was increased twenty times and objects could be properly focused. Galileo demonstrated the telescope in social settings to impress distinguished guests with a close-up view of Rome and the stars. However his critics did not always understand the telescope's potential because "impatient and shortsighted philosophers often saw a blurred image that confirmed their prejudices." (41)
   
   Within the scientific community new devices do not necessarily lead to conformity of opinion. Utilizing the telescope, Galileo was able to observe Jupiter with its satellite moons revolving around the sun in a Copernican system. That and the discovery of sunspots overturned Aristotelian perfection of the universe. Even though Galileo and the Jesuit professor from Germany, Christopher Scheiner, both observed the same spots, they came to different conclusions: Scheiner to buttress Aristotelian immutability by declaring the spots were moons and Galileo by using the sun spots to show the Sun's rotation on its axis.
   
   There is another point to be made from reading Shea and Artigas' book on Galileo. All his life Galileo held to his belief of tidal theory "as his decisive argument for the motion of earth." (123). Here the recognized father of modern science is holding resolutely to an idea contrary to basic observation of seaman that there were two high and low tides in the Mediterranean sea, not one each as his theory postulated. "He was so convinced of the validity of his proof of the earth's motion that continued to believe, in the teeth of evidence, that diurnal period in the ocean followed a 24- not a 12- hour cycle." (132) Galileo, the master, is probably only one of many scientists to follow who are caught in the trap of their own beliefs in the face of convincing evidence to the contrary.



4. I have been interested in the Galileo affair for some years and I have read some great and difficult scholarly works about the case, such as Galileo, Science and the Church by Jerome J. Langford, Galileo, Bellarmine and the Bible by Richard Blackwell and Galileo: For Copernicanism and for the Church by Annibale Fantoli and also the more readable, but well-researched, fascinating and well-written Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel . All these readings have deepened my understanding of the issues involved in the affair, but have increased my hunger to know more. This lead me to read (with a great deal of skepticism, I may say) Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius.
   After reading this work, I must agree with Stephen M. Barr, theoretical particle physicist at the Bartol Research Institute of the University of Delaware and author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, that Galileo in Rome "represents the finest in modern Galileo scholarship." What I like most about this work is the combination of high quality scholarship with an excellent narrative strategy. The book tells the story of the founder of modern science from the perspective of his six visits to Rome. At the beginning he is a twenty- three- years old job seeker, at the end he is an old man sentenced to house arrest by the Inquisition. This book is powerful drama. It truly reads like a novel, but the tone is dispassionate and objective. Most importantly, it offers a balanced account that portraits the affair in all its complexity. Nevertheless, the trial was a tragic mistake and could have been avoided. It caused great damage to the Church and Galileo suffered a lot because of it.



5. This could have been a decent read if the authors hadn't so many times overlooked the absurd thinking of Galileo's adversaries. All too often, the lack of evidence backing the ideas of the religious was glossed over while Galileo's was pointed out again and again. Then again, red flags went off right from the acknowledgements; when your first thanks are to the Templeton Foundation, that's rarely a good sign.

1 comments about The Architecture of Rome.

1. A wonderful book to carry around with you in Rome. The book provides very detailed maps of the City with brief descriptions of what seems like every building in Rome. It is a great format for wandering and discovering as you go.

No comments about Travel Rome, Italy - illustrated guide, phrasebook and maps. FREE general info and a map in the trial version..

2 comments about Rome (City Guides - Cadogan).

1. We just came back from Rome with Facaros and Pauls in hand and can't wait to go back. I never read such a compelling, well thought out, and beautifully written guide in my life. All the other guides to Rome we saw were basic and boring and humdrum compared to this one--it makes the eternal city eternally fascinating. Sometimes we just burst out laughing aloud, and got some very strange looks from the Romans. Get it or regret it!



2. This guidebook is not sanitized like the Fodors books. While there may not be a pages of color photographs, you will certainly come back with the flavor of Rome.

   The book is laid out in a series of walks through the city with insightful/caustic commentary. The walks can be daunting and the recommended time for each walk if about right. However, the walks take you off the main throughfares of Rome and into the city.

   I liked this book so much, I'm buying another by the same authors for a trip to Paris

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1 comments about Frommer's Rome Past & Present.

1. When I was in Rome I kept looking for something like this book.
   Most of the ones I found in english were really disappointing.
   The good ones were all too big, way too expensive, and often in Italian. Finaly a good one at a reasonable price, and available here!

5 comments about As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas, And Daily Diversions Of Life In The Eternal City.

1. Mr. Epstein obviously has bushels of cash, and plenty of connections with the glitterati. His descriptions of buying a place in Rome, going to dinner parties with his famous personal friends, and his perceptions of la bella figura, etc. are all rather patronizing. While I did enjoy a couple of the chapters, I found that Mr. Epstein's reality in the USA was obviously far different from mine, and so is his reality in Italy. Must be nice to have it all so easy.



2. I quickly got absorbed in the first half or so of this book. The author's delight in his adopted city is contagious, and apart from falling into the occasional cliche and tendency to name-drop, he's an engaging writer. But eventually it cloys. Please, let's hear something--anything--to indicate that Rome is not paradise, because no place is paradise. The absence of a single negative note gets to be monotonous and annoying--and suspect. (You get the feeling that his publisher gave him his marching orders, instructing him to offer kudos and nothing but. Or else that Epstein lives in a fantasy, averting his eyes from anything unpleasant.) By the second half of this book I couldn't shake off the sense that if it were the Roman habit to toss the household garbage out the front window, Epstein's response would be "How charming! What insouciance! Such a devil-may-care approach to life!" I hope in his next book, if there is one, he exhibits a little more candor.



3. I agree with Veerby's assessment - the first half is a fun, engaging read, but after that, you wonder if there is anything bad about Rome in the least. It's great with all the men being mama's boys and women making themselves up to go to the grocer and the traffic jams and everything. I was actually surprised when he mentioned how Rome is not perfect and has its flaws in the last chapter, but he failed to elaborate in the least, aside from mentioning that many immigrants have come whose customs are different than that of the Romans, insinuating that they also brought crime with them. i would much prefer a more even-handed read, and preferably from someone who is not as obviously well-off. It makes me think of New York City, where having a little money makes the city a MUCH nicer place to live, mainly from being able to afford a nice neighborhood to live in.



4. I agree with a lot of the other reviewers in that the author obviously finds himself delightful. His ego seeps through the pages to the point where I was rolling my eyes in exasperation at him. You can just imagine him jumping up and down screaming "Look at me! Look at me! Aren't I awesome, I live in Rome!" His ego comes across in his pointless name dropping (the story could have been told without naming his friends and he would have come off the better for it), and his sections about how desirable his wife and him can be to Romans who just love to flirt. (Please.)
   
   The book is entertaining and he obviously loves the city and it shows in his colorful, lively interpretation of it. However, as others have mentioned, he just skims the surface, never bothering to delve deeper. At one point he has a blurb mentioning that when they were away from Rome they had heard how expensive it had gotten. He further states that they sure found out just how expensive when they came back. BUT he never bothers to explain how expensive and what they experienced!!! (Hello? Don't lead us on and then not bother with an explanation.)
   
   His constant obsession throughout the book with la bella figura wore thin after the one millionth time he mentioned how amazing Roman women are. (Can we say stereotype?) I'm sure they are amazing, but I find it really hard to believe that every woman in Rome is always dressed to the nines. I would really like to read an honest portrayal of the women.
   
   His chapter on how seductive and flirtatious that city was really had my eyes rolling. Why does he need to describe a woman's chest bouncing away in her car? I know it was to demonstrate sexyiness of the city, but come on, does he need to describe this for pages? (I don't take issue with this b/c it offends my sensabilities...I just thought it was very silly.) He reminds me of guys who think if a girl merely glances at him than that must mean she likes him.
   
   Furthermore in the first part of the book he states how untrustworthy Roman workers are and how you should never leave them around your stuff. (And how first floor apartments can be very unsafe b/c they are always robbed.) But throughout the book he keeps mentioning how crime is very low in Rome, bla bla how Romans never commit crime. Uh...maybe his editor should have picked up on these inconsistencies.
   
   All in all I don't hate this book, but the author's obnoxiousness and his superficial look at Rome detracted from my enjoyment. I would recommend this book in ADDITION to another more in depth coverage of the city.



5. Having just returned from my first visit to Rome two months ago...I happened upon this book at my local library and devoured it in 2 days. It's helped me recapture my experience in a way that even my 1900+ photos can not.
   
   Epstein's engaging style and keen observations so beautifully describe the Roman experience that I was transcended as I read. I could hear, see and smell all the things with which I fell in love during my short stay.
   
   This would be an excellent book for someone planning to visit Rome for the first time-- as it gives a very realistic sense of what you will experience culturally while there. Epstein explores nuances you won't learn about from travel brochures or visitor's bureau websites.
   
   I have purchased this book and will most likely reread it when it arrives and will then share it with the friends with whom I visited Rome. Then, between now and my next visit to Rome, I can review its many passages which truly capture the heart of a great city.

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