Have you ever wanted to quit your job, move to a foreign country, and try a new life? That’s exactly what Martha Miller and her husband did. Times New Roman: How We Quit Our Jobs, Gave Away Our Stuff & Moved to Italy is her memoirs of 21 months living in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome.
Martha takes the reader through their decision to try living in a new country, deciding where to go, looking for a place to live and the trials and tribulations of actually making it happen, which are never as easy as you might expect.
Once they’re settled in Trastevere, one of Rome’s liveliest neighborhoods, she has lots of interesting adventures, many of them centered around food and shopping. Martha’s book takes the reader inside this lively part of Rome and brings the neighborhood to life with her often humorous anecdotes.
Martha shares her frustrating experiences as well as her fun ones, such as navigating the Italian bureaucracy and her difficulty with learning Italian. If you’ve ever tried to learn a foreign language, you’ll probably sympathize with her.
Ultimately Martha and her husband fulfilled their dream of spending 21 months living in a foreign culture. They adapt to a new lifestyle, make new friends, and complete educational and work goals. Although this wasn’t goal of their move, Martha ends up achieving one of her dreams, that of becoming a writer. Their time in Rome impacted their lives even more than they expecting.
Times New Roman is a quick read, full of interesting characters, meals and foods, and Martha’s learning experiences as she adapts to a new culture. Whether you’re planning to visit Rome, thinking of making a life change, or just enjoy armchair travel that transports you to a new place, this is an enjoyable book that may leave you longing to come to Rome.
Book cover photo by Marty and Sherry Bushue, friends of Martha Miller’s who took this photo of her front door in Trastevere for a birthday gift.
- Explore the Trastevere Neighborhood of Rome
- Read another Rome memoir: Coins in the Fountain
- See more recommended Rome reading including food books and travel tips
Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher, however that did not influence this article
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