MEMORIES OF Rome

Grief and peace mark a writer's return to the city he had visited with his late mother.

- Matt Ortile

In Rome, I ran into my mother. Sort of. I was walking the winding streets from Piazza Navona to the Otherwise Bookshop and, suddenly, there she was. Beside the shop was an osteria called Pasquino, where my mother and I had shared lunch five years ago. The outdoor tables were just as I recalled them-as were the patio umbrellas, the Vespas leaning against honey-coloured buildings, and even the manager, who smiled and said "buongiorno".

After my book purchase (Mary Beard's S.P.Q.R: A History of Ancient Rome, naturally), I passed by Pasquino again and decided to grab a seat. I had planned on a different spot for lunch, but I couldn't not grab a quick bite-I'd do anything to feel my mother near me again.