On a Roman Hilltop, Meals That Nourish the Imagination.

The article presents information on a dinner party held on the midwinter weeknight this year at Rome-based American Academy. At the party the wine bottles emptied at a modest rate, and the mood was lively but not hilarious. Talk at the candlelit tables shifts from the history of the papacy in late antiquity to the virtues of Brokeback Mountain, and from the tribulations of Italian academe to the challenge of fashion bargain hunting with the euro topping $1.20. The five dozen or so diners in the stately room, which was dominated by a massive stone fireplace, ranged in age from mid-20s to mid-60s.