'Book One :
I. From the air, Rome pans flat across the costal plain, a mosaic of fragments. Tiny squares radiate in concentric rings around ovals, bisected by vectored roads; patterns of organic growth within the linearity of ancient order. Swaths of green abut the orange , white and grey of clay, stone and concrete. As the plane titles, the tiles resolve into rooftops, piazzas, cars and pavements, drawing me into a smaller. more human dimension.' (Introduction)