Chapter Excerpts

Preface

It was a beautiful morning in Rome. I had just had coffee at the Piazza Navona and had spent hours reading the paper in the shadow of one of the most beautiful fountains in Europe.  As I perused the Herald Tribune, which kept me in touch with the States, I was entranced by the beauty of the Fountain of the Four Great Rivers.  The magical sound of the water and the beauty of the statues gave life to the fountain. How lucky I was to be here in this magnificent city as a student priest and to have the opportunity to roam through the annals of history. Rome has so many treasures that I had to resist the temptation to see it as a tourist.  It is a city of living moments that leap out from doorways, fountains, and cobblestone streets.  The voices of the Forum can still be imagined as the sun glances off the Palatine Hill.  Rome does things to your heart and soul and there are moments when you believe that you have lived here before.  With all these poetic ruminations rushing through my veins, I finished my last drop of coffee.  I still could not summon up the desire to leave this wonderful Piazza, so I ordered another cup.
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Chapter 6: Rome and Berlin 1931

Before the hostilities began in Europe there was no more satisfying job than being an ambassador to the Vatican and living in Rome, especially if you were a Roman Catholic.  Karl Hunsecker, German ambassador to the Vatican, had held various posts before 1927 that were far less desirable than any in Rome.  Deployed in Canada and the United States, he had enjoyed those posts, but the opportunity to return to Europe was the highlight of his career.  Trained as a diplomat, he was also an avid student of Roman history and was fluent in Italian.  With his wife and three children he lived in a charming area in Trastevere, Rome.  Being stationed in Rome also offered the Hunseckers the opportunity to visit both of their families in Regensburg and Zurich.
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Chapter 37: Rome, the Vatican, November 1939

Rabbi Abraham sat in the corridor fidgeting with his hat in a high state of nervousness.  He had been traveling for days and it was difficult to remember when he had actually slept in a bed. He had spent much of the past two months traveling through Eastern Europe, and with forged papers had been able to pass himself off as a German merchant.  He had worked for his father in Danzig years ago in the furniture business so his knowledge base was sufficient to bluff his way through simple border crossings or passport reviews on trains. His years spent as an adolescent in Germany and his fluency in German made him familiar with local customs.
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