"A romp through the worlds of fashion, film, and titillating journalism that made 1950s Rome the sexiest capital on the planet. In the 1950s, Rome rose from the ashes of World War II to become a movable feast for film, fashion, creative energy, tabloid media, and bold-faced libertinism that made 'Italian' a global synonym for taste, style, and flair. Old money, new stars, fast cars, wanton libidos, and brazen news photographers created a way of life captured and exposed in Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Rome was a playground for film stars (Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren), fashionistas, exiles, moguls, and martyrs, all of whom wanted a chance to experience and indulge in the sweet life. It became one of the great cultural capitals of the world--with more than just a trace of the city of the Caesars or the Borgias. Dolce Vita Confidential re-creates Rome's stunning ascent with vivid and compelling tales of its glitterati and artists, down to every last outrageous detail of the city's magnificent transformation"--