Liz brought her yoga mat with her to Italy but finds she can’t use it. Yoga doesn’t fit with her breakfast of pastries and cappuccino, her penne pasta with four kinds of cheese, and her gelato in the morning. She stashes the mat in the bottom of her suitcase awaiting her time in India. She says that the culture of Rome does not match the culture of yoga, the only resemblance is in the similar sounds of yoga and toga.

Liz says that she needs friends, and she gets busy making them. She meets two American Elizabeths, one a novelist and one a food writer. One Elizabeth writes for Gourmet and takes Liz to the best places to eat in Rome. She has become especially close with Giovanni, her language exchange partner, who urges her to be patient with herself in learning a new language. Giovanni’s twin brother spends most of his time with Sofie, Liz’s best friend from language class. Liz and Sofie sit by the Tiber, eat gelato, and relish the Italian language together. She thinks of Sofie as a sister and is shocked when a cab driver asks if Sofie is her daughter.