---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rome is a very loony city in every…"
description: "\"Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.\" — Fran Lebowitz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png"
---

#  Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but…

![“Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png)

> “Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The city feels chaotic and surreal, likened to Fellini’s documentary style.

**In simple terms:** Rome seems crazy and artistic.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the city's unpredictable charm.

Themes

citylife culture chaos artistic perception

Mood

wry observational humorous

Type

essay commentary

When to use this quote

- traveling
- city exploration
- cultural immersion

Key Concepts

urban surrealism observational humor

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you find chaos inspiring?
- How does humor affect perception of place?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone enjoys such eccentric environments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellini/) [Fellini Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellini-makes-1829846/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Ny City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ny-city/) [Realize Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-fellini-1829847/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome/) [Rome Loony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome-loony-1829845/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [Tourism as a number-one industry is a terrible, terrible idea for any city, especially New York. If you were going to turn a city,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/tourism-as-a-number-one-industry-is-a-terrible-terrible-idea-for-any/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [My star was kind of fading towards the end of the '60s and suddenly I got this call from Fellini, who just appeared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-stamp/my-star-was-kind-of-fading-towards-the-end-of-the-60s-and-suddenly-i/)

[Terence Stamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-stamp/)

> [Fellini was a little lofty for a teenage boy, but certainly he was a huge influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/fellini-was-a-little-lofty-for-a-teenage-boy-but-certainly-he-was-a/)

[John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/)

> [One of my favorite scenes in Fellini is the ecclesiastical fashion show in Roma, and the end of 8 ½, when all the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/one-of-my-favorite-scenes-in-fellini-is-the-ecclesiastical-fashion/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [There are beauty icons that I can never be like, sorta like a Gena Rowlands - I'll never have that look. I love Giulietta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/there-are-beauty-icons-that-i-can-never-be-like-sorta-like-a-gena/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [With 'Brick' there was the Dashiell Hammett influence, and with 'Brothers Bloom' there was a really strong Fellini influence - both those movies wore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/with-brick-there-was-the-dashiell-hammett-influence-and-with-brothers/)

[Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/)

> [When you first start out, you want to be Fellini, or you want to be Bergman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/when-you-first-start-out-you-want-to-be-fellini-or-you-want-to-be/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [I loved all movies, literally. I certainly loved 'Shane' and 'Roxie Hart.' Later on, when I was less of a kid, I loved 'L'Avventura'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-loved-all-movies-literally-i-certainly-loved-shane-and-roxie-hart/)

[Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/)

> [With a few exceptions, Fellini's films have failure and despair running through them: Life continues, but I can't imagine 'Felliniesque' as an exclusively uplifting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-pettigrew/with-a-few-exceptions-fellini-s-films-have-failure-and-despair/)

[Damian Pettigrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-pettigrew/)

> ['La Notte' is my favorite of the Antonioni pictures and my favorite work of the master cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo, who also shot '8…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-paltrow/la-notte-is-my-favorite-of-the-antonioni-pictures-and-my-favorite/)

[Jake Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-paltrow/)

> [ If you're not \[Federico\] Fellini you might make something very vulgar. Animation made it possible to maintain unity with all these different narratives. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/if-you-re-not-federico-fellini-you-might-make-something-very-vulgar/)

[Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/)

> [You could not imitate Fellini. His beauty was above anything else, but that intelligence was typically Italian. This helped me to realise that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/you-could-not-imitate-fellini-his-beauty-was-above-anything-else-but/)

[Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/)

> [I think about a Richard Avedon photo series, the kind of faces he gets of real people, which I find so captivating. Fellini was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-think-about-a-richard-avedon-photo-series-the-kind-of-faces-he-gets/)

[Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/)

> [I was influenced by Ray Harryhausen and Lotte Reiniger, with her twitchy, cutout animation, which I happened to see at a very young age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/i-was-influenced-by-ray-harryhausen-and-lotte-reiniger-with-her/)

[Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/)

> [Fellini was more in love with breasts than Russ Meyer, more wracked with guilt than Ingmar Bergman, more of a flamboyant showman than Busby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/fellini-was-more-in-love-with-breasts-than-russ-meyer-more-wracked/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More Cities quotes

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/)

[Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

[James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/)

> [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/)

[Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/)

[Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/)

> [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

> [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respect-one-needs-but-spend-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cities"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respect-one-needs-but-spend-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/fran-lebowitz-690_cities_rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respe_1777026.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini…” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Rome is a very loony city...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respect-one-needs-but-spend-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/rome-is-a-very-loony-city-in-every-respect-one-needs-but-spend-an/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
