The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone by Tennessee Williams brought inspiration to my recent time in the Eternal City, taking me back to its glamorous post-World War II era: Negronis at the Doney and Rosati, strolls along the Via Veneto, sublime times in the Borghese Gardens, dinner in Trastevere . In the novel, Mrs. Stone is a wealthy, middle-aged signora who lives in a luxurious villa flanking the Spanish Steps in Rome. Recently widowed, feeling lost and alone, she becomes entangled with a devastatingly handsome young Italian named Paolo. The only thing I have in common with Mrs. Stone’s story is the middle-aged signora part. My trip lacked her melodrama, but I still went after the novel’s atmosphere, which proved to be a beautiful background for fun Roman days…