Rome in the 1950s celebrated the end of the war with a burst of creative energy. The Beckers made it their home and established a place in which writers, actors, painters met and were entertained by witty marionette shows, written by John Becker and designed, produced and directed by Virginia Campbell. Among their guests, and sometime participants in the productions, were Robert Graves, Leontyne Price, Aaron Copeland, Alice B. Toklas, Karen Blixen, Ingrid Bergman, Iris Tree, Lady Diana Cooper, Bill Weaver, Eugene Walter, Richard and Mickey Fleisher, Christopher Fry, Hume Cronyn and Jessica...