Slim Aarons | Italy

Italy reopened its post-WWII doors in 1948 and a flood of stars poured into Rome. Sensing a story, editors at Life sent Slim Aarons there to open a new bureau. He quickly settled into a room at the Excelsior Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of the Eternal City’s glamorous social scene, and spent the next four decades capturing the Italian high life and taking advantage of all it had to offer. According to Slim, “Life there was rewarding: the dollar was strong, the wine dolce, and the girls fantastic.”