Rome

Rome becomes the setting for two sharply contrasting moments in Daisy Jones’s story: her impulsive marriage to Nicky and Simone Jackson’s discovery of her in a hotel room overlooking Vatican City. The city holds both the ceremony Daisy later regrets and the reunion Simone had crossed an ocean to bring about.

The Wedding

Daisy and Nicky were in the Boboli Gardens in Florence when he proposed. They then flew to Rome and married there, officiated by a priest who was a family friend of Nicky’s. Daisy said she was Catholic, though she later acknowledged that this was a lie. Her recollection separates the marriage from one detail she still valued: she regretted marrying Nicky, but not the ivory cotton-lace dress, with its off-the-shoulder neckline and large bell sleeves.

Simone’s Search

Simone had been on her way to meet Daisy, but Daisy had traveled with Nicky to Italy before remembering that Simone was coming. To locate her, Simone tracked Daisy by pretending to be her when speaking with the credit-card company. She finally found Daisy in a large hotel room in Rome overlooking Vatican City, after traveling halfway around the world to reach her. Daisy was heavily intoxicated and wearing only underwear; she had also cut her hair into a shaggy bob. Daisy and Simone both later agreed that the haircut looked good.

Narrative Significance

The two Rome episodes bring private choices and friendship into the same setting. The wedding is recalled through Daisy’s mixed judgment: she rejects the marriage while preserving affection for the dress. Simone’s account, by contrast, centers on the practical effort required to find Daisy and the disconcerting state in which she found her. Rome thus marks both a consequential commitment and the point at which Simone catches up with Daisy.