Chronicles of Old Rome: Exploring Italy's Eternal City (Chronicles Series) by Tamara Thiessen

by Tamara Thiessen

Discover la dolce vita on this grand tour of <!--? prefix = st1 ns = "" /-->Italy’s historic capital told through 30 dramatic true stories spanning nearly 3,000 years, plus detailed walking tours complete with easy-to-read maps. From the Curia Pompei, site of Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC, to the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican, see the real-life places where history happened in this richly illustrated guide. Along with infamous power games between heroes and villains, you will find Rome’s smart and powerful women, such as Agrippina, St. Agnes, Margherita, Artemisia, and more. Then relax like Goethe and Keats at the Café Greco, Rome’s chicest coffee bar since 1760, or visit the Palazzo Colonna, the site of Audrey Hepburn’s Roman Holiday .

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Olya K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend who is a huge fan of Rome and knows a ton about this city recommended this book to me. And I couldn't thank her more.

Chronicles of Old Rome is a great guide with lots of amazing stories from the history of Rome. For example, have you seen the movie the Ides of March? The one with George Clooney? Well, this book has the original script (just kidding). No, it has the original story of how Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of mutineer consuls in the Senate (the Roman Senate, not the one in D.C.). Or there is a story of Lucrezia Borgia, a blue-eyed blonde beauty, who was born into the most scandalous Renaissance family to rule Rome from the Vatican. She became known for her hedonistic parties. During one of them in the Sala Reale of the papal palace, fifty courtesans danced naked between ballet performancers, watched over by the Pope, Cesare and 21-year old Lucrezia. Or there is a story of Federico Fellini shooting the iconic Trevi Fountain scene for La Dolce Vita. Seductive womanliness of Anita Ekberg bathing in the fountain captured "a complete feminine city" forever.

There is also the tours part in the book that focus on six different parts of Rome, and they are all worth trying. Just prepare for lots of walking, thinking and absorbing the unique vibes of the eternal city.

Highly recommended!

[Hackbartha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronicles of Old Rome is perfect for the traveler who wants to take a deeper historical and cultural look into city they will be visiting. Learn about the Vatican, Keats, Michelangelo, Mussolini, Cicero and Caesar. The second part of the book offers several “walking tours” including full color maps and pictures guiding one to and through the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Vatican City, among other popular tourist destinations. The Colosseum walking tour alone offers 18 different points of interest, focusing on the historical significance of the city, rather on where to get a coffee (though there is that, too). Pick up this book whether you are interested in visiting or simply getting a glimpse of the dramatic history of Rome.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began reading this after a trip to Italy. I recommend the Chronicles of Old Rome to any traveler. Much of the history of Italy is covered by this series of fascinating stories. While this is by no means an exhaustive history on any topic, it does provide a nice overview. This book would also be great to read before or during a vacation to Rome.

[KOJIdeNY · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book! I enjoyed not only dramatic stories also many beautiful paintings by famous artists like Botticelli, Raphael, Alma-Tadema, Caravaggio, Gerome, and many more! It's a travel, history and art combined book.