| Description | How often does a visitor to Rome drift towards some landmark - the palazzo Barberini, say, or piazza Colonna - and wonder who created it? Why? What was their story? This fascinating book provides the answer. At once a history and a guide, sumptuous and authoritative, it divides Rome into the districts dominated by the noble clans who in turn became fabulously rich when one of their members was made Pope: the Cenci, Colonna, della Rovere, Farnese, Borghese, Barberini and others. In each case Anthony Majanlahti tells the family story - powerful, bloody and vivid - with all the scandals and intrigues and scrabbling for power, the building of palazzi and piazza and churches, as well as relationships with artists like Bernini and Michelangelo.An itinerary with maps and engravings then allows readers to walk round the area, with a detailed guide to buildings, streets, gardens and special features. |
