This hefty photographic portrait of Rome brings together hundreds of photographs from the
1840s through to today
to explore the extraordinary
history, beauty, and art
of this
incomparable cultural capital
.
From sepia and black and white to color, these outstanding images dating from the 1840s to the present day allow us — through the eyes of such photographers as
Giacomo Caneva, Pompeo Molins, Giuseppe Primoli, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Carlo Bavagnoli, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Pasquale De Antonis, Peter Lindbergh, Slim Aarons
, and
William Klein
— to discover Rome in its many compelling guises: as the center of the
Roman Empire
, as one of the cradles of the Renaissance, as a favorite destination for travelers and a rich patchwork of varied neighborhoods, as the seat of the
Roman Catholic Church
, a stage for politics, and as the perfect backdrop for
film
and
fashion shoots
Reaching back into illustrious archives, some of the book’s early images offer us a privileged
Grand Tour glimpse
of some of Rome’s most treasured landmarks, revealing the
Colosseum
,
Roman Forum
Spanish Steps almost void of crowds
. Later pictures survey the city’s contrasts—from the luxurious homes and leisure activities of the privileged to street stalls and laundry lines in the working class districts of Trastevere and Testaccio. Some documentary-style shots show us the
dark power of Mussolini
, the city bedecked with his own iconography and imagery of strength, athleticism, and the fatherland.
As color photography comes in, the city transitions from a neo-realismo aesthetic to postwar recovery and hedonism: all the
glamorous gowns, exotic celebrities,
and Via Veneto café culture immortalized by Fellini. Many famous faces are here, including
Louis Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Anna Magnani,
Valentino