Judith Testa, North Illinois University 美術史教授

A guide to the art, architecture and timeless human passion of Rome. It focuses on the merging of art and ambition; famous and forgotten monuments play a part in the account, as do the artists and patrons who brought them into being. The first chapters concentrate on the people, art and architecture of imperial Rome. It then explores the legacy of early Christian and medieval Rome before moving on to reveal how Michelangelo, Bernini, Caravaggio, and Borromini shaped the brilliant art of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Whether exploring the Colosseum and the Jewish catacombs, discovering the eccentric Quartiere Coppede, or reminding readers not to forget the more recent monuments to the victims of the city's Nazi occupation, Judith Testa writes with an eye for the unusual. For her, the ancient wordplay on "Roma" and "amor" holds the key to unravelling some fascinating cultural puzzles.