Rome: Portrait of a City

This bumper 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, and 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, and Valentino.

Editorial Reviews

Review
«Un imposant livre de photographies qui raconte la cité de 1840 ŕ nos jours… Ville de cinéma, de religion, de dolce vita, de gastronomie, d’histoire, Rome y dévoile toutes ses facettes, męme les plus sombres. Magnifique.»

«Rome et ses merveilles… Des photos criantes de vérité, présentées comme une série photo-documentaire se mariant harmonieusement avec les images «glamour» de la Dolce Vita.»

«Aprčs plusieurs volumes dédiés ŕ Los Angeles, Londres ou New York, les éditions TASCHEN sont responsables d’un nouveau miracle avec ce beau livre consacré ŕ Rome… Une réussite éblouissante.»

«Clichés d’éternité… une vision éminemment iconographique de l’une de ces métropoles qui ont traversé le temps, Rome… plus de 500 images, datant de 1840 ŕ nos jours… Somptueux et trčs touchant.»

«Beau livre. Un (trčs) gros livre qui dévoile, ŕ travers le regard de Giacomo Caneva, William Klein ou Henri Cartier-Bresson, toutes les facettes de Rome oů se męlent le passé et le présent, le spectaculaire et le quotidien… Un exceptionnel portrait photographique de la Ville éternelle.»

«Un splendide portrait photographique de la Cité éternelle… Un vertigineux grand écart… Des images qui documentent prčs de deux sičcles d’histoire de Rome et d’Italie. Mais qui, au fil des chapitres participent aussi du livre d’art.»

About the Author
Giovanni Fanelli, professor of Architecture History at the University of Florence, is the author of several works of architectural history, urban history, graphic arts and photography, translated into several languages; he has been the Scientific Director of the Fondazione Ragghianti (Lucca) and is series editor for a number of titles of Laterza publishers (Rome).