We have just returned from a heavenly visit to Rome...having visited the main tourist sites-St. Peter's, Sistine Chapel,Trevo Fountain, Coliseum, the Forum, etc-what nice coffee-table style book(with lots of photos) could you recommend? I held off buying some while we were there, knowing I could get a better deal here at home. I haven't been too successful looking them up on Barnes & Noble. Thanks!

I have this spectacular book, Rome360, by the famous photographer Attilio Boccazzi-Varotto. The book has some panoramic photo, the author used a rotating camera to capture the city images.. Is a great book..

By the Way, this is the third time that I try to post this message..

Thanks, Kismet-I wanted to be able to enjoy a gorgeous book at home, reminding us of all the wonderful places we'd seen.

I recently bought a fantastic book at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called Art and Architecture, Venice. There is a book in the same series on Rome and the Vatican City. It is by Marion Kaminski and published in Koln, Germany
but this is the American Edition. It is a small book but has wonderful pictures and maps and I would expect the one on Rome to be comparable. The best part is that it was inexpensive but better than much larger and costlier ones I have seen.

bryarsmom,

I have another interesting book about Rome...: VIEWS OF ROME THEN AND NOW" , 41 etching in black and white by the famous Venetian architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi,(1720-1778) and corresponding 20 century photgraphs by Herschel Levit.
In the Piranesi etchings of the eighteen hundred show the famous Ancient Sites in decay, some were used as a pasture for horses, sheeps etc.. and at the same times it show the photos of the same sites of as we see them today in the 21 century. It is a really interesting book and the etching by Piranesi are excellent...

The Metropolitan Museum has in its sale bin right now a large-scale version of
Rome Art and Architecture. It's gorgeous, price is down to $49 I think.
Try their website, or give the shop a call.

Check out Amazon for Rome 360. Price was about one third less than that in Barnes and Noble. If not Amazon, Powells in Portland, OR
Also terrific are New York, Venice and Paris 360.

Hi there, we have a couple of books on Rome. 1-ROME-Art & Architecture-published by 'Könemann'.This is a large tabletop book, lovely. 2-Rome- Art & Architecture-also published by 'Könemann', but this is a small square book which also includes some maps and locations of where to find the art. there is also a Tuscany version of this book which was very helpful before our last trip to Italy(Oct.2003). 3-ANCIENT ROME- Monuments past and present-published by 'Vision'. This is a book with overlays that is truly facsinating. 4-INSIDE THE VATICAN- published by National Geographic Society. And though #5 isn't a picture book I thought I would take this oportunity to suggest a guide book-ROME IN DETAIL. We have had CITY SECRETS ROME for years and now have the florence/Venice and the towns of Italy version.
CinCin

A friend of mine has this wonderful big book with beautiful photographs, primarily of ruins -- lots of pictures in the forum, the colliseum, the Hippodrome, etc. Then there are pages of transparent overlays that fold over each one, showing how each looked in its time. I'd love to find that book, but he's had it for years and it was a gift.

I just recently bought a fantastic book on Rome for my coffee table called "Rome: A Guide to the Eternal City" by Sofia Pescarin. It is the perfect size (8 1/2" W x 12" L), hardcover with lots of wonderful color photographs interspersed with interesting text and quips, including a glossary in the back! The book is printed in Italy. Even better, you can find it on sale now at Barnes&Noble for only $6.98 (regular $27+). It makes a great gift - I bought several for my Italian friends in the States and they love the book (so do I!)

While I can understand looking at picture coffee table books..try to find a copy of H V Morton's " A Traveler in Rome". It will bring Rome into your life like no picture book can.

Hello. You should by all means pick up "Rome 360" by Boccazzi-Varotto. It is a fantastic book, with panoramic photos, some of which appear on successive pages that spread out up to six pages wide. Unfortunately, the book, once published by Random House, is out of print and I was able to locate it only on Amazon.com. It is however half the regular price and was delivered in two days. Another interesting title is "Views of Rome" by Steven Brooke. This one is photos of Rome based on historical paintings/prints, available through Rizzoli bookstore in NYC, a great source of all things Italian. Buona fortuna!