Not Built in a Day

Exploring the Architecture of Rome

This book is a unique, eye-opening guide to one of the world's most magnificent cities, celebrating the special character of Rome's buildings, fountains, piazzas, streets, and ruins with illuminating insight and irresistible enthusiasm - for the first-time sightseer, the frequent visitor, or the armchair traveler. Not Built in a Day moves beyond the names, dates, and statistics of the traditional guidebook to provide a loving, personal, and instructive analysis of the architectural pleasures of Rome. Twelve walking tours profile some two hundred sites within Rome's ancient walls, all described in prose that is fresh, witty, and discerning. From the largest piazza down to the smallest fountain, George H. Sullivan's essays explore the city with an engagingly appraising eye, enabling readers to see exactly what makes the architecture of Rome so important and so memorable. Sophisticated enough for those well versed in architecture, yet written in language accessible to all readers, this extraordinary guide is a deeply felt homage to Rome and its fascinating two-thousand-year history. In addition to detailed maps for the twelve walking tours, this wonderful edition comes illustrated with classical etchings.