A beautiful two-part volume describing and illustrating the ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque monuments and buildings of Rome. This is the most complete version of these guides printed by Michelangelo and Piervicenzo de Rossi, whose guides greatly improved upon their predecessors. According to Rossetti (Vol. I, G-1052), “the number of plates may vary from copy to copy.” In this series, both volumes have engraved title pages and a total of 19 added engraved plates: 7 in the first volume and 12 in the second. The other two series I have discussed had the same number and distribution of plates. At least one example is recorded with 9 plates in the first volume and 13 in the second. Of the various editions of these guides published by de Rossi, this appears to have the greatest number of added plates. As with all two-volume Roman guides, the individual volumes were available separately. Complete sets in contemporary bindings are now scarce.
The Roman guides published by Michelangelo and Piervicenzo de Rossi marked the culmination of a long series of developments in illustrated guides to Rome. Beginning in the late sixteenth century with the guides produced by Girolamo Franzini and his heirs, pilgrims and tourists visiting the newly flourishing Eternal City could purchase increasingly accurate guides to Rome's ancient and contemporary wonders.