A beautiful two-part volume describing and illustrating ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque monuments and buildings in Rome. This is the most comprehensive version of these guides printed by Michelangelo and Piervicenzo de Rossi, whose guides greatly improved upon the earlier ones. 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 additional 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 copy 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 additional 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 16th 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.