Rome

A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History

By: Robert Hughes

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

From the beginning, Rome was a hotbed of power, overweening ambition, desire, political genius, and corruption. Hughes details the turbulent years that saw the formation of empire and the establishment of the sociopolitical system, along the way providing colorful portraits of all the major figures, both political and cultural. For almost a thousand years, Rome would remain the most politically important, richest, and largest city in the Western world.

Having established itself as the artistic and spiritual center of the world, Rome in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries saw artists from all over Europe converging on the bustling city, even while it was caught up in the nationalistic turmoil of the Italian independence struggle and war against France.

Hughes keeps the momentum going right into the 20th century, when Rome witnessed the rise and fall of Italian Fascism and Mussolini, and took on yet another identity in the postwar years as the fashionable city of "La Dolce Vita". Equal parts idolizing, blasphemous, outraged, and awestruck, Rome is a portrait of the Eternal City as only Robert Hughes could paint it.

©2011 Robert Hughes (P)2021 Tantor

Absolutely fantastic

One of the best audiobook I’ve read and choose to the best book on Ancient Rome. Just loved every minute

Amazing Listen for anyone interested in the history of Rome or Art

Wow, super good. This is coming from someone who almost exclusively reads/listens to fiction. It is not dry at all and entirely captivating.

Great author

Not enough Audible books by this author .. he has so many books?! Can someone publish more?! The story is as rich as Rome!

Brilliant and enjoyable overview

Robert Hughes is always a wonderful read or listen— knowledgeable opinionated clever. He sweeps through Rome’s history with punctuated zeroing in on some things while hardly mentioning others. But the overall effect is very satisfying- like a very very long dinner discussion with someone with a lot of knowledge and many opinions and personal observations.

Entertaining and well done.

I enjoyed that the author included his opinions along with history. Includes historical periods, figures, movements. I could have listened for another 24 hours.