Your basket is currently empty!
Sale!
Blue Guide Rome
Fully updated twelfth edition of this classic and indispensable Blue Guide to Rome and the Vatican City: its history, monuments, art, architecture and way of life. Rome may be the Eternal City but it is constantly evolving, with exciting archaeological discoveries being made, monuments restored and opened to the public and museums rearranged. The latest […]
Please choose if you’d like to buy print directly from us (if available; UK only) or from Amazon, or pick the digital format you need. The content of each format is the same.
Fully updated twelfth edition of this classic and indispensable Blue Guide to Rome and the Vatican City: its history, monuments, art, architecture and way of life. Rome may be the Eternal City but it is constantly evolving, with exciting archaeological discoveries being made, monuments restored and opened to the public and museums rearranged. The latest developments are all covered in this new edition, which also visits the ruins of Ostia, the port of ancient Rome, and Tivoli, with its famous gardens, fountains and classical ruins.
Alta Macadam is a long-standing and highly acclaimed author of Blue Guides to Italy. She is joined by series editor Annabel Barber and by contributors on special aspects of Roman history, art and the papacy.
A select and well-chosen list of places to eat and stay is also included, along with practical tips on getting around the city.
Look Inside
33 reviews for Blue Guide Rome
Additional Information
| Author | Alta Macadam, Annabel Barber |
|---|---|
| Edition | 12 |
| ISBN (Digital) | 9781910480731 |
| ISBN (print) | 9781905131877 |
| Print Pages | 703 |
| Publication Year | 2020 |
Anne Redmon via Amazon –
We bought the Blue Guide to Rome for our second visit to the city in six months: this was because the Michelin Guide we had used before gave us only cursory information on the sites we had visited then. Rome was not, of course, built in a day and any of its major treasures certainly take at least half a day to see adequately. The Blue Guide is scholarly and perhaps too heavy-weight for quick tourism but if you have been bitten by the Roman bug and really want to delve then this is for you. It is written in clear language and the index makes it easy for you to dive in at any level you want. Now I have come home I want to pick it up again and pore over it, revisiting in my mind the places that we saw. We were particularly interested in San Clemente. My husband visited it alone in December because I had a tummy bug at the time and he had only the Michelin for company. This time we went together and spent an entire morning there with the Blue Guide taking us all the way from the Temple of Mithras on the lowest level right up to the stunning mosaics in the church itself. We could hardly tear ourselves away.
John D. Wynn via Amazon –
Not for the superficial or uninitiated.
The Blue Guides are uniformly outstanding, but you have to know what you are getting: detailed descriptions of art and architecture with myriad discussions of dates and names and places and little background for the less initiated. This is not for the casual reader with a superficial knowledge of history and little interest in every duke, lord, prince and princeling, architect, architect’s assistant, architect’s mentor or mid-career vs later-career predilection. It’s a dense, heavy book to lug around, and the extra effort is amply rewarded – if this is the kind of detail that you like.
Kurt Schweighauser via Amazon –
Excellent guide to Rome. I recently spent a week there and good this book everywhere. The last day I went to the Vatican and hired a tour guide. There were 25 people in the group, but with the help of the Blue Guide, I didn’t miss anything.
Rich72 via Amazon –
Buy this guide for Rome travel
I swear by the paperback editions of this guide, of which I have had two different one. Thrilled to see it available as a e-book, I purchased it immediately. This guide is the a thorough and comprehensive travel reference, with details other books simply ignore, figuring their users are real dilettantes. This is a serious book. We visit Rome for several months every year and always have a copy of it on hand. Now with the e-book, I can quickly access to Rome information with a couple of clicks. Will be great for walking around central Rome and all of its neighborhoods.
e-Edition.
G.B. Piranesi via Amazon –
The Gold Standard for guidebooks to Rome.
Just arrived today in my mailbox, and am thoroughly pleased. Layout, image quality and substantially updated information makes this the guidebook of reference for the Eternal City. As erudite as ever, but more user-friendly than previous editions, this is the one to get.
GerryR via Amazon –
The ultimate DETAILED art and sights guide.
The Blue Guide is all about DETAILS; about the many many sights you could see when in Rome. This is NOT about where to eat or stay or how to get around, but about what there is to see – who built it, when and why – who painted it or carved it and how it all fits into the big picture. Very authoritative and accurate.
cubby43 via Amazon –
Superb.
Excellent detailed guide, just the right amount of information for me, thorough but in no way boring, very well written, very nicely laid out and organised, much better than the more common big name guidebooks in my opinion, indispensable.
susanna majolino via Amazon –
The blue guide is One of the best books I’ve ever read About my mervellous city!! It is very well written, clear and with many details!!
J. Mark via Amazon –
30 years ago, LP was the only guide book I used. I’d read that Blue Guides were “dry”, but the on-line previews seemed to have much more depth. Purchased 4, for each of the major cities in Italy which we visited.
Pros: They are terrific! Substantial detail in art, architecture, and history, intelligently written, and without any apparent “PC” bias, which negatively effects so many guidebooks. We had other folks surreptitiously listening in when I’d read out the descriptions as we went; much of the content of other guidebooks seems to be cribbed from the Blues. Far, far more detail than the other guidebooks we had with us; Blue would often have full entries on sites the others did not even (or barely) mentioned. Cannot say enough about the fantastic wealth of information & detail on nearly every site; often as much or more than the local tour guides! We never felt the need for a guide except in the 1 or 2 locations Blue actually recommended it!
Cons: A little light on practical “getting there” and “where to stay” type information, but I do like that the Blues assumption is that you’re not a timid, fearful tourist & can figure some basics out for yourself. They’re big & heavy, so perhaps I’m going with the downloadable next time, tho I love the ability to re-read them at home.
When combined with any other guidebook that excels in the practical traveler’s type info (such as LP, Rough, Fodor/Frommer, etc. – your preference), the Blue Guides provide the excellent, in-depth detail into at what you’re actually looking.
Edwin Tomlinson via Amazon –
Book in excellent condition and up to date. A good buy.
a y pasha via Amazon –
Best guide book out there for Rome, tells you everything and more, on loan to 4th person now, all impressed.
Samantha S. Birk via Amazon –
Outstanding guide for the scholar in all of us!.
I have used Blue Guides for years and they are excellent! They provide a detailed historical information in a concise and brief format that is easy to read. Besides solid information and historical context, they also have excellent recommendations for dining, accommodations, and things to do.The diagrams are very useful help you ‘peel back’ the layers on what you are seeing. Compared to other guides, I find Blue guides to be far more comprehensive and easy to use.
Erin via Amazon –
Excellent reference book for my recent trip to Rome! Three of each had our own copy and we poured over it the entire trip. It includes historical facts on the may ancient sights to see in Rome as well as current dining and shopping recommendations. If you are planning a trip, I recommend grabbing the Blue Guide.