Rome - Tapa dura

In pages of trenchant prose, Hughes chronicles the art and architecture of Rome from the Emperor Augustus to Federico Fellini. This is quite an undertaking but Hughes is an entertaining, if at times highly opinionated critic (SPECTATOR)

in this Herculean undertaking, Hughes has captured much of the true spirit of Rome: the aspiration to great achievement despite obstacles, setbacks or failures (PROSPECT)

informative and entertaining (EVENING STANDARD)

If visiting Rome, you should certainly take this passionate, erudite bruiser's Baedeker with you - a superbly rich blend of history, art and travelogue (SUNDAY TIMES)

We enjoy reading Hughes precisely because he avoids an of that corseted coyness which characterises too much art history writing nowadays. Thankfully not having to worry about securing professional tenure at a university or gaining a coveted gallery curatorship, he can speak with the candour of a visceral enthusiasm, savaging mediocrity and rhapsodically defending excellence (LITERARY REVIEW)

His love and knowledge of the city stand forth (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

This authoratative and detailed cultural history of Rome is very readable despite being nearly 500 pages long...Robert Hughes loves to put forward his own opinions, which makes for a very personal view that is always entertaining (WE LOVE THIS BOOK)

A story that lasts almost 3,000 years and is pivotal to so much of Western civilisation requires a chronicler of well-nigh unattainable erudition, who can write with the skill needed to prevent readers from succumbing to a literary version of Stendhal syndrome. Mr Hughes, the Australian-born art critic of Time magazine, comes as near as anyone to fulfilling that job description and for much of this wide-ranging volume he succeeds magnificently (THE ECONOMIST)

A tour of the great city with a great guide: who could do this better? (David Sexton EVENING STANDARD)

The second half of the book is an engaging history of this wondrous city, very much in the tradition of The Shock of the New, packed full of sharp observation and trenchant one-liners, artfully and fearlessly told (Mary Beard THE GUARDIAN)