Knopf Guide: Rome (Knopf Guides)

You can lose yourself in a guide, but you won't get lost in the city. -- Town & Country

Once the most powerful city in the world, the heart of an empire that stretched from northern Africa to England, the Rome of today stands as an unforgettable reminder of the birth of Western civilization. Rome is a city unsurpassed in its legacy of art and architecture, yet its nightclubs and fantastic restaurants such has Alfredo's (with its signature fettucine) prove there is still plenty of life in this city that sits along the banks of the Tiber.

Everything you want to know about Rome is here: the Vatican ceremonies, secret gardens from a by-gone era, and walking tours from the breathtaking Piazza Novana to the Forum and Trastevere. Discover the beautifully proportioned piazzas, centuries-old churches, magnificent palazzos, and unsurpassed displays of mosaics, frescoes and statues, as well as the sidewalk cafes and shops along the Via Condotti. Enjoy the city's charm -- palm trees against crumbling ochre-colored walls, the golden vista of obelisks and domes at sunset, cats asleep in the Teatro Pompeii where Julius Caesar met his fate in 44 BC -- and marvel at its modern-day brio.