All roads lead to Rome and in Catherine Fletcher’s new book The Roads to Rome: A History of Imperial Expansion she takes readers on a journey through thousands of miles and hundreds of years of Roman history.
The Roads of Rome begins exploring the construction of the Roman road network, emphasizing the sheer scale of the ambitious undertaking and its lasting impact on the European landscape. Fletcher then embarks on a chronological journey, tracing the paths that have followed these original routes throughout history.
The first few chapters cover most of the medieval era, focusing on pilgrims and crusaders as they travel across Europe. Telling tales of the pilgrims traveling along the roads and Crusaders marching to the Holy Land.
The Roads to Rome isn’t strictly a historical view, it is also a captivating travel journal. Fletcher’s first hand account of her travels along various roads brings the history to life in the present day. The detailed anecdotes and personal stories add to the rich narrative of the history.
As Fletcher ends her walk through the middle ages she travels forward in time to the Renaissance, the Napoleonic era and into the 20th Century. She even examines how the roman roads influenced the early Americans as they developed North American infrastructure. Mixing historical tales with personal stories along the routes.
Additionally, Fletcher provides insight on how art and architecture have played pivotal roles in defining Roman identity. Her analysis encourages readers to appreciate not only what they see when they visit modern-day Rome but also the history waiting to be uncovered.
The Roads to Rome is a fascinating look at the Roman roads and how they shaped the landscape of history for thousands of years.
The Roads to Rome is a recommended read for anyone interested in history, travel, and the enduring human connection to the past. It is a testament to the power of roads to shape civilizations and leave an indelible mark on the human experience.
The Roads to Rome Synopsis
‘All roads lead to Rome.‘ It’s a medieval proverb, but it’s also true: today’s European roads still follow the networks of the ancient empire, as Rome’s extraordinary legacy continues to grip our imaginations.
Over the two thousand years since they were first built, the roads have been walked by crusaders and pilgrims, liberators and dictators, but also by tourists and writers, refugees and artists. As channels of trade and travel, and routes for conquest and creativity, Catherine Fletcher shows how the roads forever transformed the cultures, and intertwined the fates, of a vast panoply of people across Europe and beyond.
Reflecting on his own walk on the Appian Way, Charles Dickens observed that here is ‘a history in every stone that strews the ground.’ Based on outstanding original research, and brimming with life and drama, this is the first book to explore two thousand years of history through one of the greatest imperial networks ever built.
Medieval Archives gives The Roads to Rome 3.5 out of 5 stars
Disclaimer: Medieval Archives received a complimentary copy of The Roads to Rome for review purposes
You can purchase a copy of The Roads to Rome on Amazon.com.
Catherine gave a great lecture on The Roads to Rome at the British School of Rome. Pick up the book and watch the lecture below. The lecture is a great companion to the book as Catharine shows more pictures of the her travels that are described in the book.
About the Author
Catherine Flecther
a historian of Renaissance and early modern Europe, is the author of several books, including The Black Prince of Florence; The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance; and The Divorce of Henry VIII.
She is a professor of history at Manchester Metropolitan University and broadcasts regularly for the BBC. Her impeccably researched and entertaining books have been featured with laudatory review coverage in both America and Britain. Catherine lives in Manchester, England.
