About the Book

An admiring, handsomely illustrated guide to one of the world’s most magnificent cities, conveying the beauty of Rome’s buildings, fountains, piazzas, streets, and ruins with a unique enthusiasm, for the first-time sightseer, the frequent visitor, or the armchair traveler.

In the spirit of John Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice, Not Built in a Day moves beyond the form of the traditional travel guidebook to provide loving, personal, and instructive analyses of the architectural masterpieces of Rome. Twelve walking tours profile some two hundred sites, describing piazzas, streets, fountains, and ancient ruins as well as important buildings, all accompanied by handsome classical engravings from such artists as Piranesi, Vasi, and Falda. Travel writer George H. Sullivan combines architectural and historical detail with exceptional insight into the aesthetic qualities that make Rome one of the world’s most beloved cities. Sullivan’s essays are entertaining and informative — sophisticated enough for those well versed in architecture, yet written in language accessible to all readers. A deeply felt homage to Rome and a stirring proof of architecture’s exalted place among the arts.