Overview

Brimming with life and drama, this is the first book to explore two thousand years of European history through one the greatest imperial networks ever built 'A delightful, novel and authoritative history from the ground up' JUDITH HERRIN 'Epic and witty ... Fletcher is a thoroughly enjoyable narrator because she peppers her learned prose with wry humour' TOBIAS JONES, Observer 'Fletcher is a rare thing: an academic who writes beautifully and accessibly about big subjects ... utterly riveting, filled with golden nuggets' CHARLIE CONNELLY, New European '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.

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9781847928030

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Reviews

This is history quite literally following in the footsteps of the past: covering and uncovering the ways in which the Roman road network has become part of the DNA of every society since. It’s a magical and informative ode to the majesty and mystical power of the humble roadway. -- Michael Scott * Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick * The Roads to Rome is a vibrant, captivating and rich compendium. Catherine Fletcher is an essential guide to the many hidden layers of history beneath our feet. -- Kelcey Wilson-Lee * author of DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness -- Simon Sebag Montefiore on The Beauty and the Terror Terrifying and fascinating * Sunday Times on The Beauty and the Terror * In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY * Exactly the alternative history you might wish for * Daily Telegraph on The Beauty and the Terror *

epic and witty ... Fletcher is a thoroughly enjoyable narrator because she peppers her learned prose with wry humour, first-person asides and comparisons between past and present ... The Roads to Rome is a nuanced and perceptive book that interrogates “the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are”. -- Tobias Jones * Observer * Roman roads run everywhere, and Fletcher has been on most of them ... It has been her labour of love to crisscross an entire continent ... Fletcher's book is an exemplar of history as travelogue. It presents a familiar panorama - of Europe since antiquity - but from an unfamiliar, even original perspective. -- Miles Pattenden * Literary Review * after many years of study and the flowering of an academic career, Fletcher has produced this terrifically researched, sweeping study into the idea (or conception) of the Roman road * Unseen Histories * With verve and expertise, Catherine Fletcher has tramped the far-flung Roman roads of Europe and created a delightful, novel and authoritative history from the ground up. -- Judith Herrin * author of BYZANTIUM * Past and present cleverly entwine in Catherine Fletcher’s erudite, entertaining and infinitely readable journey along the roads that stitch Europe’s history together. -- Helena Attlee * author of THE LAND WHERE LEMONS GROW * This is history quite literally following in the footsteps of the past: covering and uncovering the ways in which the Roman road network has become part of the DNA of every society since. It’s a magical and informative ode to the majesty and mystical power of the humble roadway. -- Michael Scott * Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick * The Roads to Rome is a vibrant, enchanting and rich compendium. Catherine Fletcher is an essential guide to the many hidden layers of history beneath our feet. -- Kelcey Wilson-Lee * author of DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY *

This is history quite literally following in the footsteps of the past: covering and uncovering the ways in which the Roman road network has become part of the DNA of every society since. It’s a magical and informative ode to the majesty and mystical power of the humble roadway. -- Michael Scott * Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick * In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness -- Simon Sebag Montefiore on The Beauty and the Terror Terrifying and fascinating * Sunday Times on The Beauty and the Terror * Exactly the alternative history you might wish for * Daily Telegraph on The Beauty and the Terror *

In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness -- Simon Sebag Montefiore on The Beauty and the Terror Terrifying and fascinating * Sunday Times on The Beauty and the Terror * Exactly the alternative history you might wish for * Daily Telegraph on The Beauty and the Terror *

Past and present cleverly entwine in Catherine Fletcher’s erudite, entertaining and infinitely readable journey along the roads that stitch Europe’s history together. -- Helena Attlee * author of THE LAND WHERE LEMONS GROW * This is history quite literally following in the footsteps of the past: covering and uncovering the ways in which the Roman road network has become part of the DNA of every society since. It’s a magical and informative ode to the majesty and mystical power of the humble roadway. -- Michael Scott * Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick * The Roads to Rome is a vibrant, enchanting and rich compendium. Catherine Fletcher is an essential guide to the many hidden layers of history beneath our feet. -- Kelcey Wilson-Lee * author of DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY * Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * on THE BEAUTY AND THE TERROR *

In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY * Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness -- Simon Sebag Montefiore on The Beauty and the Terror Terrifying and fascinating * Sunday Times on The Beauty and the Terror * Exactly the alternative history you might wish for * Daily Telegraph on The Beauty and the Terror *

Epic and witty ... Fletcher is a thoroughly enjoyable narrator because she peppers her learned prose with wry humour, first-person asides and comparisons between past and present ... The Roads to Rome is a nuanced and perceptive book that interrogates “the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are” -- Tobias Jones * Observer * Roman roads run everywhere, and Fletcher has been on most of them ... It has been her labour of love to crisscross an entire continent ... Fletcher's book is an exemplar of history as travelogue. It presents a familiar panorama - of Europe since antiquity - but from an unfamiliar, even original perspective. -- Miles Pattenden * Literary Review * [A] rich narrative of the long afterlife of Rome's roads -- Michael Prodger * New Statesman * [A] terrifically researched, sweeping study into the idea (or conception) of the Roman road * Unseen Histories * With verve and expertise, Catherine Fletcher has tramped the far-flung Roman roads of Europe and created a delightful, novel and authoritative history from the ground up. -- Judith Herrin * author of BYZANTIUM * Past and present cleverly entwine in Catherine Fletcher’s erudite, entertaining and infinitely readable journey along the roads that stitch Europe’s history together. -- Helena Attlee * author of THE LAND WHERE LEMONS GROW * This is history quite literally following in the footsteps of the past: covering and uncovering the ways in which the Roman road network has become part of the DNA of every society since. It’s a magical and informative ode to the majesty and mystical power of the humble roadway. -- Michael Scott * Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick * The Roads to Rome is a vibrant, enchanting and rich compendium. Catherine Fletcher is an essential guide to the many hidden layers of history beneath our feet. -- Kelcey Wilson-Lee * author of DAUGHTERS OF CHIVALRY * Catherine Fletcher’s mastery of history and storytelling converge beautifully in this captivating exploration of the Roman roads. She expertly leads us on a journey that reaches from Rome to Spain to Constantinople, and from the remote past into the present. A must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike. -- Ross King * author of THE BOOKSELLER OF FLORENCE * In her magnificently imagined and vividly composed book, Catherine Fletcher gives new meaning to the word journeyman (these days journeyperson). Among her pages, we journey the thousands of miles of Roman roads from 500 BCE to the present and are never made timeless or homeless. Fletcher offers us justification for an infinity of plannable holidays or long hours of cosy reading at home. All readers should direct themselves to her Romes. -- Richard Bosworth * author of MUSSOLINI'S ITALY *

Author Information

Catherine Fletcher is a historian of Renaissance and early modern Europe and the author of several previous books, including most recently The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance, which was a Book of the Year (2020) in The Times. Catherine is Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University and broadcasts regularly for the BBC.

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