num_pages: 357
description: Robert Brentano evokes papal Rome in all its paradox and complicated brilliance. From a detailed re-creation of the physical "town" with its series of brick campanili and green and purple mosaic floors, to the intrigues of the great families, like the Orsini and Colonna, the reader is guided through complex and fascinating culture. Brentano's skill lies in his ability to combine the story of the vaulting ambition of the great families, only mildly tempered by their very real religious piety, with a vivid reconstruction of everyday life in postclassical Rome.
language: English
title: Rome before Avignon: A Social History of Thirteenth-Century Rome
titlecomplete: Rome before Avignon: A Social History of Thirteenth-Century Rome
genres: Medieval, History, Italy
ratings_count: 11
awards: awardedAt: 157795200000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: History, awardedAt: 157795200000
name: Helen and Howard R. Marraro Prize
publisher: University of California Press