What did the city of Rome mean to ancient Romans? The writings of Roman writers Cicero, Virgil, Juvenal and others, have played a vital part in determining responses to the city both in their own time and in later centuries. This book explores a wide range of descriptions of the city from later periods as well as from antiquity.

The city of Rome is built not only of bricks and marble but also of the words of its writers. For the ancient inhabitant or visitor, the buildings of Rome, the public spaces of the city were crowded with meanings and associations.