I read Journey into Michelangelo's Rome by Angela K Nickerson as part of Angela's virtual promotional tour. I'll be doing a live interview with Angela at the Europe a la Carte blog on Wednesday 11 June at 20:00 British Summer Time ( one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time).

The book is part of a the ArtPlace series which looks at the inter relationship between well known creative figures and the city from which they drew inspiration.

It's an interesting theme as you read the Michelangelo book you begin to see that that the genius of Michelangelo was perfectly timed with the desire of various Popes and other high profile figures in Florence and Rome to gain Immortality through Michelangelo's work.

A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome works well on many different levels. For me it was an introduction to the life and works of Michelangelo as I don't know much about art history. It was interesting to read about the changing tastes in art during Michelangelo's life time, for example how the classical nude changed from portraying the purity of soul and morality to being perceived as something to corrupt the mind and requiring the addition of strategically placed draping.


I was amazed to read that the star patterned pavements of the Piazza del Campidoglio. to me one of the defining features of the square, designed by Michelangelo, was only constructed in 1940. I thought of Michelangelo as painter and sculptor but didn't realise he had such architectural abilities. It's fascinating to read about the life of Michelangelo, how he appeared to financially support his entire family, his choice of friends and his loyalty to employees.

Rome is a wonderful city to visit and you can use the book to navigate your way around what remains of Michelangelo's Rome by using the maps in the book. You can join Angela as she guides small groups on her Travel to Michelangelo's Italy tours.

All in all it's a great book, educational and enlightening but still fun to read with loads of beautiful photos and snippets of additional information on specific topics.