AA. VV. - Cose Maravigliose ... di Roma - 1600

Rome as the theater of the world, that is, the great beauty of the Eternal City.
This rare seventeenth-century edition of the Marvelous Things of the Soul of the City of Rome returns the image of Rome perceived as a total space of memory, faith, and universal history. An urban guide and at the same time a symbolic narrative, the work accompanies the reader on an itinerary that intertwines classical antiquities, churches, relics, and sacred topography, translating the city into a true “amphitheatre of the world.” The wood engravings, simple yet strongly evocative, do not serve merely an illustrative function, but build a visual imagination intended for pilgrims, scholars, and the curious of the early seventeenth century.
Market value
In the market for old books, the Roman editions dating from the transition between the Cinque and Seicento of Cose maravigliose are particularly sought after for their documentary and iconographic value, especially when they preserve the original woodcut apparatus. In this specimen, despite evident flaws and declared restorations, the presence of the illustrated frontispiece, the numerous engravings, and a decorative modern binding make it possible to place the commercial valuation, in the current context, within an indicative price range between €1,500 and €3,000, taking into account the structural defects and the incomplete collation.

Physical description and condition
Woodcut vignette on the title page, initials, and numerous woodcut illustrations in the text. Condition problematic but consistent with use: marginal restorations to the first leaves and starting from fascicle O, last leaves with restorations and missing pieces, widespread browning and foxing. Modern leather binding, gold title on the spine, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers; very slight defects in the binding. Lot not collated, sold as is and not subject to return. In old books, with a history spanning centuries, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Pp. (6); 8nn; 354; 4nn; (4).

Full title and author
The marvelous things of the soul of the city of Rome.
Rome, at the request of Gio. Antonio Franzini, 1600.
Dear all

Context and Significance
The text belongs to the very fortunate tradition of Roman guides, born between the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance and continually updated to respond to the needs of pilgrims and visitors to post-Tridentine Rome. The work combines topographic description, devotion, and antiquarian wonder, offering a reading of the city as a synthesis of Christianity and classicism. In this sense, the Marvelous Things are not only a guide, but a cultural device that helps fix the symbolic image of Rome as the center of the world.

Biography of the Author
The work is anonymous, as is often the case for Roman guides of the period, the result of a layered compilation tradition. The central role is played by the publisher-printer, who updates and adapts the text to the needs of the contemporary audience.

Printing history and circulation
Printed in Rome at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the work underwent numerous reprints and variants, a sign of wide diffusion. The copies that have reached us often show defects, gaps, or restorations, testimony to intensive use as a reference and travel book.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Cicognara, Catalog raisonné of books on art and antiquities.
Schudt, The Guides of Rome.
Rossetti, Sacred Rome and Ancient Rome in Guides from the Sixteenth to the Seventeenth Century.