'Through this refined and thorough research, Dey conveys an image of Rome which is not just a shallow background in the portrait of the pope (or of a few aristocratic families): quite the opposite, Medieval Rome is a composite mosaic of diverse social entities, each of them contributing with their individual stories to breathe its never-ending life in the lungs of the eternal city.' Paolo Tedesco, H-Soz-Kult
'Clear, organized, and enlivened by the occasional vivid rhetorical flourish, Dey's writing is a pleasure to read. … [The book] offers an excellent overview of Rome's history and physical transformation over a millennium that provides important correctives to Richard Krautheimer's influential account. It should serve us well for many years to come.' Ann van Dijk, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies