Hidden places, extraordinary stories—a journey into the Rome few ever see.

Bestselling author and Vatican insider Andreas Englisch takes us beyond the familiar sights of the Eternal City to places where history still lies just beneath the surface. Together with the young Roman Leo, he follows gladiators into their training arena, traces the footsteps of great artists through the Vatican Museums, and tells the stories of greedy and wise popes, hidden Etruscan frescoes, and the victors and the vanquished who have shaped the city's history. There is even room for the quirky humour of a God who may not exist at all, yet whose influence seems to extend from Rome to Silicon Valley, quietly shaping world events.

Thanks to his unrivalled access to the highest circles of the Vatican, Englisch opens doors that are normally closed to outsiders. Rome: Secrets of the Eternal City is a personal voyage of discovery through a city steeped in mystery, power, and faith, told with wit, insight, and a master storyteller's sense of drama. It reveals a side of Rome where the fate of the Church—and, in many ways, the world—continues to be decided.

A Macmillan Audiobook from Parkum Productions