Hidden by the ancient city and by the extravagances of the baroque period, medieval Rome has for long suffered undeserved discredit. From the time of the Renaissance, the prevailing image of Rome was of a city sunk in neglect amidst the scattered ruins of antiquity. Numerous observers took pleasure in stressing the greed, narrowness of spirit and ignorance of medieval Romans and in contrasting their supposed failings with the heroic virtues of their distant forebears. However, the Eternal City and its inhabitants merit a far different approach. Medieval Rome needs to be studied anew and to be seen as an equal to the other great cities of communal Italy: Florence, Milan and Venice. This is the challenging task which Jean-Claude Maire Vigueur undertook in writing this book which brings to life the largely unknown city of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.