Why do we care about Roman roads? In a preview of her new book, The Roads to Rome: A History (out June 2024), Catherine Fletcher explores their cultural significance in the two millennia since their original construction, bringing the history to life through tales of pilgrims, soldiers, artists and writers, and recounting her own travels from Scotland to Cádiz to Istanbul and back to Rome.

Catherine Fletcher is Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University and currently Balsdon Fellow at the British School at Rome. She is the author of several books on early modern European history, most recently The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance (Vintage), published in Italian by Garzanti as Il Libro Nero del Rinascimento. She first came to the BSR as Rome Fellow in 2009-10 and subsequently held posts at the European University Institute and the universities of Durham, Sheffield and Swansea before taking up her current chair in 2020. Catherine is a regular broadcaster and podcaster, including for BBC Radio 3 and 4, and is committed to bringing the best historical research to wider publics.

The event will be held both online and in-person. Register to attend the event online.