One of the earliest European printed books was a tourist guide to Rome. Ranging from information on ancient ruins, fallen temples and classical bathhouses to the place where an emperor “saw a vision in the sky”, Mirabilia Urbis Romae (Marvels of the City of Rome) was written in Latin in the early 12th century.

The popular text was reproduced in dozens of manuscripts and was printed and published in the mid-1470s, a mere two decades after the Gutenberg Bible. As with many a menu in modern-day Rome, English, French, German and Italian versions were available.