author
Mariano Colagrossi
1871–1935
An Italian Franciscan writer and historian, he is best remembered for a rich early-20th-century study of the Colosseum that blends scholarship with a feel for Rome’s long memory. His work opens a window onto how one religious scholar interpreted the ancient world for modern readers.
1 Audiobook
L'anfiteatro Flavio nei suoi venti secoli di storia
by Mariano Colagrossi
About the author
Born in 1871 and deceased in 1935, Mariano Colagrossi was an Italian author whose surviving bibliographic records identify him as a Franciscan. The picture that emerges is of a religious scholar with a strong interest in history, especially the Christian and classical past of Rome.
His best-known work today is L'anfiteatro Flavio nei suoi venti secoli di storia, a substantial book on the history of the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum. A later description of the book notes that it was published in 1913 and presents both the history and the legends of the monument across twenty centuries.
Although detailed biographical information appears to be scarce in the sources available online, Colagrossi’s published work suggests a writer intent on making historic places legible to general readers. For listeners drawn to books where faith, history, and the city of Rome meet, his work still carries a distinctive period charm.