Talking Location With… author Harry Sidebottom – Ancient Rome

7th March 2018

#TalkingLocationWith… author Harry Sidebottom, Ancient Rome, the setting for his new historical novel The Last Hour… how to find inspiration in modern Rome for to inform an historical storyline.

Ballista seeks refuge in a ground floor barber`s shop, but is discovered.

In The Last Hour, my new novel, the evocation of the city of Rome is just as important as character and plot. I try to visit the location of every scene in all my novels. A `boots on the ground` approach can be an incredible help in understanding the topography. It allows the writer to understand how the various bits come together; how the buildings interrelate with each other and the natural features. It gives a sense of scale. The ancient centre of Rome is surprisingly compact. Above all actually being there gives the atmosphere and stimulates the imagination. Every time I stay in Rome, I am struck by the scream of gulls, and reminded how close the eternal city is to the sea.

Ballista descends into the Street of the Sandalmakers

Yet it is no good just travelling and hoping for the best. There is a lot of work to be done in the study and in libraries first. Researching The Last Hour, the first of many books I read was Rome: A Living Portrait of an Ancient City by S.L. Dyson (2010), which provides an ideal introduction. In The Last Hour the hero, Ballista, has twenty four hours to get across the city to prevent the assassination of the Emperor, and to save his own family. The City Watch have orders to arrest him, while other, more sinister, figures want him dead. Planning his route A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome by L. Richardson (1992) was invaluable.

Before leaving on a research trip, I mark on photocopied maps where the characters go in each scene. It makes it easier to follow in their footsteps when there, and reminds me where I need to take the photographs that will be vital when back at home writing. Walking the streets of modern Rome, while trying to imagine the past, the best guide to have in your hands is Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide by Amanda Claridge (2^nd ed., 2010).

Ballista`s race against time in The Last Hour begins at the Mausoleum of Hadrian (the modern Castel Saint Angelo). He has until sunset the next day to get to the Colosseum. As he is hunted across the seven hills, he passes, hides in, or has to fight his way out of, many of the most famous monuments, including the Forum and the Palatine.

The only way to escape is across the rooftops.

A modern reader might prefer to remain on terra firma, leave the Markets of Trajan by the front door, and turn right, then right again. In the narrow road that runs behind the walls of the imperial Fora are a couple of wonderful restaurants. Both are priced for locals, and are infinitely cheaper than the tourist traps where the hordes gather overlooking the major sites.

Thank you so much to Harry for sharing a fascinating insight into how to research setting.

You can follow Harry on Facebook and via his website

Do come and join team TripFiction on Social Media:

Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)

And for more books to transport you back in time in Rome, just access the TripFiction Database

Subscribe to future blog posts