"Angels and Demons" tour: a novel approach to Rome

Published: 2004-12-30

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The day is fast approaching when tourists circling Rome might be seen with their noses stuck between the pages of a Dan Brown novel rather than a Rick Steves' or Fodor's guide. It has already happened in Paris. Staff at the Louvre and the Church of St. Sulpice said they are approached daily by Holy Grail seekers clutching worn copies of Brown's novel, "The Da Vinci Code." The demand for details about the artwork and architecture featured in Brown's best-selling novel caught most Parisian curators by surprise, so earlier this year some enterprising organizations started to offer "The Da Vinci Code" tours. The tours seek to retrace the steps of Brown's fictional hero, Harvard professor of religious symbology Robert Langdon and to juxtapose reality against the myths or factual errors in Brown's murder mysteries. Now the same idea has come to Rome. As of Dec. 28, a guided tour based on Brown's other best-selling conspiracy novel, "Angels and Demons," was offered.

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