Pontifical Swiss Guard presents ... a book like no other. From the elite protectors of the Popes and Defenders of the Faith for more than 500 years, a unique collection of exceptional recipes from simple to sublime, everyday staples to holiday feasts. Here are the classics served at Vatican tables for centuries and the finest of modern cuisine. Best of all, we pay tribute to Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and Holy Pope John Paul II with the personal...

"Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The wave of revolution that had swept through Europe now seemed poised to end the popes' thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. Disguising himself as a simple parish priest, Pius escaped through a back door. Climbing inside the Bavarian ambassador's carriage, he embarked...