Spike is a lawyer and historian who has lived in Florence since 1989, and has collaborated with her husband, John T. Spike, on numerous books about Italian painters. She presents a biography of Matilda of Canossa, Countess of Tuscany (1046-1115). Known primarily for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor and her relationship with Pope Gregory VII, she was a political figure in her own right, and is one of only five women with a tomb near the apostle Peter's. The text is written as a journal of Spike's travels to the ruins, monasteries, and the streets of eight medieval cities that were the scenes of Matilda's life--Mantua, Florence, Rome, Canossa, Salerno, Speyer, Lucca, and Modena. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)