Angels and Demons - Dan Brown's reign of terror continues

At Quantum of Solace last weekend, I saw the Angels & Demons trailer. Granted, several friends insist that it's better than The Da Vinci Code (wow, way to clear that bar, D.B.). What interests me is that the Vatican famously refused to let those heretics besmirch the holy city. The Times analyzed Rome's tourism gamble earlier this year.

Telling quote:

Mistakes and leaps of imagination aside, Ms. Prestipino, Rome’s tourism official, said she would like to do something for the film’s 2009 release. “It would make sense to have a promotional event where the movie was shot,” she said.

But others counter that Rome needs no advertising.

The Rev. Antonio Truda, the parish priest at Santa Maria del Popolo, marvels that anyone would come to his church just because its Chigi Chapel, decorated by Raphael and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is mentioned in a book. The church has masterpieces by Pinturicchio and Caravaggio, and an average of 2,500 people come by each day.

“I hate to be rude, but I really don’t think people come to a church like this because of ‘Angels and Demons,’ ” he said.