5 comments about City of the Soul: A Walk in Rome (Crown Journeys).

1. I finished this book wanting to read more - about Rome and about William Murray and his family. Shortly after finishing City of the Soul, we went to Rome and enjoyed many of the walks he described. Not only that, the maps on the end pages are excellent, and the small size of the book makes it an ideal book to take along.
   
   Murrays' mother was Italian and he grew up in Rome, although he was just as at home among Americans and British. While guiding us through central Rome and the discussing the history of the landmarks, he talks about growing up with his journalist mother and her lover. Murray's Rome is populated with artists and writers and this is both a great walking tour as well as a revealing journey of post-war Rome.



2. City of the Soul - I certainly have to concur with author Murray that Rome is a unique and wonderful place. This little book is a gentle pleasure to read. Not much new here, but there are some interesting factoids and it's nice to read of this man's personal attachment to a place that I also love. He's a good writer with the soul of an opera singer, which he originally wanted to become, and has a genuine talent for describing some of the very special locations that exist only in the eternal city.



3. Pictures about Rome are missing from this wonderful treasure of a book by prolific author, William Murray. He was half-Italian on his mother's side. Her family was from Rome, Italy with family ties still there. His maternal aunts and grandmother are interred in Rome. He has titled the book "City of the Soul" with good reason because it really is wonderfully rich city of life,vibrancy, history, and romance. He goes into personal details about his heterosexual romances with women and his adventures in Rome. Torn between his love of Rome and being an American too, he visits regularly and writes about walking the streets of Rome, past, present, and future. Rome has changed over the years. No longer is it the city where everybody remembers the famed Roman Empire, Rome is the capital of the Catholic Church empire now. Roman history is past. Today's history in Rome is still as fascinating. Rome is still trying to find itself in a world where Rome is a capital but one of many like Paris, Berlin, New York, London. In our world today, Rome is a major city and tourist attraction for Catholic pilgrims, Italianphiles, tourists, artists, etc. who come to marble at the architecture, shop at the finest fashions from Milan, see the cathedrals, stop at the majestic fountains, etc. Of course, it would have been nice to see pictures. It would make those of us who haven't been to Rome understand the desire more and more to see. Words say so much but pictures are so much better.



4. I enjoy reading books about Rome and its history, architecture, art and religious foundations. I appreciate constructive criticism and historical honesty in a book. This book, however, was disappointing in its repetitive and gratuitous criticism of most of the religious (Christian) aspects of Rome. In most instances the criticism was unneccessary for the story. I was left with the feeling that the author had an axe to grind. In fact "City Without a Soul" would have been a better title. The author's superfluous chapter describing his "love affair" with a married woman was baffling. I have no idea how those materials got past the editors.



5. This is an excellent, first-hand overview of Rome by an author who knew the city as a place to be lived in as well as to be visited. Without glossing over Rome's problems (which are not negligible), he presents a sympathetic and exciting portrait of the city from ground-level. This is an excellent source of information about what to see and what to look for. It is not a detailed guidebook, but there are enough of those around already. Reading Murray's book will whet the appetite of any prospective visitor.

5 comments about Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging.

1. I was very disappointed in this book. The information is very old and rather inadequate. The publisher should revise this book or withdraw it from the marketplace.



2. We have used this book as a starting point to plan seven trips to Italy over the past four years. For the most part, we have found the contact information reasonable accurate. We've found it still to be a very credible source, even though the information IS a couple of years old.

   A bit of advice based on our experiences.

   1. It may be helpful to send faxes during Italian business hours. Some of the convents seem to turn their faxes off during their night-time hours.
   2. When corresponding with the convents should include your e-mail address. Recently, we've noticed that many of the convents that we fax respond to us by e-mail. This simplifies things.
   3. Not all convents and monasteries answer faxes promptly. First, an overseas fax may be a significant expense for a non-profit religious organization. Second, if they have no vacancies, they may not respond. We've learned that if we don't get a response to a confirmed fax receipt, we may try once again or follow up by mail. If we still don't get a response, then we move on. Third, keep in mind that if they have a technical problem, their fax may be out of service for several days (or longer).




3. I traveled to Italy in October of 2002 and spent one month there, relying on Bed and Blessings for accurate information on where to stay inexpensively. I was truly dissapointed. I ended up finding fellow travellers to be a more reliable source of information than "Bed and Blessings."

   This book has not been updated since 1999 and over half the places I called did not have correct phone numbers in the book. Others were out of business or converted to hotels. Also, Italy now uses the Euro which is not listed in the book. One place listed in the book where I stayed, had fleas and they sufficiently dined on me. I fled the place the next morning to a local hotel.

   Julia needs to get busy updating the information in the book if she wants to continue to sell it as a useful reference. I would not buy it again unless it is updated.




4. My husband and I lived in Italy for three years from 2001 to 2004. We traveled so much we could not afford to stay at a "regular" hotel every time we traveled. "Bed and Blessings" was always the first source we turned to when we started planning a trip. We found it very reliable, though by the end of our tour of duty, it was already going out of date. Glad to see that it will be updated soon. We will definitely buy the new edition before we set off on our next trip to Italy.
   
   Each item generally contained everything we needed to know to decide if we wanted to stay there. We especially appreciated the maps and information on parking, as we often traveled by car.
   
   Staying in convents is not something a typical spoiled and demanding American tourist should attempt. The rooms will be sparsely furnished, the beds will be lumpy, the heating will be sporadic, and the staff will rarely speak English.
   
   But for open-minded, budget-constrained, flexible and experienced travelers, it is the only way to go. The rooms will be spotlessly clean, the location will often be exceptional, and the price will always be a fraction of what the hotel down the street is charging.
   
   Things may have changed in the past five years, but when we were using this book, few convents accepted credit cards and most answered the phone only around mealtimes (Italian mealtimes). Some were just starting to make and confirm reservations by e-mail, but only in Italian or very broken English. Every convent had a fax machine.
   
   Guests who stay at convents should remember where they are and adapt accordingly. Doors are often locked at 10 or 11 p.m. The staff is not available during prayer times. And if you are traveling as a couple, you might be asked if you are married.
   
   Now that we're back home in the USA, some of our best memories (and stories) were born in the convents featured in this book.
   Like the 500-year-old palazzo five blocks from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the one with the grand staircase and marble tiles that popped loose every time we walked on them. Or the modern hotel across the street from dock of the ferry that ran up and down the Cinque Terre coast. Or the beautiful palazzo around the corner from one of Rome's busist intersections, two blocks from one of the city's major bus hubs, where we fell asleep to sound of the motorinos (scooters) buzzing by on the street below.



5. The book was an excellent aid in securing reasonably priced accommodations in Rome and several cities to the North. The curfew - the front door being firmly locked at 10 PM - may be a problem for some but not for those who have spent a busy day sightseeing. We found one convent also closed the door during the lunch hour so we had to wait patiently for our check in. The only other negative was that some of the nuns were not terribly knowledgeable regarding operating their "hotel" and I had to help repair an electric outage.
   All in all, the book is a great aid in avoiding high-priced hotels.

5 comments about Fast Company: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Motorcycles in Italy.

1. Different..... a great read. My daughter lived in Bologna for a few years, and I visited the city which made the book more interesting to me. It really helps to have spent time in the culture on this one. After you get over the funny "attempt" to cover up the Ducati name..very wierd...it's just a wild ride through a culture on many different levels.
   Don't read this book to get page after page of mototcycle details. This is a story about people and culture that produce the bikes from the viewpoint of an outsider..who in the end becomes a part of it all. I enjoyed the writing style and content more because it's a true story.



2. Within captivating literary style, Gross's portrayals illuminate an Italian world as it is now, and this is clearly not the world of "Room with a view". Surely the Italian journals and "Corriere della Sera" are well versed with the struggles of Italian boutique businesses trying to meet the challenge of growth to an international level, but to follow the chain of events of Ducati from within and during a major transitional effort is a special gift. To become acquainted with personal and detailed snapshots of corporate design processes and the trials of prima donna designers is equally rewarding, and sheds a fair light on recent Ducati products. From the beach exploits and dreams of characters depicted, one senses the struggles of modern young Italians. Add to this the author's struggle to rationalize infatuation with a young and arrogant love, and one finds another level or dimension of the Italy of today. This love may have equally been heterosexual, it's characteristics in modern day Italy would have been the same. The vignette descriptions ranging from learning to ride a motorcycle, different bikes, and tours reach out to the motorcyclist in all of us, as these motivate us to reach beyond ourselves whether or not a leg is thrown over a bike. This is a book for everyone where one truly gains a view into the beauty, challenge, and flavor of Italy today. On other levels, having been an Italian ex-pat for three years, ridden motorcycles for 30 years, and a Ducatista for 15 years, this book has touched on many levels and reminds of the need to return.



3. The book was a good read on several levels. As a motorcycle
   enthusiast and as a designer.. the stories from Ducati.. the inner
   workings.. design process.. people were fascinating. Having worked
   with all sorts of clients and designers I related easily to the events.
   Bologna was presented in vivid descriptions, with its culture,
   people, society coming to life. I kept having flashbacks to my 2
   years in Milano as well as subsequent visits. I toured most of Italy
   but sadly I only stopped at the train station in Bologna. Hopefully
   on a future trip I can go to Bologna and visit Ducati.
   I thought the sections at the seaside were hilarious.... the descriptions
   were like Fellini on Jolt cola I was more exhausted with those stories than
   the moto giro ones.
   The sections on the MotoGiro were also very compelling for one that rides a
   motorcycle....the good, the bad, the ugly, the danger, the exhilaration were all there.
   Personal life was interesting, full of irony, but in the end none of my business.
   Throughout the book I especially enjoyed kind of a deadpan
   description of the theater of the absurd that is Italy..left me with
   lot's to think about.



4. It is almost as much fun to wonder how David Gross, in a "inside Italian motorcycles" book learns so much, so fast. But he is smart, and he falls in love with Italy in more ways than one. Arriving in Bologna, Italy as "creative director" of the newly financially juggled - hell, can I say that it was "Ducati" now? - motorcycle company, the author adjusts quickly, first seizing upon advertising strategies that center on visualizing Italian grit, and helping to inject a world personality into what the cognoscenti know is the world's most sexy motorcycle.
   We're reminded of the woman - a non-motorcyclist - who once gazed on a 1973 Ducati "Super Sport" 750 cc. twin (upon which the modern dukes evolved), and exclaimed, "This is the most beautiful motorcycle I've ever seen!"
   And so it is. The imagistic makeover is spliced by Gross'es personal introduction to what we had always heard - that Italy is wild, vain - and unlike the United States - more than mildly corrupt.
   `Fast Company' gives hilarious portraits of "crazy genius" motorcycle designers, their temper tantrums, roaming union gangs, and hair-raising motorcycle rides on the cobblestones.
   This is a fast-paced, well-written book, tracking the birth of the single-cylindered dukes (great vintage road racers today!). It deftly changes names and dances away from potential lawsuits in a chase for grace and meaning.
   In the end, you'll not quite understand the Italian mystery, but for sure, you'll get stylish prose from David Gross, say, the antithesis of a Harley book, which will never get beyond its own narcissism. "Fast Company" is for fans of the finest - a literary rocket for the mountain road.



5. "Fast Company," the first book by David M. Gross, is an amazingly rich and detailed account of an American businessman's life in Bologna Italy. Unlike many recent accounts of Italy dripping with overtly idealized romanticism, David instead takes on a much more challenging task. Without the crutches of good vs. evil dichotomies, moralizing, descriptions of fantastical feats or extremes in characterization; David has composed an insightful book that allows his readers to truly observe Italy and its people from a beautifully lyrical yet thoroughly grounded perspective. This feat is only possible due to the author's own depth of experience as both a business man, lover, and passionate motorcyclist.
   
   This account skillfully manages to mix the seemingly disparate worlds of love, business, sport, and culture into an account that as often frustrates as it gives cause for laughter or deep reflection. We learn the difference between language and communication with David as he recalls his often times hilarious encounters with the many eclectic employees of a faltering yet proud motorcycle company. He describes in invigorating detail his love for a young Italian that, like exotic motorbikes, is equally beautiful and dangerous. In sometimes overwhelming detail, he succeeds in describing what becoming and being a motorcyclist means, whether taking a leisurely ride or primally pushing the limits.
   
   The only short coming of this great book is that David's own character often seems to be overshadowed by the many other characters that surround him. He is not overt in giving his opinion, and is quite obviously non-confrontational in demeanor. David is often times a listener, and observer; these very aspects of his character are the keys to what make him his friend's and coworker's confidant and allow the insight so inherent in his writing. His own character may not be overtly painted, but if a reader is observant (a lesson that David artfully teaches) one does become familiar with the author through his experiences.
   
   My recommendation is that you read David's story; yes, you will become intimately acquainted with "life, love, and motorcycles in Italy" but even more so, you will come just a little closer to knowing how you might respond if asked the question, "are you ready to fly without a parachute?"

No comments about Michelin The Green Guide Hungary and Budapest (Michelin Green Guide Budapest Hungary).

2 comments about Michelin the Green Guide French Alps (Michelin Green Guides).

1. I am planning a trip to Annecy, France in the French Alps. This tour book is more detailed than general books on France. It provides websites, small maps, small city maps, driving tours, excellent history of the towns, and recommended sight-seeing.



2. A very dependable and reliable travel resource. Logical layout and very informative.

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Rome 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. This book has loads of detailed information about the major sights, as well as suggestions for less mainstream things to see. I'm giving the book four stars instead of five only because some map addresses were mixed up in the Borgo neigborhood (near the vatican), but this really wasn't too hard to figure out once I asked for directions.

2 comments about Florence Laminated Pocket Map by Pocket-Pilot.

1. I have about 6 of these and LOVE THEM! I used the Florence in Italy this year. Eveything I needed was there, Rail, Bus, parking. Plus all of the monuments not to mention the map of the city which is surprisingly accurate.
   
   Small, lightweight, laminated, sturdy as heck. Worth every penny!



2. After going over many options for maps in my local bookstore, and several chain bookstores I choose pocket pilot. It is made from a tear resistant/water resistant material, its the perfect size, very readable and easy to fold.

No comments about Frommer's Scandinavia (Frommer's Complete).

5 comments about Frommer's Italian PhraseFinder & Dictionary (Frommer's Phrase Books).

1. Awesome book!!! Going to Italy next year and this book will indeed be very helpful!!



2. Lots of good info especially if you are in the 20-40 range and single. A fine choice for a pocket size phrase finder.



3. I just came back from 2 weeks in Italy and this book was very useful. It was easy to find a quick saying and it was small enough to fit in my purse.



4. This book has a section on curse words, however, no where in the book does it list common, important words such as fork, knife, spoon.... Also, most of the menu items I looked up in the book were not included either!!!!!



5. My husband and I just spent 17 days in Italy, in both cities and less-touristy areas. We interacted with speakers of fluent English and those with no English at all. I had faithfully practiced the three-month Pimsleur Speak and Read CD course before we left, so my husband relied on my for almost all our interactions. This book never got used during the trip.
   
   It's not that my Italian was so good -- far from it. We were constantly looking up words in our Petite Larousse, or coming up with creative ways to say what we meant when I couldn't remember a word. I found this book's organization completely useless, though, and the process of searching for the right phrase quickly was a nuisance. It was much faster to just look up a specific word in the dictionary, and work with that, rather than thumb through for the right phrase while the kind (or impatient!) Italian waited.
   
   The only (slight) saving grace of this book was the section on dating and picking people up at bars. We never tried out any of the phrases ("you smell nice" or "do you have a condom?"), but we had a hoot back at the hotel room reading through that section. But if you need those phrases, maybe you'd be better off looking them up online and memorizing them, rather than interrupting your, ah, hunting to flip through a book.

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Cyprus 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. At the time of this review, there is no other up-to-date travel guide for visiting Cyprus. The Lonely Planet's "Cyprus" 2nd edition came out right as the Nicosia/Lefkosia opened in 2003 and contains outdated information on the crossing from the Greek/Turkish sides - their 3rd edition is due out this summer. Regardless, LP will have a hard act to follow, since Marc Dubin has written the single most comphrensive travel guide to a country I have ever read. I just returned from a 10 day trip to both 'sides' of Cyprus and used literally almost every page. I wouldn't have been able to see half the things I did without this guide and by relying solely on the state-run information kiosks.
   
   It was astounding to talk to other travellers who showed up to Cyprus as package tourists and were clueless about the political circumstances surrounding the island. This wouldn't have happened if they had stepped out of Larnaca (or controversially, Ercan) airport without having a copy of this guide, if for no other reason that the author constantly integrates both ancient (Greek) and modern (political) historical information into all his location descriptions. Hn addition, there is an appendix of almost 50 pages of a balanced account of the turbulent history of the island that doesn't point sole blame on either side of the Green line. The guide also gives comphrensive information in archeological, endemic plant/animal species, a range of restaurant/lodging recommendations, and scuba diving. Like almost all Rough Guides, this book is intent in educating people to become investigative travellers rather than consuming tourists.
   
   Note that the author frequently warns that pre-packaged tourism rules Cyprus. However, you can still backpack through both sides of Cyprus on intercity 'taxis' (small vans) in the south and dolmus buses in the north. The author is correct when he says that the conditions in hostels in Cyprus aren't comparable to their Northern (or Greek) counterparts and the island is not a budget destination, but you can usually find a hotel in a town for $40-45/night - I found locals in every town who were helpful and even outgoingly friendly after a few minutes of conversation.



2. In June, 2006 my wife and I traveled extensively through all parts of Cyprus by rental car and carried 4 recently published guidebooks. Even with Lonely Planet and DK carrying 2006 copyrights, neither could hold a candle to Rough Guide (Sept, 2005). Marc Dubin's work is not simply that of a traveler writing a guidebook, but like an expert presenting an insightful, informative, and balanced work. It added immensely to our enjoyment and understanding of Cyprus. The highlights section for each chapter provided an excellent overview of each region, and for the first time I found the maps to be even better than the ones in Lonely Planet. The background information was outstanding for presenting a fair treatment of this divided island, with many excellent spotlights on pertinent Cypriot topics.
   
   At 552 pages it is over twice the length of Lonely Planet's 272 pages and DK's 216. Thanks to Rough Guide we found many places which were not even mentioned in the other books, like the secluded, abandoned cave hermitage of Palea Enklistra or the beautifully situated Kelefos Venetian-era bridge in the Troodos Mountains. The photos are still not as superb as DK, and for that reason I would also recommend DK Top 10 Cyprus (more useful than DK Cyprus), with excellent lists and photos of the island's highlights. All in all, Rough Guide Cyprus is one of the best guidebooks for any country that you could ever find.