No comments about Victor Burgin: Voyage to Italy.

1 comments about Un Paese: Portrait of an Italian Village.

1. Never have I experienced before the feeling of looking into Italy's eyes so deeply. The photos of Paul Strand along with the notes of Cesare Zavattini are a masterpiece.

   But most important : you may fall in love with the little girl on page 72. As for me, I will never forget that look.

3 comments about Sicilian Summer: A Story of Honour, Religion and the Perfect Cassata.

1. I have been reading all the Sicily related books and am happy to report that I enjoyed this one. Not fabulous or wonderful, but I did enjoy it. Worth a read.



2. 
   I bought this book not knowing exactly what it was I though it was a light hearted book of travels like Brian Thacker writes it is not. All the smae it was interesting but not my kind of book.



3. Knowing that we were going to Sicily, about 5 years ago I began to read books to know what to expect both historically and culturally. There is a wealth of books to be read, both fiction and non-fiction, many by famous authors of the past and present. All of them were informative and of interest to a potential tourist regarding places to visit and/or to learn about "the Sicilian character." But Brian Johnston's book, bought recently, was everything I most enjoy in a book, whether fiction or non-fiction. We went to Sicily 3 years ago, and having been to most of the places he writes about, it was wonderful to be reminded of all of the details he noticed that you never learn from a guidebook. The underlying story about the family with whom he stayed described the thinking and customs that make Sicilians unique, and the suspense he built made it read like fiction. What an interesting writing style he has, and how glad I am to own the book (which now knowing how it ends can be re-read more slowly) and will use it for future reference. But be warned--the delicious meals and recipes Mr. Johnston describes will keep you constantly hungry and you'll find yourself in the kitchen, trying them out. Sicily is very special and so is this book.

1 comments about Baedeker's Sicily.

1. The Baedeker guides are less well known in America than they deserve to be. They are harder to find in bookstores than the very good Rough guide or Michelin Green guide series or the awful Fodor series.
   This guidebook very pleasantly surprised me. There is a wealth of information here with profuse colour illustrations and details I haven't seen in other guidebooks. The book provides excellent in-depth supplemental information in the Baedeker's special sections. In this book there are helpful sidebars about the Mafia and the famous tonnara off Favignana (refereed to here as the "mattanza.") The small mountain town of Corleone made famous in the Godfather movies is nowhere to be found in other guidebooks but is given ample attention here. The fabulous Norman sites of Palermo are described in great detail. I was inspired to read John Julius Norwich's excellent history "The Normans in Sicily" by the information presented in this book. The short lived Norman dynasty of the 11th and 12th century left monuments in Sicily and especially Palermo that are still important features today. William the Conqueror's (Guillame le Conquerant) half brother Otho, bishop of Bayeux (who commissioned the Bayeux tapestry) came to Sicily after falling out of power in England. He died in Palermo in 1097 enroute to participating in the first Crusade.
   The guide gives well-deserved great detail to the fabulous Greek ruins of Sicily. I became less satisfied with my other Sicily guides after seeing all that they left out compared to this book. The Baedeker guide is a pocket sized 16mo and comes with a plastic jacket and a small map that is inadequate for driving directions but okay for familiarizing yourself with the geography.

No comments about Ruins of Rome: A Guide to the Classical Antiquities.

No comments about Michelin Miniatlante Stradale Italia (Michelin Italy Atlas).

No comments about Turin (Italy from Above).

No comments about Take a Trip to Italy (Take a Trip to Series).

No comments about Venice For Pleasure: 40 Years On (Pallas for Pleasure).

3 comments about Knopf City Guide: Milan (Knopf City Guides Milan).

1. I travel alot both for business and pleasure. I usually buy four to six guides per trip but the guide that I relied on for my trip to Madrid last month made my trip very, very enjoyable. The new Knopf City Guides are nicely organized and color coded to meet the travelers most sought after needs. Where to stay, eat, shop, see sights, enjoy night life are cross referenced and expertly mapped. Not only do they stick to their view of the highlights but each of the sections make it easy to find other attractions outside the section of interest. For instance, the micro map views in the shopping section also contained numbered,colored references to the after hours and eating sections. I would highly recommend these guides to anyone visiting the cities covered.



2. Don't confuse the Knopf city guide with the Knopf Guide. The Knopf Guides are quite good. The city guide, of which I have mistakenly bought several, is very short, and devotes at least 80% to where to eat, where to stay, where to shop, where to find night life...20% or less useful info of what to visit if your'e a tourist. And the maps are pretty useless too.



3. The maps in this book were nice. 4 or 5 maps of different sections of the city and one nice subway map. BUT, the guide was heavy on where to eat and stay. I just prefer a map and info on the things to do in a city. I usually have my hotel reservation before I arrive.