No comments about Rome at Your Door (Culture Shock! At Your Door: A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette).

No comments about AAA Essential Venice, 6th Edition (Aaa Essential Travel Guide Series).

No comments about Halpern's Guide to the Essential Restaurants of Italy: From Milan to Rome With Notes on the Food and Wine.

No comments about A Pocketful of Luxury Italian Hotels.

3 comments about Walking Easy in the Italian & French Alps (Walking Guides).

1. The Italian dolomites offer the best hiking anywhere. Lost of variety great food reasonable prices and lots of people who speak English. This book gives accurate information, wonderful hotel recommendations and suggests towns I would not have discovered elsewhere. A must for anyone who hikes. The hikes may be easy for some, but it there are lots of more diffucilt options when you get there. We followed the Liptons advice and had a fabulous trip!



2. The descriptions of the walks and of the excursions (presumably car-based) appear very useful; we'll be trying some of them in a few weeks. The book would have been more attractive & useful with more photos, especially color photos, & more maps would also be helpful--but what's there will help a great deal in prioritizing what we do.



3. This book will be appreciated by readers who want to ride up on a ski lift and then start hiking, because most of the hikes in the book begin that way. It's an efficient way of getting up out of the valley and into the high country, instead of hiking up a set of steep switchbacks. We have hiked in the French areas described in the book and have ridden the lifts several times (as many hikers do), but we prefer to hike in more remote, wild areas without ski lifts. Most of the French towns the authors recommend are fashionable ski resorts made up of modern hotels, without the charm of authentic Alpine towns and villages. Other hiking guides are available in English that concentrate on hiking away from the resorts and lifts, where you get to the trailhead by a road or a "navette" (shuttle bus).

No comments about Travel Milan, Italy - Illustrated Travel Guide, Phrasebook, and Maps.

5 comments about A Summer in Tuscany.

1. Grazie mille. An Italian American who didn't speak Italian before, now I am. Wonderful trip with you by my side.



2. Like one of the previous reviewers said, this reads like a dear diary. Just as background I've read a whole slew of books on travels in Tuscany -- from "Under the Tuscan Sun" to "One Thousand Days..." I love them. Every one I'd give a 4 or 5. So, based on similarity, I picked this one out. It's a fast read, in part because half the book is stuff like "We got on the 3:00 flight..." or "I told Robert to go to the store to get bread and cheese..." Clearly this was based on a journal the author kept while in Tuscany. That's a fine basis to start a book. But the problem is, the author seems to have no understanding of an audience. Next time please PAY AN EDITOR to edit this stuff before you try to pass it off as a book for general readership. In the meantime, I can't recommend this to anyone other than the author's immediate family that were on the trip with her... In my initial write up I gave it 2 stars, but now I wish I could change it to 1 or 0!



3. My book club ultimately chose this book for our winter reading, preparing for our summer vacations. It also gave us the impetus to take group Italian lessons. When our club chair asked us to write a category for the book, we came up with "Chick lit." It's what Martha Stewart might have written if she wrote a travel book. We came up with a new category, "Martha lit." A Summer in Tuscany is all about what women love, food and wine and tips for finding a villa, and shopping and gardening and art. We loved it. Go for it.



4. I wish there was a way to give this book a negative number of stars. Not because it was that bad (although it was pretty awful) but because it seems that friends of the author have given less than accurate reviews to put it mildly. This self published book is very amateurish and downright annoying. How many times do you need to explain how to pronounce San Gimignano (Sahn-Jim-ee-NYAH-noh). After about the twentieth time you will be ready to scream, not to mention when she switches to calling it San Gim and feels the need to explain that pronunciation also. The story goes something like this - Our villa was near San Gen (San JIM). It had a pool and a terrazzo (tair-AHT-sah); terrace. There was a ristorante (ri-store-AHN-tay); restaurant nearby. You had to pay in lire (LEE-ray) plural of lira. We were very hungry. The waiter said "Va bene?"
   (vah-BEN-ay). We said "Si, Va bene" (See Vah-BEN-ay)... You get the picture.
   
   And if you are a novice to foreign travel, please don't take advice from a woman who makes lunch reservations from the U.S. six months in advance, and paid $210 to ship a box to Italy with disposable cameras, a pillow, plastic wrap, soap, detergent, candles, writing paper and "reliable" pens. She learns how to say "taste", degustazione in Italian and when she sees grape vines, goes and knocks on people's door and asks to taste their wine. When they look at her like she's crazy she asks to buy some and is accommodated. If she had been able to laugh at herself and her faux pas, this could have been a hilarious book; however she seems to think she is extremely clever to have planned this trip and learned a few words of Italian.
   
   I love travel, Italy, and travel narratives. I adored 1000 Days in Tuscany, The Reluctant Tuscan, Extra Virgin and was hoping for a similar read with A Summer in Tuscany but instead got a poorly written journal that never went any deeper than "got up, went swimming, ate a pastry, read a book".



5. As someone here said, "she's no Frances Mayes". If she was, the book would have been published by a mid-sized to large publishing house. This author self-published. The fact that the author went this route probably means that no publishing house felt it worthy......I guess her book appeals to wealthy tourists who don't speak Italian and want to shop, and who aren't bothered by a badly written, un-edited book. The book's audience is limited and there are much better books out there on experiencing Italy.

5 comments about Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy.

1. Tuscan Echoes: A Season In Italy by Mark Gordon Smith brings together a blend of memoir and philosophy in the author's varied, sometimes eccentric, yet always engaging ruminations upon Italy. Memories of Italian childhood are combined with a modern-day revisit and a dedicated quest to perceive and understand what is the essence of Italian life and culture. An articulate and attention engaging addition to any library biography collection, Tuscan Echoes is a superb and original extended meditation on nationality and identity.



2. "What is it, travelers have asked for ages, about Italy? For those whose ancestors came from these valleys, from this country, the answer probably lies in their lineage. For the rest of us, the answer simply lies in the timeless view of verdant abundance below room twenty four. "
   P 72. Tuscan Echoes, A Season in Italy

   In Tuscan Echoes, A Season in Italy, Mark G. Smith has managed an amazing feat. He has written an exceptional travel book without any pictures.

   Author Mark G. Smith writes with such intimacy and intensely personal imagery that the reader can only imagine he/she is traveling side by side with the author. This comprehensive, dramatic and spiritual journey through some of Italy's most spectacular landscapes and historical landmarks is presented in masterful literary style.

   Tuscan Echoes, A Season in Italy is the perfect length at 170 pages, for a quick intellectual get away. As the pages turn, you as the reader will be transported to Florence, Venice, Assisi, Umbria and Tuscany. Images of the landscape so vivid you will imagine you can smell the dark richness of the espresso and feel the heartbeat of the cobblestones in the piazza through the soles of your feet. You will be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the Italian culture. Quaint cafes will tantalize your senses. Friendly, out going people will welcome you and majestic churches will provide soulful inspiration. By the last page you will feel as if you truly hear the Tuscan Echoes.

   Author Mark G. Smith's personal experience with Italy has been life long. He lived near Florence as a child and as an adult, spent more than thirty years traveling this fascinating country .His passion for the Tuscan region is evident in his intimate descriptions, which evoke a deep longing in the readers to experience Italy for themselves. This memoir represents one season. If your average day is just plain hectic, then this book will allow you to escape for a few hours to the land of serenity, beauty and passion. Give yourself a truly enjoyable journey of discovery. This book would also make an excellent gift for your favorite armchair traveler or as a take along guide for the serious traveler.

   Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews




3. What makes Tuscany so dazzling to so many? Its art, terrain, art, history, art, cuisine, art, people? Yep, all of the above. But you'll learn next to nothing about any of them by reading this book. It's little more than the author's love letter - he does love Tuscany - written with a grammar school vocabulary and expository style. I finished reading it solely because it turned out to be the only book I had on a long flight.
   
   You want literary tributes to Tuscany, read the real thing: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Lord Byron, E. M. Forster, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mark Twain, and Edith Wharton.



4. I found that most of the book was about the churches, gardens, and museums of Florence. The book moved slowly and I would not recommend reading this book. You could find this knowledge in any guide book.



5. As a writer, I was greatly impressed with Mark Gordon Smith's ability to transport readers to this fascinating country with simple, evocative descriptions. As a lover of everything Tuscan, I felt I was walking alongside Smith on his journey. And as the son of Italian immigrants (also from Tuscany), I felt my ties renewed and strengthened by this beautiful love song.

3 comments about The Rough Guide to Italy 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. What I like best about the Rough Guides is that they give critical reviews. They will point out the tourist traps and will give negative reviews. I find that Frommer's and Fodor's rarely point out the negatives to a particular hotel or site. The rough guide is very critical and is a great balance to these other guides. I would balance your trip to Italy with a Fodors (or Frommers) book because the maps and illustrations are often better and there are more higher-end hotels listed.
   This book will help you decide where is best to spend your vacation in Italy. There are clear critical descriptions of all the regions and great general info on getting around in Italy.
   If you aren't interested in "roughing" it and staying in lower priced hotels. The guides are still very useful in rating attractions, and areas in which to stay... but you will need another book to look at more moderate and luxury hotels.
   
   I would definitely read this book before going to Italy.



2. Rough guide was recommended by a co-worker, whose suggestions I respect. I expected a guide that perhaps just stuck to basics.I PERUSED THE GUIDE for 4 days before my trip, and during air travel and stop-overs. I found all info accurate, especially appreciated history and language sections in back helpful. The only problem I encountered was the print was finer than the guides I had perused at the library, making reading in poor light situations difficult. Hostel info was accurate. Historical backround w was very helpful.



3. We have purchased The Rough Guide to France before and loved it. It was a very accurate and extremely helpful guide. Every recommendation turned out to be right on the money. The Rough Guide to Italy is a good guide, but not as good as the one for France. While the Italian history, the maps, the general area descriptions were excellent, many village / city specific recommendations were outdated and many places (mainly restaurants) listed in the book were not there in reality. We believe such differences between the two books really depend on the writers, and those who visited France simply wrote a better book. We would still recommend this book, but if you do the combination travel to France like we did, please know that the Italy version won't be as thorough and accurate as the French one.

2 comments about By the Ionian Sea: Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy (Marlboro Travel).

1. What possessed George Gissing -- best known for his hardscrabble pictures of poverty in London, such as NEW GRUB STREET -- to travel to Southern Italy and write a classical travel book about his journey? Yet there he is, working his way along the underside of the boot of Italy as a traveller. Even then, the area was known primarily for its rural poverty and has not attracted tourism at any time in its existence since the Greeks settled there over 2,000 years ago.

   And yet this is perhaps Gissing's most charming book. He becomes ill, is taken care of by strangers, does his best to escape the clutches of the local bands of outlaws, and succeeds in his quest to see a corner of Europe known to few outside of Italy.

   I highly recommend this book as the best introduction to a writer who deserves a revaluation of his literary reputation.




2. George Gissing certainly composes his thoughts in beautiful poetic prose. His style of writing is delightful and descriptive; however, it was difficult for me to get past his obvious prejudice for the Calabrese. He comes across as an arrogant and pampered Englishman with no interest in southern Italy whatsoever except for its ancient Greek ruins. If I had not been in Calabria at the time I was reading this book I would not have finished it. His relentless whining of the people and conditions is tiresome and his description of southern Italian food is questionable considering the delectable ancient recipes of the area. He even comments about his constant complaining at one point, yet makes little effort to be more optimistic. By the Ionian Sea was written over a hundred years ago and is considered a literary piece, but I would not recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about southern Italy or the Calabrian people.