No comments about La Bella Vita: Daily Inspiration from Italy.

3 comments about A Traveller's Companion to Venice (The Traveller's Companion Series).

1. Lord Norwich is a consumate storyteller with an incredible ability to weave various sources of information into a compelling narrative--or in this case, a series of anecdotes. I can hardly recommend this highly enough. His choices of material are brilliant, his narration masterful, and the overall sense of place perfectly fitted to the Most Serene Republic.
   
   Also not to miss is his A History of Venice and Paradise of Cities: Venice In the 19th Century. The letters written by Euphemia Ruskin inspired several characters in my second novel!
   
   Venice for Pleasure is useful for the traveler or writer, as well, as is Jan Morris' The World of Venice.



2. I bought this anthology in the months prior to a trip to Venice, after reading editor John Julius Norwich's excellent "A History of Venice", to which it makes a terrific companion volume. These first-hand historical accounts present a colorful review of divergent viewpoints on "La Serinissima", from its distant origins in the Dark Ages up through the 20th century.
   
   Though billed as a "traveller's companion", this is not a guide book in any sense of the phrase; rather, it serves to give one a sense of the history and character of the city and its most prominent features through letters, journals, and essays spanning the nearly 1400 years of its existence. Amongst the commentators are humorists like Mark Twain, great eccentrics like Thomas Coryat, litterateurs such as Henry James and aesthetes like John Ruskin -- and their contrasting views create a multifaceted portrait of this unique city, full of surprises and compulsively readable.
   
   For those who want a sense of the hidden history and culture under the dazzling surface of Venice, who want to more deeply appreciate the city and its sights while experiencing them, this collection is highly recommended.



3. I read this book cover-to-cover before, during, and after a recent trip to Venice. I have to say that more than any of the other books about Venice that I looked at, this one had the most profound and positive impact on my trip and understanding of the city. No, it certainly won't tell you where to stay or eat, and you probably won't find yourself looking up churches and museums in it like you might in the Blue Guide or some other book. But the centuries of travelers' observations compiled in its pages will bring color and life to the city and its monuments and public spaces in a way that no single guide or history could. The passages in this book are not merely informative; they are also highly engaging and range from touchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. If you are going to Venice, or if you merely want to travel there from your armchair, get this book before you even consider getting any other!

1 comments about The Smiles of Rome: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers.

1. This book puts the enigmatic charm of Rome into words. There are also some useful suggestions for restaurants and sites to see. This book would be most useful to someone that has been there before and would be able to identify with the experiences and places described. Perfect for just before a visit, or just to remind yourself of what it was like to be there.

5 comments about The Pilgrim's Italy: A Travel Guide to the Saints (Colleen Heater).

1. We traveled for a month in Italy and it was wonderful to have this book at our side. Suddenly we would find ourselves in a new area and look up the region in the book, only to find yet another saint we might visit! It is said that you can't hardly throw a rock and not hit a saint in Italy, so one could not possibly expect the book to contain them all. But it is wonderfully researched and leads you to even some back and sleepy places in search of inspiration. I remember taking a side journey on the Amalfi coast in search of one of the saints, which resulted in a most spectacular diversion to our otherwise calculated plans, a wonderful surprise worth finding. I recommend the book if you are interested in finding even some of the magnificent inspiration available in Italy.



2. In 2004 I took a trip to Italy. My intent was to seek out places of high spiritual vibration (due to the historical presence of saints) and to meditate in those places. The Pilgrim's Italy was invaluable in carrying out this vision. Many of the places I visited were off the beaten track and accessible and authentic beyond my imaginings (especially the hermitages associated with St. Francis, about an hour outside Rome). My spiritual life was transformed by my meditations in Italy, and I am forever grateful to the authors for their informative guidance.



3. I just purchased this book and already I'm using it to plan our next trip. The information on how to find the pilgrimage sites, hours, lodging, etc, are thorough and helpful. But more than that, I really enjoy the information on the lives of the saints. If you can't make it to Italy, you can use the book to make a pilgrimage at home by finding a quiet spot and journeying with these saints toward a stronger faith in God. I highly recommend this book.



4. A very good guide if you are going to Italy, and want to venerate the Italian saints during your holiday.



5. This book was an awesome reference on my recent pilgrimage of Catholic Italy with my church. Father Daren and several people asked me if they could use the book during the trip. Made me more spiritually ready as I visited the sacred sites. A lot of information. Thanks!!!

5 comments about City Secrets: Florence, Venice, and the Towns of Italy.

1. I should have heeded the critique of one of your readers. The complaint was "after Rome the series disappoints".
   However, I so loved the Rome book, carrying it about Rome, having people comment on the book when they saw me checking maps or sights, finding kindred spirits who also had the book and so on. It was truly my favorite travel guide/book of Rome.
   So, ignoring advice, I ordered the Florence edition, realizing that Florence was just a part of the book...but I would never have dreamt it would be THAT small of a part.
   True, Florence is much smaller than Rome, but the city is filled with so much beauty, art and architecture that surely a book dedicated to it's "secrets" would have been worth the effort.



2. My family used this guide extensively while travelling in northern Italy this past summer. We found it particularly helpful in Bologna, Venice and the Portofino region. Marcella Hazan, the cookbook author, was a major contributor to the Venice section; if you want a great meal off of the beaten path in Venice, she won't lead you wrong.
   
   I've used the NYC City Secrets guide for years so bought this before our trip. Given the large geographic area and many regions that are covered, it isn't surprising that it lacks the comprehensiveness of the NYC and Rome City Secrets guides. Although we didn't use the guide in Florence, I can see why many reviewers found it lacking for that great city. Although smaller than Rome, Florence deserves a City Secrets book of it's own.



3. "Florence, Venice & the Towns of Italy" is wonderful companion! Having spent several years in Italy painting and teaching, from Rome to Venice.... via Florence and Urbino... I find the book full of secrets to be be uncovered and treasures to be explored.



4. I've been to Italy 4 times now and used this book extensively each time. My most recent trip took me to Puglia, Abruzzo and Campagnia which is scantily covered in City Secrets, but the places the book does highlight are truly magical. It does lead one off of the Autostradas and onto incredible country-roads, and out-of-the way corners and villages. This book works great for those driving the country in companion with a good Italy map and lots of time.



5. my copy is coffee-stained and dog-eared. sure I have the blue guide, the michelin guide, and others (including city secrets Rome), but this book is the star - it's not trying to give you everything, but rather, a selected group of nuggets to experience and enjoy. with good fortune and travel companions over the past few years, I've hit all the places in this book, and if fate smiles on me, perhaps I will get to do them all again.

No comments about Moleskine City Notebook Venezia (Venice) (Moleskine City Notebook).

5 comments about Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook.

1. This is a book that lives up to its name in all respects. The color photos (250) are warmly, rustically lit. These carefully composed still lifes entice the earthier senses with taste and aroma and give the reader a yen for this beautiful region.
   
   And the recipes, arranged by course, highlight regional dishes from the simple -- Chicken in Red Wine, Chestnut and Rice Soup to the unusual -- Salt Cod and Mint Soup, Spaghetti with Sea Urchin Sauce to the sublime -- Snails with Sausage and Tomato Sauce, Pheasant Broth, Ricotta Tart.



2. I received this book as a gift a few years ago and have used it often. The recipe's are imaginative, easy and always well recieved by family and guests. The recipe's ingredients are basic and credible. And of course, the presentation in this book is a knockout! The food, the scenery, the dishware. All top drawer.



3. A large, attractive book that I gave as a gift. Nice pictures of the food and the recipes looked interesting and not too difficult.



4. I received this book as a gift when the Frances Mayes Tuscany book (ugh!)was all rage. I flipped through it thinking "what a dumb format for a coobook" then slipped it into a bookshelf where it lay buried for a couple of years. I did however remember seeing in it (& liking the idea of) a recipe for "Elder Flower Flat Bread" (p.34) and I had an elderberry shrub in bloom so I dragged the book out, plucked the 1/2 cup of elderflowers and made the bread. It was good. I started actually looking at the photographs and then read through it. I kinda liked it. Then, to go on an antipasti (as Lorenza suggested) I made the "Stuffed Eggs with Tarragon" (p.35). Big hit! I tried, like an earlier reviewer, the "Chickpea Flat Bread"(p.45) Big-gloppy -mess- disaster! But, Lorenza had my attention with her great commentary on the culinary regions of Tuscany and the food styling is so irresistable and appetizing I forged on. Also VERY LOVING photographs of Tuscany. I've tried: "Naked Ravioli" (p78) Great! "Meatloaf of Arrezzo"(p.148 ) Nice suprise. "Fennel Cake" (p.242) Indispensible, I bake one a week! Light Apple Cake (p. 246) Delicious! So, long story short I really enjoy this book. The format is very large, rather absurd for the kitchen but I just slap it down on the counter, keep it open with a marble pestle and happily cook away.



5. This book is excellent at taking you around Italy showing food from the different regions with easy to follow recipes!

5 comments about The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Rome.

1. This is a wonderful book for anyone to use as a "behind the main streets" guide to Rome. If you any desire to experience the real Rome rather than just falling in step with the thousands of tourists, this book will lead you to wonderful shops and experiences. Buy it long before your trip and study the routes. You will not be sorry.



2. Excellent idea, nicely executed, but 4 years is too long for a book like this not to be updated. About half of the restaurants/shops listed are no longer in existence. Much of the remaining information is no longer accurate.
   It does provide a somewhat surreal experience to follow a map to an address only to find a car dealership where you expect a leather boutique to be. Otherwise i'm afraid this edition is fairly useless.



3. I found this while looking for a good guidebook for my daughter to take to Italy. She was accompanying a friend of mine who loves to shop and this was the perfect little thank you gift to give to her before they left. It is very small (easy to carry on-board or while actually shopping), with one shop per page. It is aimed more at the little specialty shops and boutiques so I don't know if she was actually able to put it to use this trip, but she enjoyed getting it. My only worry is that since the book is several years old, I wonder how much of the information is outdated. Still, the perfect gift under the circumstances.



4. I love Rome. Off the beaten path and local favorites are my travel passion, and the shopping in Rome can't be beaten! So this book-ette, seemed a good choice. But I have to say, of the 46 books, and some odd hundred websites I comb looking for hidden secrets, this one is just okay. Its very small (about 4x4 inches) and difficult to read easily. So many of the suggestions are obvious and cliche. Though I do have two pages tagged for my upcoming visit.
   
   I would consider it a fun and pretty gift for someone visiting Rome for the first time. Otherwise, save your pennies, they will be better spent on plastic rosary from St. Peter's square.



5. I've lived in Rome for years and often recommend this guide to friends. Not only is it tiny (and thus fits in a pocket), but it includes many wonderful little places that locals know and love and that tourists may miss completely.

2 comments about A Traveller's History of Italy (Traveller's Histories Series).

1. It's a lot of information to absorb, but overview of the development of modern Italy is interesting. As someone who knew little of the history of Italy, the book enriched my travel experiences in Italy. The timelines are a good reference. There could be better maps for those of us who are unfamiliar with Italian geography. Unfortunately, the book is poorly bound and my copy fell apart almost immediately.



2. If this book had been called "A brief history of Italy", I'd have given it four stars. As a short but reasonably thorough overview of Italian history, it does a pretty good job.
   
   But as for being a "traveller's history"...it fails. I was planning a trip to Italy and wanted a book that would tell me the history behind the things I was seeing ("And on your left, you see a statue from the early 16th century..."). As such, this book is useless. Its historical content is in no way geared towards the traveler.
   
   If you want a quick read on Italian history, great. But don't take it on your travels.

4 comments about Pocket Map and Guide Venice (EYEWITNESS POCKET MAP & GUIDE).

1. I love to plan trips. I'll use 2 or 3 travel guides to get excited and think of the things I want to see. But I don't want to carry them around. This gives me a map and small descriptions to jog my memory all in a small, easy to carry book. The map is very clearly printed. What more could I want?



2. Lots of pictures. Great concise descriptions. Maps. Small glossary of Italian. Organizes everything in a clear way. Perfect! Thought I was going to get another larger version of a travel guide for Venice but not anymore. It's all I need. If I do find something that it's missing I can look it up on the internet. The only thing that might be hard for some people is the small type. I have 20/20 vision and can read it perfectly. No problem whatsoever. But if you have vision problems you might find it somewhat hard to read. Its about the size of a Hershey Bar and jammed packed with information if that gives you an idea. I love it though!



3. We'll be cruising out of Venice in the fall. This guide is the perfect size for what we need - info on all the main sites, maps, travel information. It even has a small phrasebook in the back. I have the larger Italy Eyewitness Guidebook as well. This seems to give the same basic information, without all the historical background. When you are out and about, you really just need to know the sites and how to get to them. Many reviews say the text is small, but it's not that much smaller than the regular guides. It might be harder to read if your eyesight is poor...but it is fine for me. It's smaller than I expected, which is a good thing. They've really packed a lot of information into a totally portable guide.



4. Definitely small - about 8"x4" and 80 pages. And, as mentioned by the earlier reviewers, the print is very small. A map for each district and a couple for the entire city. Thumbnail sketches. Something I want to read - unlike the big books where I never have time to read it all. I keep perusinig this book. It includes a few (after all, how many can we try) restaurants in each district of varying price ranges. There are also details on traveling from the airport. It's clean and crisp which probably makes it easier to read than it otherwise might be. I'll be going to Venice in 10 days and it will fit right in my outside purse pocket. Finally, its price is undercut by no travel guide of which I'm aware.