No comments about Cool Shops Milan (Cool Shops).

5 comments about Venice for Pleasure (Pallas for Pleasure).

1. Terrific read for those intent on seeing the Venice that lies beyond Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Whether you follow the author's routes on his strolls thru the sestieres, or just use his walks as a source of inspiration (as we did), this book is an indispensable addition to the library of anyone planning a trip to Venice. Thanks in large measure to encouragement offered by this book, we ventured into some of the nooks and crannys of this amazing city... we'll see St Mark's Basilica next time we go.



2. Fantastic Book!!! I bought this for my wife as a memento of our 25th Anniversary trip to Venice. It was perfect. I highly recommend it to any armchair traveler who wants to "visit" the world's most romantic city. David



3. Venice for Pleasure is an off the beaten path sort of guide, filled with anecdotes, character sketches, and historic photos. Links takes his readers beyond the famous facades and brings the "theme park" to life. Fun to use then to keep and reread for reminiscence afterwards.



4. What a strange and wonderful little book!
   
   Venice for Pleasure is essentially four walking tours told in a charmingly conversational style by an author who is clearly in love with Venice. Stopping in a Venetian cafe to read a passage is like having a friend leaning over your shoulder to recall the local history and gossip, point out fascinating details that you probably wouldn't have noticed, and make you smile with his dry wit.
   
   We did all four walking tours and thoroughly enjoyed Links' companionship along the way; I can't recommend it highly enough if exploring Venice on foot is your aim. We also found the directions infallible.
   
   Please note that this isn't a conventional guidebook, so you shouldn't expect logistical information.



5. If there is no such thing for you as having too much information, then think about buying this book. This book has walking itineraries including places to stop for rest and refreshment, and wonderful details on things to look at while you are walking and even while you are sitting down. This book is not useful for restaurants or hotels or hours that sites are open. Includes history, and comments on Venice from famous writers of the past like John Ruskin. It is to be savored.

5 comments about Romancing the Vine: Life, Love, and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo.

1. Not long after the horrifying 9/11, restaurateur Alan Tardi closed his popular Follonico to leave the Big Apple for some soul searching. He went Italy's renowned wine region the Piedmont where he settled in the village of Castiglione Falletto. Mr. Tardi explains that 9/11 was a wake up call to what matters in life, love of others and to be loved. Thus he followed his heart to be with his Ivana at her family vineyards working the field along with her brother to bring it back to life. Though he returns to Manhattan periodically he has adjusted to his new outdoors lifestyle.
   
   Part travelogue, part Italian cookbook, part romance, and part cleansing the soul, Mr. Tardi provides a deep look at the Piedmont wine region while at the same time enabling readers a chance to understand why he needed to reknew his life. The recipes are mouthwatering and the description of the are are top rate, but the biography is at its best when the author opens his soul to his audience; the cooking and vineyards are healers at least for him while his love of people is what the terrorists cannot destroy.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. Alan Tardi has a true gift for description as evidenced in the wonderful book, Romancing the Vine. I felt as if I had been transported to Italia and dropped into the Barolo region every time I picked up the book! The people became real through his picturesque representations, and you could feel the temperatures as he worked in the vineyards, and taste the food as he sat down with the various individuals with whom he came into contact! I thoroughly enjoyed Romancing the Vine, and hope that it is only the first of many books from Signor Tardi!



3. Just a great read. I fell in love with Piemonte while reading this book. I envy the author! Oh and some great recipes to try also.



4. As a fellow Italio-American New Yorker, Mr. Tardi's quest for an NYC exit hits home. As much as we "New Yorkah's" love NY, we hope that a better lifestyle is out there and that we are able to break free to experience it. Also like Mr. Tardi, I found a similar venue for my ultimate "escape from NY"-Torino (only 45 minutes from Barolo). The combination of the author's thirst for a richer life and a delicate romance (I too am married to a beautiful Italian "testa dura") woven into age-old Piedmonte recipe's and nurtured along with tantalizing tales of the "King of Wines" results in wonderful read, that inspires the reader to eat, drink and live La Dolce Vita! Bravo Mr. Tardi! (maybe I'll run into you on July 5th when I take a day trip to your new home!)



5. I've read many books of this genre (American/Brit starts a new life in Europe, American goes to find his roots, American/Brit leaves his or her job to pursue food or wine career in Europe, etc.), generally involving either Italy or France, and I found this one of the most disappointing. Too wordy, too self-centered, the writing made what should have been interesting stories fairly boring.

2 comments about Turin (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. Since we are planning our trip to Italy and we will be spending some time Torino, this book has been of great help giving a very good description of everything in Torino. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Torino especially after the Winter Olympics.



2. Great area of Italy to visit, hopefully the Olympics have shed much needed exposure to an area that has been overlooked. Not many Travel books out about his area, but this book covers the area very well.

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

No comments about Michelin the Green Guide Tuscany (Michelin Green Guides).

2 comments about Rome For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. I never received this book. When I did inquire about it(over 30 days later)they told me that it was to be shipped out shortly. I never got the book or the money back. Will never do business with them again.



2. I checked out several books from my local library before deciding on a book to purchase to use as the travel guide for my upcoming trip to Rome. I read each major travel guide and compared all the books for structure and usability. I preferred Rome for Dummies because it has the same User Friendly set-up of all the "Dummies" books. Tips on local customs, what to see and do in a limited amount of time, how to attend a papal audience, etc. are the kind of tips that made me feel like I was talking to a local Roman instead of reading a book. Did you know that it costs more to sit and have a cup of coffee than to stand and have coffee? Neither did I, but I do now. Unlike other "cumbersome" travel guides, this book fits my description of "if I were going to write the perfect travel guide to fit all my personal wants and needs, this is how I'd do it."

No comments about Italy 2008 (Michelin National Maps).

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.

5 comments about When in Rome.

1. I read this book on the bus to and from work each day and it really brought me back to the time I lived in Rome. I really enjoyed the sarcastic views and "insider" information about the Vatican. I recommend this book to any Italophile!



2. In her New York Times Book Review, Sandra Mardenfeld tells us that When in Rome is "...an interesting but rarely startling account." She either didn't read it or is on the Curia payroll.



3. Upon the advise of a good tour guide, I purchased this book after visiting and utterly enjoying the Eternal City. Please note that this is certainly not the ultimate guide to the Vatican or to understanding Catholicism. It is merely a collection of the amusing anecdotes of a journalist, who like other journalists has the opportunity to live in another part of the world and then comment about his impressions of adapting or accepting another culture.
   In this instance, Hutchinson moves to Rome with the sole purpose of writing a "what I did on my summer vacation" book on the Vatican. He and his wife and three children, all practising Catholics already feel that affinity to Rome, the Pope and the Vatican that all Catholics innately experience. Here, Hutchinson explores with pure delight his connection with an institution that has lasted through 2000 years of tumultuous change and yet like the rock it was built upon, invariably stays the same.
   Hutchinson's Roman adventures are sprinkled liberally with his slightly irreverant humor and yes, as other reviewers have commented, he does repeat himself. But instead of looking cynically upon these faux pas, think of Hutchinson as the prodigal son (or any other excited tourist with a film projector filled with slides) returning from the unknown and merely so thrilled by what he has seen and experienced, can barely contain himself. Enjoy his exuberance, visit Rome and share in it.
   Although most entertaining for me were Hutchinson's stories about St. Peter's bones, the Borgia popes, and the holy relics, I found the entire book one refreshing breeze of a read that brought back for me the sound of the Vespas in a city that juxtaposes the old with the new in a very stylish and sophisticated way. Recommended reading for AFTER that trip to Rome---to relish all those "Roman" sensations all over again.



4. Hutchinson served his purpose. He provided just enough detail about the stories he picked to keep the lay reader interested, and varied his stories widely enough to provide a wide angle portrait of the Vatican. A humorous and thoughtful look at the place and the institution which has, for better or worse, been the very center of Catholicism and the Catholic conciousness for 2,000 years.



5. There are many light 'travel' books intended to give a personal account of some aspect of the author's experience in a foreign country or city. This book fits into that category with a particular emphasis on the Vatican. Anyone planning a trip to Rome should consider some of the 'traveler' books along with the many excellent travel guides that are available to help you understand the city. The "traveler' books are generally much more interesting to read.
   
   "When in Rome" is a lot of fun. Robert Hutchinson provides great insight into the Vatican and how it works (or at times doesn't!) I am reminded of the question once asked of Pope John XXIII: "How many people actually work in the Vatican?" Answer: "Not Many!"
   
   I have been to Rome many times, but this book was still informative for me and is highly recommended for those planning a first trip to Rome, and even for the experienced traveler.