1 comments about Siena & the Heart of Tuscany (Footprint - Pocket Guides).

1. With the lovely town of Siena serving as home base for many visits to the Tuscany area, a good guidebook is invaluable. I'm a guidebook junkie--on a recent trip, I brought several guidebooks for the Tuscany area, but "Siena & the Heart of Tuscany" is the one we used the most. It's compact, but is full of great information. Rebecca Ford describes sights, restaurants, and accommodations in the various districts, or terzi, of Siena. Because Siena is a hill town, streets meander up and down and around, so the book's maps came in handy.
   
   In addition to Siena, the book covers surrounding towns, including San Gimignano, Volterra, and Cortona. Note that Florence is not included.

1 comments about Rome In Detail Revised and Updated Edition: A Guide for the Expert Traveler.

1. This book was recommended to me by a frequent traveler to Rome. It is the best guidebook I have found for Rome. Every page has kept my interest and the book is very well organized to allow the reader to understand how the city is divided and will help a tourist use the time wisely while in this beautiful city.
   I would rank this guidebook #1 for Rome.

3 comments about Francesco's Italy: A Personal Journey through Italian Culture - Past and Present.

1. Is this on dvd and why don't you have it for sale. We saw it on the travel channel but would like the dvd. We enjoyed the program.



2. I just discovered this wonderful author & his TV program for BBC was incredible-makes me want to return to Italy today!



3. The best documentary/history of Italy's regions. Very well written and informative while keeping your attention. Wonderful photography. A book to treasure.

3 comments about Central Italy: The Collected Traveler: Tuscany and Umbria (The Collected Traveler).

1. This is a lovely, evocative book that's also extremely useful and is a necessity for anyone who loves Tuscany and Umbria. A collection of little odds and ends about the area, this is a book to dip into or read from cover to cover. Leaning more heavily toward Tuscany than Umbria and omitting Le Marche (the only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me, because Tuscany has been covered so much already), it covers the major sights as well as hidden treasures, and chapters on the food, the people, and the art of Central Italy are especially fine. Many books include bibliographies, referring readers to other books on Italy, but Kerper's is especially comprehensive. The compiler's love for Italy comes shining through on every page. Nice photos, too! Because it's such a pretty book, this is also a pretty neat gift selection.



2. A guidebook without maps? A guidebook you can curl up and read cover-to-cover? Yes, this is it. As one who has vacationed in Tuscany for a total of 36 weeks in the past 11 years, I found this book not only evocative of fond memories but instructive by pointing me to places, eateries, and certain facts of Italian life of which I was unaware. The early sections covering tipping, car rental, trains, etc. are of particular help to the first time traveler. There's even a little Frances Mayes in there for the 1% of the people interested in Italy who have not read her books on Tuscany. But after reading this book, you'll have to get a map or two anyway...because you'll have booked a flight to bella Italia.



3. I have always enjoyed Barrie Kerper's Collected Traveler anthologies, and own three of them. They are the ultimate guidebooks for inveterate readers: rather than names and addresses and prices and museum hours, they contain a wide variety of essays and travel pieces on the place in question. While I certainly wouldn't travel without one of those more specific Fodor's or Eyewitness guidebook, these are priceless for giving the flavor and the feel of the place, as well as providing history and folklore that more practical hand books don't have space for. This particular volume on Central Italy contains, among many others, a really charming essay by William Zinsser on Siena; a wonderful and detailed account by Lis Harris on Siena's annual Palio; and a piece on market day in Cortona by Frances Mayes of Tuscan Sun fame. You don't even have to leave your chair to have a purely enjoyable experience.
   
   My one complaint is that there's no index, and only a ve-e-ery general table of contents, so once you find an article you like, you have to thumb through 600-plus pages to find it again. Where's the piece on garlic bread? Who knows. Why do people say renaissance Florence contributed as much to music as it did to art and science? Can't find it. I don't believe in over-regimentation, but in this case, a little cataloguing would be a very good thing.

No comments about Bay of Naples & Southern Italy, 7th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

5 comments about Lonely Planet Rome: City Guides (Lonely Planet Rome).

1. I just (January 2007) spent six days with this guide as my constant companion on a holiday in Rome. I also saw many other people carrying this book around with them - so it seems it is a popular choice! I would say this book was an essential part of the success of my trip.
   
   * Walking around central Rome I noticed that every other person seemed to be carrying some sort of map! The maps in the guide are clear enough for navigation in the city - once you understand their limits. For example, not every street is shown and/or labelled, but in the centre of the city you're never all that far away from a street that _is_ shown. Once I got the hang of the rather chaotic way the streets work, I felt comfortable with wandering around for a while and then finding my place on the map. But if (like me) you had booked a room in a hotel well outside the city centre, you will want to get a proper map of Rome and/or take a printout of the area from Google Maps - I did both. But in the city centre it's much easier to have the guide open to the map pages than to use a large folding map.
   
   * In the shopping section there is a strong (but certainly not exclusive) emphasis on clothes/fashion/design. There's no doubt that this correctly reflects the vast number of such shops in Rome. Nevertheless, that is not my sort of thing and I would have liked more coverage of other types of store.
   
   * The walking tour section is excellent. I did two of the walks pretty much as per the directions and found them very enjoyable. Be aware though that if you want to go in to the places on the tour you need to check opening times - for example, I started the Trastevere tour at about 10:30 and by the time I got to the second half of the tour most of the places were closed. Well, that was my fault - the book gives opening times for the places mentioned on the tours.
   
   * Every place mentioned has specific directions on how to use public transport (metro and/or bus) to get there from Termini station - these directions were invaluable and I relied on them many times.



2. Lonely Planet is great for inexhaustible lists of information that you cannot possibly go through, like hotel listings, restaurants, nightlife, plus some interesting background info on history, culture, politics, and the like.
   
   I just got back from a week's vacation in Rome and I found that Lonely Planet was really useful for finding my way around the city (pretty decent maps) and finding lodging and local phone numbers. As for actually exploring places of interest, I found Rick Steves' Rome much more detailed and fun to follow.



3. This book saved my husband and me in Rome earlier this year. The friends we were traveling with had purchased the Lonely Planet Italy guidebook but it did not have nearly enough information to get us around Rome. This guide provided excellent walking tours and information on the major sites in Rome. Its multiple maps of many parts of the city made navigating the often twisty streets of the city more managegable. Definately a must for any first time traveler to Rome!



4. Credit where it's due: the guide did cover the basics.
   
   What it missed was most of the wisdom for seeing the city efficiently obtained in even a single visit. Some examples:
   - Italian restaurant customs are vastly different from American customs. For example you seat yourself and must ask for anything you want (to order, a drink refill, the check, etc.) - it's just their way of doing things. None of this was mentioned.
   - The best times to beat crowds and lines. I went several places at the suggested times and hit long lines, then exited a couple hours later to see almost no line at all...
   - Organized tours get different lines to see historical attractions (Vatican, Colosseum, etc.) than the general public. Many of these tours are a cheap way to cut through the wait even if you don't want the tour. I figured out that paying 5-10 euros for a tour can almost completely avoid a 1-2 hour wait; I just handed my pass to the guide and said "no thanks" after getting through the entrance.



5. I spent about 7 days in Rome, and found this guide very practical. I also had the Green Guide (Guide Vert-Italy) which wasn't so great for Rome-only.
   
   First, Lonely Planet guides have the worst physical quality of any guides. Maps are illegible as they are black and white and there are almost no photos. Second, the guides are not great at emphasizing the "must sees"; everything is wonderful. LP does have a "see in a day" or "see in two days" section, but I have found this itinerary mediocre and particular to individual tastes (I for example do not care to sit in a fancy restaurant for lunch for 3 hours).
   
   The only other negative thing I can say about LP is that they recommended Perugia versus Assissi, though the latter was probably nicer and closer (though I didn't go due to LP's recommendation).
   
   But LP did have some great area sites, including Tivoli, Ostia Antiqua, and others. LP is great in the practical areas - bus lines, train routes and schedules, etc. LP consistently surpasses all other guide books in this area.
   
   In general, I do not focus a lot on shopping or restaurants. Serious "tourists" are always walking around and seeing sites, and tend to eat when hungry rather than go to a particular restaurant.
   
   LP also has great budget lodgings listed, which in Rome is quite important. Hostels were consistently higher quality, based on some conversations I had with people, than hotels.
   
   Eyewitness guides have better graphics and maps, for example, though you can get decent enough maps of Rome from hotels, and most of the historic sites have passable explanations and illustrations, either in brochures, books you buy, or on display.
   
   In terms of total number of places/sites, LP tends to win precisely because they have so few graphics.
   
   I think LP could vastly improve just by adding color maps and a few more photos, and still keep the same variety and quantity of information.
   
   LP Rome tends to be best if you have a lot of time and you don't mind reading through the book several times. Otherwise, a more easier book such as Eyewitness might be better because it will cut out some of the smaller sites that LP mentions.

5 comments about Not Built in a Day: Exploring the Architecture of Rome.

1. Not Build in a Day blends astute architectural observation with basic guidebook practicality. The descriptions combine detail and relevant explanation to make the most lay-person feel expert as they dissect the infinite elements in a church, piazza, or palazzo. For anyone who's been to Rome, the inexorable shuttling between sites makes you numb to the city's splendor, but Not Built in a Day constantly re-orients and reminds the reader that every site contains an element of architectural, historical, or civic wonder that makes the non-stop walking completely worthwhile.
   
   The book's walking tours can be strictly followed (I completed tours 1,2, and 7 without any diversions), but once I had a better feel for the city, I picked specific places that I wanted to see and then read the appropriate entry.
   
   Every guidebook should aspire to be Not Built in a Day



2. This remarkable book is a must read if you are planning your own itinerary in Rome. The author's love of Rome and its Architecture are apparent from the first page. He organizes the overwhelming amount of information into compact and readable units. Pick a time period or Architectural style of interest and follow the detailed path laid out by the author. The added information of the art to see inside each structure makes this the only "guide" book to Art & Architecture that you will need on your visit to Rome.



3. George Sullivan's "Not Built in a Day" is a unique and wonderful combination of scholarly knowledge, art, passion, and wit. The author recently gave a series of slide lectures at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. based upon the material in the book, which I attended. His lectures were exceptional -- insightful and enjoyable, a college-level crash course on the history of European architecture that was set entirely in Rome! He really made the buildings come alive through his enthusiasm and humor; I especially liked that he not only had definite opinions on buildings, but also explained clearly what architectural qualities those opinions were based on. This same in-depth but accessible approach can be found in the book, which is unlike any other guide to Rome that I have seen. I would enthusiastically recommend it if you are going to Rome, and if the lectures show up at a museum near you in the future, I would enthusiastically recommend them as well.



4. A good read for those who love history, it is an excellent companion for travel to Rome



5. My wife and I recently returned from Rome, and one of our many fine moments in that glorious city was sitting on top of Michelangelo's Campodiglio, with Mr. Sullivan's book in hand and understanding for the first time exactly what Michelangelo did and why -- and thus helping us understand more deeply the greatness of his accomplishment. So it went with magnificent works such as Borromini's San Carlino or Bramante's Tempietto. Similarly, we came to understand the failures -- what the architect wanted to do and didn't quite get there. Mr. Sullivan's goal, was to help us move beyond admiration or puzzlement at what we are looking at, and understand what was done, and how well it did or did not work. Very well written, tough in its judgments, and infused throughout by a love for the city. Don't go to Rome without it.

1 comments about Touring In Wine Country: Northwest Italy (Touring in Wine Country).

1. I was so surprised at how much I came to rely on this guidebook on our recent trip to the Italian Piedmont. There is really nothing like it -- little obscure roads that you would never consider taking are highlighted here because they lead to a wonderful winery or vineyard or restaurant. The suggestions and contact information for getting tours of vineyards and wineries that are not generally open were very helpful. The descriptions of the restaurants were nothing less than wonderful -- no matter where you were in the Piedmont, they had a recommendation which was almost always perfect. If you are driving in the Piedmont of Italy, if you enjoy and are interested in wine, and if you like great finds in restaurants which will not be covered over in tourists -- buy this book. A gem.

No comments about Authentic Emilia Romagna (Authentic Italy).

1 comments about The Honoured Society: The Sicilian Mafia Observed.

1. This is the first book I've picked up by Norman Lewis and has been a true revelation. His prose is marvellous and his ability to narrate even the most complex and dire intrigues of the Sicilian mafia is done with aplomb and clarity.