3 comments about Frommer's Amalfi Coast with Naples, Capri & Pompeii (Frommer's Complete).

1. I prefer more "fun" reading than the lifeless drumming in Frommer Travel books. I would like to see more travel books on the Amalfi area, but as choices are very slim, this may be the best available, at least to date.



2. We have already been to Italy but with this great book we are going to see another aspect of it. Not the kind of trip most tourists do, but the way this great traveler invites us to.



3. The Frommer's Amalfi Coast with Naples, Capri and Pompeii was fun to read and provided us with some useful information prior to our travels. In addition to our time spent in Naples, Capri and Pompeii, we also spent 5 days in Rome which we had purchased a Rick Steven's book on Rome. Rick Steven's is far superior to Frommer's in providing useful and practical information that is the most accurate. In addition, most of the necessary information for our Naples trip was in the Rome book-in the day trip section. I would therefore only recommend buying the Frommer's book as supplementary material to a Rick Steven's travel book if desired.

No comments about Michelin Map No. 561 Northwest Italy Lombardia, Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta, Liguria scale 1:400,000.

5 comments about Culture Shock! Italy (Culture Shock! Guides).

1. I spent last summer studying in Italy and thought it would be a good idea to purchase this book, and I would also read other books in this series if I was going to go to another country. I found it interesting, although much of the information can also be found in the beginning sections of guidebooks. Basic history and cultural information is included. The book does a nice job explaining the art of dining and drinking in Italy, which most tourists don't realize is quite different than in the United States. It also talks about how Italians act and view life. All of the information is interesting, I wouldn't say that it is a must for anyone traveling to Italy, a good guidebook should tell you the same information. If you are a little nervous about going to Italy and would like to try to be "in the know" about the Italian way of life, check the book out of the library and save your money for a gelato.



2. After reading the "Culture Shock" books for Germany, Sweden, and France for trips, I was extremely disappointed with this book. It is basically a history book and gave me no real idea how to relate to Italians. Therefore, my experience in Italy was less than good. I highly recommend the France book---it is right on target and I had a great time navigating the culture.



3. I purchased this book to learn more about doing business in Italy, and I found there was not enough detail. I did learn how vastly different each region is in Italy - - and the author tries to show the differences in each region. Perhaps this is why I felt that it didn't do a deep dive into the regions I was most interested in.



4. I have read and used the other Culture Shock books and found them very useful.

   This one though was almost a complete waste of time. It was full of cliches e.g. Italians love nothing more than spending time with their family and friends. It lacked detail and useful hints about how to interact with Italians.

   Perhaps it suffered in comparison with "The Dark Heart of Italy" a far superior effort.




5. I found this book to be very useful during my first and second trips to Italy. This book is designed for those that are new to Italian travel. If you have been to Italy a few times before, this book will not add much to your knowledge of the people and the place. However, if you are embarking on your first trip to Italy this book does offer insight into the underlying ideas behind the Italian culture.
   
   The section on body language and hand gestures is particularly useful to those that are new to Italy. Also the section on driving will be enlightening for those that have not gotten behind the wheel in Italy before.
   
   The authors also discuss some of the interesting notions of when businesses open and close that American's find odd at first. Mealtime is also something that is very different from what we are accustomed to in America. Knowing ahead of time that meals are lengthy extended opportunities to socialize helped this American to not be frustrated during my first 3-hour meal.
   
   Bottom line, if you will be making your first pleasure trip to Italy, this book does offer some insight into what is considered typical in the Italian culture. If you are looking for a book that will guide you in serious business travel, this is probably not the best place to start.

1 comments about Walking the Alpine Parks of France & Northwest Italy.

1. We just returned from our second hiking trip in the French Alps using this book, and we're already planning a third. This is the best guide we have found in English or French. The authors know their trails, and they found the wildest, most unspoiled parts of the Alps, which are protected in national and regional parks - the Vanoise range, the Ecrins, the Queyras, and the Mercantour. (The book does not cover Chamonix and the Mont Blanc range.) Our favorite wild hiking areas are the valleys of the Veneon (near Bourg-d'Oisans) and the Claree (near Briancon). We enjoyed the hikes there recommended in this book.

2 comments about Insight Guides Tuscany (Insight Guides).

1. This is the third guide book I have purchased from Insight guides. One on Turkey, one on Alaska and now one of Tuscany. I find that they give a good thumbnail review of places, people and good shopping...etc. I will buy another if I travel to a place that they have listed..



2. This book was pUrchased because of my love for Tuscany...It provides excellent arm-chair travel for me...It is very readible and holds my interset and I would say others would enjoy it. It is a guide for actual travel but also a book that can be reAD WITH PLEASURE.

2 comments about Insight Guide Southern Italy (Insight Guides Southern Italy).

1. I purchased this book for an upcoming trip to Italy -- particularly the Puglia Region. I spent a year in Rome 20 years ago and traveled to many places in Italy, but never got to Puglia, so I have absolutely no knowledge of this region. This book has a lot of information. It includes a large history lesson, good maps, and great descriptions of locations. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a good overall guide to Southern Italy.



2. We purchased this guide as it was the only guide available for Southern Italy and we were travelling to Puglia. There were some great pictures and interesting history section but overall almost no practical information. We tend to go off the beaten path (lots of oppurtunities for this in Puglia) and found very little helpful information in this book. We ended up usin the Rough Guide to Italy instead.

2 comments about My Father Came from Italy.

1. This is not a glamorous, yuppie-audienced "Bella Tuscany." It is not a me-too account of Italy from an yet-another-New-World Italian's eyes.

   It's wonderful account of a relationship between a daughter and father, and Old and New World, and a people with its extended "family." It is written totally from the heart and sings of a place and time so unnoticed it now demands attention. Yes, my roots are from the same village, and Ms. Coletta has found a way to write that speaks for and to many of us descended from those brave immigrants who left Italy with nothing, and built something in the New World. She speaks of this town and its people as if they moved her arm and pen themselves.

   It is charmingly brief, a short story more than a novel, yet encapsules a soul that is indeed different. This town has its own dialect, and mannerisms different from surrounding parts of Lazio. There are enough happy and sad moments to take the readers heart and make them feel the change of emotion in one sitting, like an amusement park ride.

   Read it, and pass it on. If you've never been to the place where "there's nothing to do but always something to eat," then don't knock it because you're just not able to grasp it all.




2. I agree with the previous reviewer. This is decidedly NOT another Under the Tuscan Sun, which seems to have an "I'm used to being spoiled" attitude. I bought this book for my mother-in-law because her father did come from Italy (Sicily). I found it on her bookshelf this weekend and decided to read it myself. I was touched by the relationship between Maria and her father, both of whom are appreciative of the way the townspeople embrace them. Her father might have left the town 64 years ago, but you'd never know it by how he and his Canadian-born daughter/son-in-law/grand daughter are scooped up into the fabric of the life in Supino. I smiled and decided that one sentence kind of summed up the aura of the place when the neighbor, Joe, says to Maria on several occasions: "Maria, why do you worry so much?" The Italian focus on family, helping and respecting each other, and getting together over coffee to discuss the day's events made me want to retire and try it here, but wistful that it probably can't be duplicated.

No comments about Special Places to Stay Italy, 5th (Special Places to Stay).

1 comments about Frommer's Italy from $90 a Day (Frommer's $ A Day).

1. I have had mixed results with Frommer's books. I like their maps and guides to attractions... BUT... The hotels they recommend in the lower end category often fall short. I especially did not like their recommendations for Rome.

   The book has a great layout but the hotels need to be rechecked. I would make sure to balance this book with another guide like Karen Brown's or Fodor's... I make sure any hotel I stay in has a good rating in at least two sources....

No comments about Rome Pocket Map and Guide (Eyewitness Pocket Maps & Guides).