2 comments about Rome Explorations: The Ancient Rome Walking Tour.

1. I was planning my first trip to Rome and had a huge interest in Ancient Roman History but all of the travel books that I looked at had sparse information on Ancient Roman society and landmarks. Luckily I came across this book on amazon.com. I spent a full four days following the tour in this book along with traveling to some of the extras that are listed in the back of the book. It was an excellent tour and not only did it give my girlfriend and I a ton of exercise it also allowed us to take in the overall feel of each section of the city that we journeyed through while following the books directions. On top of that it actually created interest in history from my girlfriend which is rare in itself. I strongly suggest this book to anyone who is going to Rome and wishes to take in the grandeur of the Roman Empire. As an added bonus the book lists the author's e-mail address which I used to write him a letter after completing my trip. He is extremely responsive to everything I said about his book and would enjoy talking to anyone with an interest in Rome. A definete 5 star product.



2. This is a fine book that delves into a subject that is usually just a side bar in the more comprehensive travel guides. For the interested traveller, this walking tour is an invigorating and enlightening experience. Recommended.

2 comments about MTV Italy (MTV Guides).

1. Well I should start with I haven`t used the book in Italy yet so I can`t be sure about the acuracy of the information, but I have been to Italy before so I know what to look for in a good Italy guide.
   
   It lists a lot of the useful info like where to meet people and what clubs to go to depending on what you are looking for. I plan on visiting Museums and Churchs while in Italy but I don`t need a guide book to tell me which ones to go to. I use a book to tell me good places to eat, sleep and party and this one seems to cover the bases.
   
   Overall worth getting



2. I picked this book up thinking I would laugh at the ridiculous petty advice and "MTV Book" would give. WRONG. So very very wrong. Just flipping through it initially, I knew it would serve me well for my 2 months in Italy. This guidebook isn't your typical, stuffy "tourist book" (geared at senior travelers usually)....it is divided into regions and cities, and offers the usual info re: main sites, train info, general cost etc.....as well as ESSENTIAL bits for students or those trvaeling solo. Internet points (accurate, although some hours of operation were off, but it happens), laundromats, places to rent cell phones, cheap food, snack food, best places to party [if you prefer to party with your fellow Americans,,,,or, like me, if you want to avoid them!] general club rules, clothing style (up to date) etc....I also enjoyed that each section contained its own "occhio!"....which essentially is a word of warning about their own negative points/seedy sections. Each region of Italy is very different from another, and this book illustrates this VERY WELL. I would say this is a MUST WN for anyone who will be spending more than a week or 2 in Italy.

4 comments about Pompeii.

1. This is a great book to take along if you have a day to spend in Pompeii and prefer self-guided tours or want to explore the ruins unaccompanied. It describes three routes through the city, each covering different sections. We were easily able to identify each stop described in the book, and to identify important artifacts from the photographs in the book. The book also provides concise historical information for each artifact - it was easy to read a little interesting background information about the artifact and then move on to the next.



2. I purchased this book as a gift for friends who were going to Pompeii. I wanted them to be prepared to really understand what they would be seeing. The book seemed very complete and contained pictures to further help them get a glimpse into the history of the city. They were very pleased and used the book to enjoy their tour.



3. This book is an excellent visitor's guide. It is full of high quality pictures and maps that will guide you to the important sights. The text is rather dry, but this is only of concern in the somewhat long introduction that deals with the history of Pompeii. After that the book follows a pattern of a photograph or other picture on each page with a detailed legend explaining what is being shown. Even if you don't visit Pompeii you will know what you would have seen if you did.



4. This book is great for anyone planning a trip to Pompeii. The maps and pictures are great. The guide is organized around 3 itineraries so that you can more easily plan your time to maximize what you can see. Pompeii looks vast, so that organization like this could be important in spending your time at the site wisely before you can't walk anymore. I wish there was a book like this for when I visited Ostia last year. The maps are great and accurate enough so that you can mark in extra sites that you might want to visit that you get off the web and integrate then into the planned itinerary for that day.
   
   later after the trip to Pompeii
   It's a good idea to buy this book becaseu it has all kinds of pictures of the interiors of houses you won't be able to see when you go to Pompeii. The pictures inside are exquiste. What you don't know is that a lot of the houses that are described in the book on the 3 walks that are outlined are either not open to the public, being 'restored", or are only open on Saturday and Sunday and you have to make an appointment online to be able to see to see them. Once you get to the gates of Pompeii (even on sat or Sunday), you can't get into either the House of the Gilded Cupids or the House of Menander. The House of the Vetti, lupanare, and the House of Julius Polybius are also being restored and god know when that will be done. The House of the tragic Poet can't be entered and you have to view the mosaic from the other side of a gate. You can't see the frescoes of Vestorius Priscus either; they were locked up and unable to be viewed. i can say the same about several other houses that Dr Guzzo did not mentione in the book, but could have been substitutes fo what was being restored. In fact a lot of the houses were locked up and the interesting stuff that you could view form 10 feet away can be more easily viewed in books (and at considerably less cost).

5 comments about Knopf Guide: Rome (Knopf City Guides Rome).

1. Excellent historical and cultural introduction to the fountainhead of civilization. Great information on self-conducted walks filled with photographs, dates and erudite summary. The perfect companion to the intelligent visitor, or even resident! The only drawback to this atypical guidebook is precisely that; to those looking for where to eat, and which nightclub to go, look at the LetsGo.



2. This book is an excellent SUPPLEMENTAL guidebook to Roma. I've been twice now, and I'm about to go back again (this time with my wife!). The first time I went I took a Let's Go guidebook, the second time both LG & the Knopf guide. The Knopf guide is far superior in terms of background and relevance for the sites you will see, but if you're making reservations yourself you'll need another resource. I suggest Lonely Planet. (That Let's Go attitude only works so long - I've become disenchanted with the entire series, and have jumped ship to Lonely Planet - they're much more adult in presentation and style. I would not recommend Let's Go to anyone, even college students.)



3. On a recent trip to Italy, we used four Knopf books (Italy, Venice, Rome and Florence). Each was lovely and beautifully illustrated. While they contained wonderful historic information they were pretty much useless for our travels. They contained little in the way of useful and practical information. I'll try Fodor's or others for future travels.



4. As I stated in the review to the Paris Knopf guide, this set of books, for cities, is the best. This book has good maps of the Forums, and the Coliseum areas, and incredible amounts of historical information about almost every nook and cranny of the City. As I stated for this book-set before.

   1) Go get a Michelin or other similar urban map, or buy one when you get to the City.
   2) Dont use the hotels/restaraunts section of the book. Info is dated, but this is to be expected.
   3) Get Rick Steves for tricks and shortcuts, the Knopf book wont give you these.

   Enjoy!




5. This book has kept my interest on every page and it is well written with great photos. This book is good for a repeat visitor to Rome as well as a first time tourist. I would rank it in my top 5 guidebooks.

5 comments about Blood Washes Blood: A True Story of Love, Murder, and Redemption Under the Sicilian Sun.

1. I highly recommend Blood Washes Blood. While it may be a bit dark and heavy for a summer read, it is definitely worth any time or money spent in the endeavor.
   Mr. Viviano has a gift with non-fiction unlike any other writer of this genre I have ever read. His story unfolds like a novel, fascinating in its characters and settings and yet all the more immediate because it is true.
   Mr. Viviano traces his family's history and his own journey of self-discovery through the winding streets of Sicily, uncovering a few secrets and finding even more along the way.
   At times his prose is almost too real, too painful and private, but it creates an intense bond with the reader.
   In short, don't pick up this book expecting a quick read. Yes, it is riveting, but at times a little overwhelming as well. The highest praise I can give Blood Washes Blood was that it left me with plenty to think about once it was finished, and a lingering interest in Sicily and its history.
   Mr. Vivano has had articles recently in publications such as National Geographic, and I highly recommend readers to search out more of his work. You won't be disappointed.



2. My sister gave all of us a copy of this book and she said we needed to read it to understand who were are. She was right. My father was born in Palermo and came to the United States at the age of 14. He was a wonderful family man who loved his wife of 58yrs and his 4 daughters. But, he was a complicated man and at times, very secretive. Now I understand. He told us of his transition into the American life and I thought he was embellishing because he was a great story teller, but now I understand the hardships, the backbreaking work, and the joys of providing for his family. After reading this book, I am even prouder to say when asked, "No, I'm not Italian-American, I am Sicilian-American."



3. I read this book when in first came out five years ago. For work and pleasure, I have probably read over 100 books about Italy in the intervening years and this book is still one of the best. I just re-read the first page and got chills. The writing is eloquent, the story incredible (and all the more so because it is true) and the sense of place Viviano evokes is so compelling. If you want to understand Sicily, the history of rural Italy, the confusing legacy of the Old World for many Italian-Americans, read this book. If you just want to read a great piece of narrative non-fiction, read this book. I'm planning on re-reading it.



4. My own maternal Grandparents emigrated from Terrasini, Sicily as children in the early 1900's, and we Grandchildren heard some of the stories related in BLOOD WASHES BLOOD when growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. Terrasini in the 19th Century was only a town of a little over 2,000 people (Today it has about 10,000), and 19 families make up ~ 90% of the population. My Mother's relatives had lived there for over two centuries. Some of our family have been fortunate enough to return there on vacations, and my husband and I have visited twice in the last 3 years (Sicily is very much like Southern California where we live). The Viviano Family (St. Louis branch) are related to the DiMercurio's in St. Louis - my Mother's relatives.
   
   Having taken a course in Sicilian Studies under the auspices of the University of California, I was already familiar with the feudal and absolute structure of Sicily's ruling class up to the late 19th Century. Frank Viviano does a terrific job of bringing that life to light, as well as the confining and demeaning influence of the Mafia and Sicily's current economic woes. Unemployment in Palermo Province still sits around 20% even in these most prosperous times. I did not realize that Sicily was under martial law, at least, twice after the reunification of Italy because of the widespread political unrest, resulting in many emigrants - including my Great-Grandparents and Grandparents - literally escaping from the island under false pretenses to reach an Italians or other port where they could get a ship to the USA without a valid exit visa. I think Frank Viviano does a great job describing the impact of the reunification effort on Sicilians and even mentions the atrocity of Partinico, although he merely alludes to the torture and cannibalism that occured there so near to lovely Terrasini. A people can only withstand oppression for so long, then...
   
   By the end of the book, I felt that Frank Viviano had not only solved a family mystery but came to grips with some aspects of his own life that became clearer. It is no surprise that he is an award-winning journalist. If you are a reader and have not visited Sicily, Danilo Dolci's SICILIAN LIVES brings 20th Century Sicilian culture/norms to life, even if it does stop at the early 1980's. So much has changed in Sicily for the better as we noted when we were there in 2005, but the inherent Sicilian nature is certainly portrayed accurately in this gem.



5. A young writer goes to Italy to find out about his family roots. He was told a story about his great grandfather who was referred to as "The Monk". He finds out that his great grandfather had been murdered. He is on the trail to find out why and who may have done it. The story tells us a great deal about the history of Sicily. And some very interesting information as to how the original Cosa Nostra may have been formed.

No comments about Italy.

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.

4 comments about The Essential Driving Guide for Italy (Essential Guide to Driving in Europe) (Essential Guide to Driving in Europe).

1. I'm planning a trip to Italy with my college girlfriends. We liked this book because we want the flexibility of driving as opposed to taking trains or a bus tour. Thinking about driving in a foreign country made us feel a little intimidated at first, but the book gave us lots of practical tips and actual driving routes to take...so now we have more confidence. We also thought the routes in this book would be less crowded than more mainstream publications...



2. We loved loved loved this guide! Outstanding! We have been to Italy several times and decided to go off the beaten path for this trip. The villages and towns that Orv Strandoo recommends are NOT to miss. Way less crowded and much more charming than the other guide book itineraries. Also, the explanations of road signs and laws were invaluable. A must for every tourist who loves the Boot.



3. I found this book to be a waste of time and money. I expected it to be more explicit and helpful. Don't bother buying it. See if it's at your library and spend 10 minutes reading it instead.



4. Being a first time driver in Italy I found this book extremely helpful. I was hesitant about renting a car but this book gave me all the basic info I needed as well as some great itineraries. Looking forward to my next trip!

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.

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