3 comments about Rome and a Villa.

1. If you need to escape from the drudgery of your everyday life for awhile than this is the book for you.

   Clark's masterpiece is as good as a month in the country. And not just any country either. All of Italy is opened to you by the mind and imagination of Eleanor Clark. She covers the territory from the haunted villa of Hadrian to the dangerous hills of Sicily and the cool depths of Saint Peter's Cathedral. You will meet with the ghost of the Emperor himself, a modern gangster cum matinee idol and the pilgrims of a Papal Jubilee.

   Clark's prose is a whirlwind that leaves you breathless. She throws off sparks in all directions like a Catherine's Wheel. You won't "get" all of this book on the first go round but it is well worth a second and a third reading.




2. this book is deceiving...i admit, some will find it interesting, but clark jumps around with no transitions. it is more of a journal, or a collection of essays. she does describe in detail a number of things in rome, yet if you are looking for a novel or a piece of literature which is cohesive this is not the book for you.



3. "You walk close to your dreams"--that's the first sentence of Eleanor Clark's chapter on the fountains of Rome. Her book is lyrical but informative, and for some readers, perhaps too heavy with information, but I have found it indispensible both while in Rome and later back in the US thinking about where I had been. Orignally published as separate articles in The New Yorker magazine, each chapter focuses on a particular subject. One of my favorites is the section on Protestant Cemetery (actually the cemetery of the non-Catholics), where Keats, Shelley, Gramsci and many other non-Catholic writers, politicians, diplomats, and artists are buried. This is not a typical guidebook, however, and anyone who buys it in order to get maps, pictures, and restaurant tips will be disappointed. Nevertheless, it is an excellent guide to the city--it is thoughtful, it is full of strong opinions, and it is sometimes very funny, too. Eleanor Clark was married to the writer Robert Penn Warren, whose career overshadowed hers. Those who know his work but do not know the work of Clark may be surprised to find out just how good she is.

5 comments about No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Excape, A Perilous Climb.

1. I'm a big fan of WWII prisoner of war tales, both real (The Long Walk, Ghost Soldiers, et al) and fictional (King Rat, Bridge on the River Kwai, et al), so I was intrigued by this account by an Italian of how he and two companions escaped their POW camp, climbed Mt. Kenya, and then snuck back into camp several weeks later. Unfortunately, while their adventure was undoubtedly remarkable, it never really comes alive in Benuzzi's book. I suspect much of the problem for me is that I know nothing about mountaineering and don't particularly find it interesting. The other difficulty I had was with the flatness of the prose, whether this is due to a weak translation or to Benuzzi's writing in a foreign language I don't know, but in any event, I found it rather tepid. So while I think the whole idea of his adventure is wonderful and in rather brilliant dark humor, I didn't find the telling equally so.



2. This book is a welcome change from all the peak bagging, egoistical, mountain-conquering books out there. The author talks so poetically about the beauty of the mountain , that its hard to remain unaffected. Their mission is extremely pure and simple - to climb Mt. Kenya, although some people might say that it was an irresponsible thing to do in the middle of war .... The truth is that its a fantastic description of their whole adventure, with graphic descriptions of the jungle and how they made it with POW rations and home-made climbing gear. A true mountaineering classic !



3. I really enjoyed this book. It sounds almost whimsical that POWs would go to all this trouble and face considerable personal danger to escape, climb a mountain, and then go right back to the prison camp, but the way Benuzzi describes it, it makes a certain sense. The painstaking process of preparing for the trip - which included all the risks and difficulties of a "typical" prison break plus the demands of an Alpine climb - is told in a matter-of-fact, rather dry fashion. (On nominating the third man for the party: "He had never climbed a mountain in his life. The only reason why we decided to try him was because he was universally thought to be mad as a hatter, and mad people were what we needed.") Benuzzi's descriptions of the scenes on the way up the mountain are glorious, and of the return to camp are funny and quite touching. A very enjoyable pocket-adventure story that deserves to be better known.



4. I enjoy escape stories & the first half of this book was a typical WW2 escape story. The story has humour throughout & their task - to climb Mount Kenya - was quite an undertaking. What I liked best was the author's personality / humour & seeing things from an Italian and African perspective. His descriptions of the types of people in the prison camp are awesome. Day to day camp life is well described also.
   
   I think it took great guts to attempt what they did but to me the scariest parts were sleeping in the jungle with little or no shelter & no weapons. Who know's what type of beasts they may come across? I felt the second half of the book which describes more of the climb itself was more boring. When I got into this part I was mostly looking forward to finishing the book & getting onto something else. It is unique & I don't think in all the escape books I have read anyone has ever had their main intention be to escape back into their camp. That took a little bit of the interest away for me.
   
   It is a good story & I think the author would be a very interesting person to meet but the book was just middle of the road as far as true adventure stories I have read.



5. Felice Benuzzi wound up in a Second World War POW camp close to the foot of Mount Kenya, a mountain that is higher than the highest alp in Europe. Prison camps are boring; soon Benuzzi, who went on to become an ambassador in post-war Italy's diplomatic service, was dreaming of scaling the mountain he saw beyond the barbed wire of his confines.
   
   Eventually he did break out, and with the help of two fellow prisoners and rudimentary mountain climbing equipment they had made in the prison camp, he and a fellow prisoner ascended one of Mount Kenya's peaks, where they planted an Italian flag. A great story of adventure and humanity that loses a little of its lyricism in its translation into English. Great reading for all ages.

2 comments about The Romantic's Guide to Italy.

1. This book is a wonderful addition to your Italy travel library. It is not your usual list of high spots to see in well-known tourist locales. It has a wealth of unique and truly lovely places to visit with a special person or on your own. We just returned from a trip to Umbria, and found the book invaluable in locating outings, activities, eating, vistas, and wine-tasting that we may not have found otherwise. In addition, the villa where we stayed was found through resources in the book and it was exquisite! We felt that because of the book and the activities and places discussed, we enjoyed our trip at a deeper level and got a true sense of Italian sensibility and what Italians appreciate about their terrain, sunsets, and foods. Bravo, Ms Podesta!



2. I really appreciated having this book along on my recent trip to Umbria & Lazio. One can get the typical "must-see" destinations from any travel book; Ms. Podesta's emphasizes the finer experiences to be had by deviating from well-travelled paths.
   If you are a foodie, or looking for singular dining & lodging experiences, this is the book for you.

1 comments about National Geographic Traveler: Florence & Tuscany, 2d Ed. (National Geographic Traveler).

1. National Geographic started this series of travel guides a few years back, and, after 16 years of leading student tours to Europe and trying other popular travel publications, I can highly recommend the NG series. The maps are some of the best in this category and I especillay appreciate the way the authors/editors divide cities and countries into easily digestible and fun to use sections. Another plus are the suggested walking tours. If you're heading across the pond, these are the travel guides to invest in.

1 comments about Florence InsideOut (Insideout City Guide: Florence).

1. These "Inside/Out"books are the best for today's travel - small enough to fit in a carry-on and have pop-up maps that show particular areas of travel. Very useful information inside as to what to see in a particular city/place.

No comments about Pietro's Book: The Story of a Tuscan Peasant.

No comments about Insight Pocket Map Florence (Insight Pocket Map).

No comments about Venice (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide).

1 comments about Insight Guide Bologna (Insight Pocket Guides).

1. This was probably one of the worst tour books I've ever taken on vacation. My husband I love to do walking tours, which this book had many. Unfortunately, the maps and directions they included were terrible. Sometimes the maps didn't match the directions, or the maps were completely inaccurate. This is a shame considering the book was published in 2006, so it's not outdated. I have to qualify this by saying that we've toured Europe quite a lot and have done tons of walking tours, so it's not like we were newbies. Additionally, the tours did not include many of the major sights in Bologna. In Ferrara it described the main cathedral in town as a disappointment, which I found odd considering it was magnificent inside (I realize this is subjective). However, it's probably a good idea to stay factual due to the subjective nature of whether or not a historic point is "a disappointment" or not. I would recommend the Cadogan Guide to Bologna and Emilia Romagna instead. It's not as fluffy and colorful as the insight guide, but it has 10x more information and the maps are accurate. The insight guide was nothing more than colorful pictures and I found IT to be a real disappointment.

5 comments about Italian: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. This little book is magic, is clear, easy to understand. It going to help us a lot in our trip.



2. I thought this would be a great way for my 10 year old and me to learn a few phrases before our trip to Italy. This would have been fine if I was 20 years younger and traveling with a bunch of free loving hippies. Using this book, I can use pick up someone up at a bar, ask for a condom, let everyone know I brought my own needle and call people derogatory names. Sure, I can learn to order spaghetti for dinner, but this is definitely not what I was expecting. In the future, I will have to read over a phrase book in person before purchasing.



3. I travelled alone in Italy for one week, and this little book was so helpful...referenced it again and again during my visit. It came in handy for practical situations travelers always encounter...directions, menu verbiage, and basic conversation with locals.
   It also helped in more specific situations...for women traveling, this will help you formulate quick responses to the "ciao bellas" you'll receive. Bene!



4. I purchased this book to help me with my family trip. It was quite helpful when I don't know how to say certain
   things. I was able to learn how to ask for directions during our driving trips to Tuscany town. I was able to purchase fresh grocery, order food.
   
   I also learn some Italian from the CDs I purchased from Amazon.
   
   I highly recommend this book. My children picked up some Italian, too.



5. WHAT CAN I SAY IT'S LONELY PLANET!, GREAT BOOK!, IT'S GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED, VERY UP TO DATE.