1 comments about Knopf MapGuide: Naples (Knopf Mapguides).

1. Best travel guide bar none. Fits your pocket or small purse.. Visually great looking.There are actual pictures .... All high recommended hotels different prices..Great maps.. Do not want to get lost in Naples(Go to Naples) Great recommends for food .I am a shopper.. Absolutely great & unusual shops ..None of the bad tourist gear only the styling gear.. I had three guides to Naples this is the one we used every day... I do not go anywhere without this guide if there is one available for the destination I will be traveling to....

No comments about About Italy: Puglia to the Po.

1 comments about Roman Gardens: Villas of the Countryside.

1. One would think that a book titled 'Roman Gardens' would.... well, contain a little more gardens and a little less interior. I ordered this along with it's companion (Roman Gardens; Villas of the city), they are both currently on the way back from whence they came. Also - very disappointing - a lot of the photographs are out of focus and shot from bad angles. My ten-year-old takes better photographs.

No comments about Lonely Planet Lo Mejor De Florencia (Spanish Guides).

No comments about Italy Baedeker Guide (Baedeker Guides).

No comments about Fodor's Exploring Italy, 7th Edition (Exploring Guides).

1 comments about Passport Italy: Your Pocket Guide to Italian Business, Customs & Etiquette (Passport to the World) (Passport to the World).

1. I think this book was helpful regarding some of the cultural differences between how Italians and other cultures might do business. I think it could be very helpful to business persons doing work overseas. I don't think it's necessary reading for a tourist/traveler.

2 comments about Italian Pleasures.

1. I am very sorry to learn that this small, beautifully put together
   book is out of print. If you have ever vacationed in or worked in or
   simply visited Italy or if you have dreamed about doing it, you'll
   want to, somehow, find this book. Leavitt and Mitchell have collected
   famous writers thoughts on Italy (D.H. Lawrence, Nellie Melba, John
   Ruskin, Mark Twain, etc.) and then written down their own wonderful
   musings: (What makes an Italian ragu?, The thing that Italian boys do
   better than any other boys in the world, Is there a cure for chicken
   pox?, Speaking "opera" Italian, et al).This is a charming
   & fascinating book which ... is definitely not an ordinary Travel
   book. This is a book about living in Italy and loving and relishing
   every moment and sharing those moments with us. I hope Chronicle
   Books is smart and generous enough to reprint it or, perhaps, publish
   a paperback edition.



2. A gem of a book, illustrated delightfully and with short excerpts form the authors' favourite writers, inclding Mary McCarthy, D.H. Lawrence, Carlo Levi and Edith Wharton -- all waxing lyrical on Italy and its beauties.
   This evocative little book -- pocket sized, but elegantly bound for travelling with you everywhere whilst in Bella Italia -- contains personal essays by expatriates (they live in Rome, naturally!) David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell. They variously describe the multiple delights of this peninsula, rendering the joys and surprises of their adopted homeland, including iced cappuccino, umbrella pines on the Riviera, the expressive nuances of language, window shopping, the many pictoresque names and shapes of healthy pasta, sidewalk art made of flowers.

   If you love Italy, this book will caress and enhance your Italian tastes. If you still have to discover Italy's pleasures, then this book will be the right chaperon.

   As Goethe said in his 'Letter from Naples': "...it is a strange sensation for me to keep company with people who live only for pleasure."

3 comments about Fodor's Italy 2006 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. My wife and I travel often, and recently we started taking our kids along with us. I personally love to have many guides while planning the trip. For my North Italy trip I had: (1) The Rough Guide to Italy (2006); (2) The Green Guide - Italy - by Michelin (2006); (3) Let's Go Italy 2006; (4) A 2002 edition of an AA (British) guide to Tuscany; (5) Fodor's Italy 2006; (6) A set of more localized books; (7) The internet.
   
   Buying Fodor's was almost an afterthought, as I was sure it would not contribute to our trip - we love to get off the beaten trek in our sightseeing, and then also spend part time tracking typical local customs such as agricultural, religious, culinary and artistic activities, which usually are not mentioned in guidebooks. I was really surprised to find quite a few such activities listed in Fodor's. For example, it showed us that we could join a tour demonstrating the preparation of the famous Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, and it was this book that convinced us to spend 2 full days for visiting 5 ancient villages hanging on the cliffs above the sea - the Cinque Terre. It also highlights activities that are of higher interest for children. The guide's layout is easy to navigate and inviting, and the writing never tedious. I found myself turning more and more to this book as my first source of information, and only afterwards complementing my knowledge from the others.
   
   The downsides of the book are obvious - the hotels and restaurants mentioned are good, but the choice is rather limited, and not intended for those on a budget, or for those looking for that local neighborhood restaurant. For this, the internet (starting with sites like tripadvisor.com and virtualtourist.com) is the best source, complemented by some of the other guides mentioned above. But Fodor's is my preferred a source for the initial planning of the trip.



2. 
   Great book. Thought the word of mouth section throughout the book was very useful given that it was filled with recommendations from everyday people. Interactive Maps also easy to use.



3. The book starts from venice and works its way down to sicily. It has much information and it is all easy with maps of the sub regions to help out. It also has a good general words of travel wisdom in the front.

2 comments about Karen Brown's Italy: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries 2006 (Karen Brown's Italy Hotels).

1. My aunt loaned me one of Karen Brown's books so I could read it prior to my husband and I leaving for Italy. I liked her book so much I ordered two other's on Italy. I find her books very helpful and at this point we are staying at two of her Inn's that she suggested. One near Florence and one in Tuscany. Both Inn's are described in detail and look wonderful, we can't wait to check everything out. Both of her books that I purchased have so much helpful information and suggest many points of interest to visit. I know our trip will be wonderful. Very easy to read, I highly recommend her books.
   Chris



2. If you have an extended budget, like to drive (or use public/private trains and boats), and want to explore the culture and history of Italy this may be a good choice for you.
   
   This travel book is different than the rest in that it presents several travel (rather driving) itineraries to experience differnt parts of the country. It is well priced, with lots of good tourist information on all the major towns covered on the selected beautiful routes and also very good lodging information (not for the travelers on a shoe-string budget).