1 comments about Berlitz Rome: City Guide Map (Z-Map).

1. I just got home from Rome, and this map went everywhere with me. I loved it. It just covers old Rome, but as a tourist map it was perfect.

1 comments about Italian Bed and Breakfasts: 1,200 Special Places to Stay in Italy (Dolce Vita).

1. This book seems more a bland compilation of every bed and breakfast the authors could find than a selection of 'special' places. The reviews are short, the pictures often uninformative - everything is in black and white and many places look like standard, run of the mill places. A truly special place I stayed at in Sicily wasn't even included. For random selection of bed and breakfasts, I suppose it could be useful, but even for that, I would recommend several websites instead that seem to have a much wider selection and are more informative.

No comments about Perfect Tuscany.

2 comments about Capri and No Longer Capri (Nation Books).

1. Capri and No Longer Capri is not a guide book, nor is it a history of the island: it is the reflections of the author, novelist Raffaele La Capria, on his long relationship with Capri. Mr. La Capria has a summer home on Capri but has visited the island, on and off, since he was a teenager. The book consists of chapters that were, for the most part, published elsewhere first. The book begins with Capri's past with chapters on the imperial period, the Blue Grotto, Fersen and the creation of his famous villa, Krupp and his sad end and how Norman Douglas and other writers related their experiences. These are informative chapters that provide the author's perspective and relate his own experiences. The chapter on the Blue Grotto is marvelously descriptive and Mr. La Capria provides his own experiences on visiting the famous tourist site as he waits for all the boats to depart so he can have the place to himself.
   
   The concluding chapters of the book relate the changes that have come to Capri over the years; the hoards of tourists that descend on the island in huge groups, the speedboats and huge yachts that anchor off the island and spread their garbage into the sea. More serious is the disappearance of the fish for pollution and over fishing. This is so serious that sea gulls can not longer feed themselves from the sea any longer. It is the consequences of these unwelcome changes that Mr. La Capria is most eloquent about: the beauty of Capri slowly being eroded by over development and environmental degradation. I have visited Capri twice with my wife, going by ferry to the island and preferring to see the natural beauty of the place instead of shopping. It had always seemed to us that Capri was a small paradise but from this book one understands that this is merely an appearance and that environmental disaster is also looming over such magnificent places.
   
   This is a very well written book that has been translated from Italian and it offers a different perspective of Capri that a visitor is usually exposed to. The book will appear most to people who have visited the island since I doubt that it would make much sense to someone who has not been there and knows nothing about the places and people described. For those who have seen Capri this is an invaluable book that also serves as a warning: we are destroying the places we love and need to be aware that our actions, such as uncontrolled building, over fishing of the seas and polluting the land an sea all come with a terrible cost.



2. This is a fine written book by Raffeale La Capria.. It delves into the history in Homar's time and take you to the Capri of today. I was especially interested in reading this book because it was on the reading list of one of my favorite authors, Francis Mayes. Also, because I will be visiting Capri next year.

No comments about Michelin Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna.

3 comments about Walking Easy in the Italian & French Alps (Walking Guides).

1. The Italian dolomites offer the best hiking anywhere. Lost of variety great food reasonable prices and lots of people who speak English. This book gives accurate information, wonderful hotel recommendations and suggests towns I would not have discovered elsewhere. A must for anyone who hikes. The hikes may be easy for some, but it there are lots of more diffucilt options when you get there. We followed the Liptons advice and had a fabulous trip!



2. The descriptions of the walks and of the excursions (presumably car-based) appear very useful; we'll be trying some of them in a few weeks. The book would have been more attractive & useful with more photos, especially color photos, & more maps would also be helpful--but what's there will help a great deal in prioritizing what we do.



3. This book will be appreciated by readers who want to ride up on a ski lift and then start hiking, because most of the hikes in the book begin that way. It's an efficient way of getting up out of the valley and into the high country, instead of hiking up a set of steep switchbacks. We have hiked in the French areas described in the book and have ridden the lifts several times (as many hikers do), but we prefer to hike in more remote, wild areas without ski lifts. Most of the French towns the authors recommend are fashionable ski resorts made up of modern hotels, without the charm of authentic Alpine towns and villages. Other hiking guides are available in English that concentrate on hiking away from the resorts and lifts, where you get to the trailhead by a road or a "navette" (shuttle bus).

5 comments about The Diary of Melanie Martin: or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza.

1. Having traveled to Italy with my family when I was twelve, The Diary of Melanie Martin called back dozens of similar memories of all the museums which were endured with the promise of gelato and of the delicious food which Weston describes to mouth-watering perfection. Reading this book, I kept on wishing it had been around for my family vacation so that my brother and I could have played "Point out the Naked People" during our museum tours; now I can only wholeheartedly recommend it to every member of a family planning a trip to Italy or just looking for a funny and truthfully-written book too perfetto to be missed.



2. A must read with the monalisa, sistin chapel, and boots the cat. Also it has ton of poetry. The book makes your mouth water for more.



3. I read melanie martin, and it was sensational!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I wanted to learn about Italy, and she helped me learn about it. Read this book, and you'll wanna read the other three book too.



4. The Diary Of Melanie Martin is a book about a young girl called Melanie. She flies to Italy with her family on an airplane when she had never been out of the U.S.A. She loved the thought going to a foreign country, but things didn't turn out how she expected... I liked this book and all the characters in it. My favorite part of the book was when Melanie just went back home to the U.S.A. She had realized a lot about her family and learned some important values. Melanie inspired me to be nicer to my sibling, as she did in the book. I definitely recommend this book to anybody who has a sibling, or who has never been out of his or her country. In this book, she gives the lesson about trying new things and taking risks. I am sure that anybody who reads this book will learn some useful information about life! Enjoy!



5. My 10 year old daughter loves all four of the Melanie Martin books. She cannot put them down. Not only is she entertained, but also has learned a few things about other countries. As a teacher, I highly recommend the Melanie Martin books. I sure hope Mrs. Weston keeps adding more to this series.
   Melissa Lombardo

5 comments about Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius.

1. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the Galileo affair as an historical event and not simply as the stereotype of obscurantist religion fearing the truths of science. Built around Galileo's six trips to Rome, the authors give a lucid explanation of Galileo's life and work. Galileo's is ever more successful as a scientist and ever more eager to vanquish those who disagreed with him.

   While clearly a scientific genius, he claimed theories to be true without ever having physical proof. He insisted, falsely, that the tides were caused by the earth's rotation and then used the fact of the tides to argue for the Copernican thesis that the earth and not the heavens was in motion. When certain theologians objected that his theory seemed contrary to scripture, he entered, with no expertise, into a theological discussion on the proper mode of interpreting scripture. Unfortunately this intemperance in debate led finally to Galileo's "trial" and house arrest.

   At the same time, the theologians are presented as a mixed lot, some opposing Galileo with an irrational zeal, others soberly weighing the evidence he proposed and so insisting that he treat his theory as a hypothesis and not as proven fact. The authors present the Church's position with some sympathy: it seemed imprudent to change the more obvious understanding of scripture without proof for the scientific theory that undermined it.

   The book's prose is plain, but always clear and readable. The tone is dispassionate and objective. The authors, both serious scholars in the field, have clearly done their homework (but mercifully use endnotes) and present a balanced account. This book may not change your view of Galileo or the Church, but it will certainly leave you much better informed about the facts of the case. Given the importance of understanding science and religion, this is no small matter.




2. Early 17th Century Rome. Any book that is published must first be reviewed and revised by the Catholic Church. The Church still stings from Martin Luther's 95 Theses, and King Henry VIII's secession. A Papal Conclave is disrupted by three Cardinals dying whilst Rome is in the grip of a malaria outbreak. Bubonic Plague rears its ugly head after close to 300 years. The Pope peppers his Cardinal enclave with relatives. The Pope is not only a spiritual leader, but also the mayor of Rome, trying to administrate a bustling city while also nurturing the world's flock. And not all the Cardinals support the Pope, either (and he knows it).
   
   Enter Galileo, who argues that the Earth is NOT the center of the universe; the sun is. The establishment likes his telescope, but not what he sees through it. Galileo will not abide superstition; he believes heliocentricity is a fact, and he's damned and determined to make sure everyone else believes it too. This idea crashes head-on with long-held beliefs, and the Catholic Church is not about to tolerate another compromise. After five journeys to Rome to argue his case, spread out over decades, Galileo is at last subpoenaed by the Tribunal of the Inquisition, where confession is mandatory. The only question is--should the defendant be put to death . . . or merely imprisoned?
   
   Enter this world where free thinking might put you in irons, where paranoia is the rule, where whispers can kill. These learned men, the authors, have left no stone unturned in exploring the role and effect of Galileo's scientific endeavors. At the time, he was an extremely likable man--full of anecdotes, well-read, he could make the ladies laugh--but no one dreamed he would become the father of modern science, as he is regarded today. But he was also a tragic man, beset with lifelong illness, the loss of friends and relatives to disease, and the misery of isolation for his beliefs. And he agonized over the fact that the Church questioned his faith in God.
   
   This book can be dry; it can overload you with Italian names--it can fill you with righteous anger--but it can never bore you. For all ye lovers of truth, of justice, of history, even of Catholicism, I unreservedly recommend this book.



3. Recognized as the father of modern science for his study of physics and astronomy, Galileo's adherence to the Copernican theory of heliocentrism might not have been so problematic had it not been for his personality and misreading of Vatican politics. As it was he felt justified in printing his treatise Dialogue contrary to the church's admonition against his teaching of the theory. It is indicative of Galileo's scholarship and reputation that few of the volumes were handed back to authorities when the Dialogue was banned and Galileo was permitted to serve his sentence under house arrest.
   
   Galileo's six trips to Rome began as a young man seeking employment and culminated with his hearings before the Holy Office forty-six years later when he admitted to "having violated an injunction not to discuss Copernicansim." (194) The author's use Galileo's letters, Papal records, newly discovered documents, and historical references to place the story in context.
   
   As it unfolds the difficulty of incorporating scientific thought into established orthodoxy is shown at the very conception of science. What becomes clear is that a discovery, to be accepted, has to have a welcome mat and the structure of society does not always provide one. Galileo had to operate within an ecclesiastic framework not in tune with his views. While Galileo had many supporters, his opponents, whom he often accused of being ignorant, were powerful adversaries. It did not necessarily matter whether objections were valid or not as long as they adhered to tradition.
   
   Another problem for science, is demonstrated by Galileo's use and improvement of the telescope. The power of the scope was increased twenty times and objects could be properly focused. Galileo demonstrated the telescope in social settings to impress distinguished guests with a close-up view of Rome and the stars. However his critics did not always understand the telescope's potential because "impatient and shortsighted philosophers often saw a blurred image that confirmed their prejudices." (41)
   
   Within the scientific community new devices do not necessarily lead to conformity of opinion. Utilizing the telescope, Galileo was able to observe Jupiter with its satellite moons revolving around the sun in a Copernican system. That and the discovery of sunspots overturned Aristotelian perfection of the universe. Even though Galileo and the Jesuit professor from Germany, Christopher Scheiner, both observed the same spots, they came to different conclusions: Scheiner to buttress Aristotelian immutability by declaring the spots were moons and Galileo by using the sun spots to show the Sun's rotation on its axis.
   
   There is another point to be made from reading Shea and Artigas' book on Galileo. All his life Galileo held to his belief of tidal theory "as his decisive argument for the motion of earth." (123). Here the recognized father of modern science is holding resolutely to an idea contrary to basic observation of seaman that there were two high and low tides in the Mediterranean sea, not one each as his theory postulated. "He was so convinced of the validity of his proof of the earth's motion that continued to believe, in the teeth of evidence, that diurnal period in the ocean followed a 24- not a 12- hour cycle." (132) Galileo, the master, is probably only one of many scientists to follow who are caught in the trap of their own beliefs in the face of convincing evidence to the contrary.



4. I have been interested in the Galileo affair for some years and I have read some great and difficult scholarly works about the case, such as Galileo, Science and the Church by Jerome J. Langford, Galileo, Bellarmine and the Bible by Richard Blackwell and Galileo: For Copernicanism and for the Church by Annibale Fantoli and also the more readable, but well-researched, fascinating and well-written Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel . All these readings have deepened my understanding of the issues involved in the affair, but have increased my hunger to know more. This lead me to read (with a great deal of skepticism, I may say) Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius.
   After reading this work, I must agree with Stephen M. Barr, theoretical particle physicist at the Bartol Research Institute of the University of Delaware and author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, that Galileo in Rome "represents the finest in modern Galileo scholarship." What I like most about this work is the combination of high quality scholarship with an excellent narrative strategy. The book tells the story of the founder of modern science from the perspective of his six visits to Rome. At the beginning he is a twenty- three- years old job seeker, at the end he is an old man sentenced to house arrest by the Inquisition. This book is powerful drama. It truly reads like a novel, but the tone is dispassionate and objective. Most importantly, it offers a balanced account that portraits the affair in all its complexity. Nevertheless, the trial was a tragic mistake and could have been avoided. It caused great damage to the Church and Galileo suffered a lot because of it.



5. This could have been a decent read if the authors hadn't so many times overlooked the absurd thinking of Galileo's adversaries. All too often, the lack of evidence backing the ideas of the religious was glossed over while Galileo's was pointed out again and again. Then again, red flags went off right from the acknowledgements; when your first thanks are to the Templeton Foundation, that's rarely a good sign.

No comments about Going to Live in Italy:: Your Practical Guide to an Enjoyable Stay, Whether It's for Work, Study or Fun (How to).

3 comments about Europe in a Motorhome: A Mid-Life Gap Year Around Southern Europe.

1. total lack of infomation for others thinking of doing the same thing.



2. This book is a good example of a travel dairy, while obviously not intended as a "how to" book there are nevertheless many hints and tips offered to the observant reader wishing to undertake a similar journey. But don't buy it if you expect step by strep instructions on motorhoming in Europe - if you need that much instruction perhaps you should stay at home.
   
   Having undertaken a similar journey myself I enjoyed the opportunity to remember and reminisce which the descriptive style of this book offers. Scattered with personal opinions and observations which lift it beyond a mere "travel brochure" I found it an enjoyable and easy read - recommended.
   
   Just a small last point, it's a pity that the photos on the author's web site are too small to appreciate.



3. This book gives you the real inside story of what its like to up sticks, with your children, and take a gap year travelling through europe together. Alongside useful information about cities and local areas you also have the ups and downs, that are sometimes very funny, the good and the bad times, and the people you could meet, which all comes with daily travel. A list of campsites is also included. Don't expect this book to tell you 'how' to take a gap year with your family - just read what happens to this family when they do! Further independent reviews can be seen at Amazon.co.uk . The free photographic web site gives two pages of large pictures from each country visited. Click on the small picture of each country to open the pages. Web site on page 4 of the book.