1 comments about Frommer's Tuscany & Umbria's Best-Loved Driving Tours.

1. This is one of the least useful travel guidebooks I have ever purchased.
   
   *the routes are difficult to follow because they are vague at times (if you've ever driven the Italian countryside, you know that detailed directions are a must),
   *the descriptive paragraphs about each stop offer too little information and are sometimes unreliable (their description of the interior of San Lorenzo in Perugia, for example, made me wonder if I was in the wrong church),
   *and, worst of all, there are NO food or lodging recommendations included.

   I would have appreciated any hint at all as to whether or not a great little caffe or trattoria was hiding in any of the stops on the itineraries, but you have to buy a second book for that information.

   A very disappointing purchase.

No comments about Sicily Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs).

1 comments about Life in the Vatican with John Paul II.

1. This book is an enjoyable, and intresting book to read. If you are as intrested and/or curious about the Vatican as I am you will love this book! I am a Catholic and that is probably 1 reason why I love this book but if you forget about religion I would find this book great for Non-Catholics also. The book takes you from the necropolis under the Vatican to the Pope's own library. As well as great stories about the Vatican this book also has great photos within the Vatican's walls. Great book for all people, and every age of people!

2 comments about Venice Walking Guide: Where to Go, Where to Eat, What to Do (Just Marvelous Walking Guides).

1. This thin publication in a protective plastic sleeve will slip easily into a breast pocket or purse, taking up little room and not weighing you down. For it's size it has much useful information for a short stay in Venice. Maps lack street names. So if you are one who likes to explore off the sugested tours you may want to pack an additonal map for security. Useful brief bits of information regarding culture, history,weather, Holidays, "Do's and Don'ts" and more will help the first time traveler. If you don't want to carry the a heavier more detailed tour book on long walks (which you should pack)this little guide will certainly get you by for a few days.



2. This is more of a pamphlet, and offers useless tipslike:

   Restaurants: Yes

   Hotels: Reserve in advance

   Give me abreak!... END

No comments about Italy Baedeker Guide (Baedeker Guides).

No comments about Campidoglio:: Michelangelo's Roman Capital.

4 comments about Insideout Florence City Guide (Florence Insideout City Guide).

1. I lived in Florence and this guide fills a much needed niche. It has excellent, easy to use maps, and a good selection of restaurants, hotels. Great information on shopping, especially hard to find information on the discount outlets of Gucci and others. It's a guide for the returning traveler. (There is no point system.) It's the guide to put in your pocket to consult as you walk around. If you want the best comprehensive guide, the one to buy (if you plan to be a culture vulture for a few weeks or months) is the Blue Guide. If you get this and the Blue Guide you are ready for anything.



2. I couldn't imagine being in Florence and not having a handy book like this one. The book has plenty of useful information on where to eat, stay, and shop. There are useful phrases and two very detailed pop-out maps. If for no other reason, the two pop-out maps make this book well worth the money. The book is small, and I was able to easily carry it in my back pocket.



3. I just got back from a trip to Italy and I purchased an Inside Out book for each of the locations I was visiting (Rome, Florence, and Venice) and these books are life savers. The maps are incredibly convenient and easy to use and the listing of what to do is a great concise overview of the main sites in Florence. The way the maps pop out is seriously cool and the books are small enough that they can fit in a large pocket (like on cargo pants) or a purse. The compass ensures you always know where you are going an the pen was extremely helpful for making notes (there is a section in the back for notes).
   
   If you want a very detailed travel guide, this book probably isn't for you, but this is the perfect book for getting a great overview of the sites, some good restaurants and some of the best hotels. I recommend this book to take around with you as you are site-seeing as a supplement to that big heavy travel book you might be thinking of.



4. We have used Inside-Out City Guides in the past and love them. They are compact and easy to carry, yet have a wealth of information as well as accurate and readable maps. I used our original Rome Inside-Out guide on three trips, consulting it often, before the fold out maps fell apart! Not only have I replaced that and bought several for gifts, but added the Florence City Guide to my arsenal. The Florence guide seems to equal the quality and value of the Rome guide. I'm looking forward to giving it a real workout on our trip this coming spring.

1 comments about Al Dente: The Adventures of a Gastronome in Italy.

1. I purchased this book while spending half a day at Gatwick airport, on my way back to Italy, after losing my connection... This is a lovely book, and I think the editorial review posted on Amazon's web site is a bit ungenerous. It is truly a very "English" book, but I don't see why that's supposed to be a problem. It is interesting and witty, and, more importantly, the author really understands Italians, and their attitude towards food. I am Italian, and it's not so common to find someone who can deal with our love for food in a joking but at the same time very very respectful way. We may be a "bit" obsessed with food, but just see (better, taste) what the results of this obsession are! Black knows about food and cooking, and for his attitude towards them he definitely deserves an honorary Italian citizenship.
   Part of the book also deals with Italian history, and it does so in a interesting way. Indeed, one important thread of the book is the author's search for information on Mazzini and the Rosselli brothers, as before starting his journey he discovered to be related to the Rossellis (on his mother's side).
   If you plan to visit Italy, and if you love food, you should read this book first, especially if you are going to visit some of the places toured by Black. Just consider that, unfortunately but understandably, not all of Italy is covered here, and there are some important "culinary places" that you will not find in this book, notably most of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. You will find, instead, Piemonte (Turin, and Alba and her Truffles), Sicily, Sardinia, a small bit of Rome, Comacchio (a small small plsce hidden in the fog, famous for the eel), Amalfi and Naples, Livorno and Genoa, and a few other places that I don't remember. Anyway, I highly recommend this book, and I am surprised it's didn't have any success in the US!

1 comments about Vidal in Venice.

1. Gore Vidal takes you across more than a thousand years of Venetian history ___from its improbable origins as a safe haven from the marauding hordes of Attila the Hun (5th century AD), through a thousand years of the great Venetian Republic ("The Serene Republic"!)____down to its present day status as a tourist Mecca . Vidal garnishes his observations of the city and its people with characteristic irreverant humor.The pace of the book is pretty informal with short chapters devoted to the origins of Venice, its geography , the great mercantile Venetian empire which lasted over a millenium ,the flowering of arts : Veronese , Tintoretto, Giorgione , Vivaldi & Palladio were all at some point or another associated with the city . Also interspersed are some observations about Venice which most foreigners may not be familiar with e.g: "There is no sight more beautiful than Venice under a snowfall .Venice is like a once-great beauty who deserves to be seen by candlelight , and the soft light of winter works like a photographer's air-brush on the city's many cracks and wrinkles .Venice is particularly beautiful in a winter mist " etc.Also included is a chapter on the high and mighty who chose to spend some time in Venice : Henry James, Byron, Richard Wagner not to mention that Stravinsky is buried there .This is a good light read and Vidal is an entertaining guide along the way.

2 comments about Fodor's Holy Rome, 1st Edition: A Millennium Guide to Christian Sights (Fodor's Holy Rome).

1. I used this wonderful book while in Rome. It has detailed maps and information that the guide didn't always tell us. Great to study beforehand, take with you, and as a souvenir of your trip. I highly recommend it.



2. This one is a comprehensive guide of churches and holy sites throughout Rome. If you've never been,it's hard to imagine how many (400+) churches there are! Each one is a treasure,but most books only list a fraction of them.This is a great book to use while discovering Rome neighborhood by neighborhood. If you're traveling light,take Frommer's Rome and this book and you'll be in great shape.