2 comments about Rome (City Guides - Cadogan).

1. We just came back from Rome with Facaros and Pauls in hand and can't wait to go back. I never read such a compelling, well thought out, and beautifully written guide in my life. All the other guides to Rome we saw were basic and boring and humdrum compared to this one--it makes the eternal city eternally fascinating. Sometimes we just burst out laughing aloud, and got some very strange looks from the Romans. Get it or regret it!



2. This guidebook is not sanitized like the Fodors books. While there may not be a pages of color photographs, you will certainly come back with the flavor of Rome.

   The book is laid out in a series of walks through the city with insightful/caustic commentary. The walks can be daunting and the recommended time for each walk if about right. However, the walks take you off the main throughfares of Rome and into the city.

   I liked this book so much, I'm buying another by the same authors for a trip to Paris

1 comments about Frommer's Rome Past & Present.

1. When I was in Rome I kept looking for something like this book.
   Most of the ones I found in english were really disappointing.
   The good ones were all too big, way too expensive, and often in Italian. Finaly a good one at a reasonable price, and available here!

5 comments about Rome (Pallas Guides).

1. Brilliant! I've been to Rome five times with this book... although it was concise enough to give me an excellent overview even by the first time.



2. Did you ever run across a guidebook that, at the same time, 1) gives you a brilliantly clever and comprehensive choice of information about the sites and 2) allows you to get to each site in the easiest, quickest way?
   
   I didn't, until I found "Rome" by Mauro Lucentini. That double record is especially remarkable in a city like Rome, where the various sights may have lifespans of up to 2,800 years requiring equally monumental explanations, and/or be concealed into corners of a labyrinthine ancient habitat, where you can easily lose your way. With 700-plus pages, Lucentini's book may be a bit heavy to carry, but it is an incredible pleasure to read, and you will be thankful for each page, so fascinating is every bit of the information provided - no other Roman guide comes even close to the amount of historic or artistic background supplied - and for the fact that it will lead you in front of every item by the hand.
   
   Also, the book is structured in such a way that, if you care doing it, you are able to read a good half of it and digest quite a lot of information even before you leave for your destination, This is a quality no other guidebook I know possesses, at least not to such an extent.



3. Terrific Book. Detailed descriptions of this glorious city. Every traveler to Rome should use it as reference.



4. This book is a wonderful foray into the many aspects and history of Rome, and can be enjoyed sitting in New York, as well as walking in Rome. I've taken many of the walks, and the book is a chatty, fun, and erudite companion, pointing out all of the (almost) hidden traces of centuries past. A must for travelers in Italy (or just in your armchair)!



5. I have a shelf full of guides to Rome but when I bought this last year I threw away the rest of the shelf. It is simply fantastic. I have been a book reviewer for thirty years and never thought I would 'go overboard' about a book but this is everything I wanted. Personal, informed, entertaining, reliable, surprising, instructive, accessible, logical, practical.......I run out of words. It's great to read before during and after you visit Rome - only drawback is it's too bulky to carry around with you but take notes! Use it as your bible. Rome (Pallas Guides)

5 comments about As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas, And Daily Diversions Of Life In The Eternal City.

1. Mr. Epstein obviously has bushels of cash, and plenty of connections with the glitterati. His descriptions of buying a place in Rome, going to dinner parties with his famous personal friends, and his perceptions of la bella figura, etc. are all rather patronizing. While I did enjoy a couple of the chapters, I found that Mr. Epstein's reality in the USA was obviously far different from mine, and so is his reality in Italy. Must be nice to have it all so easy.



2. I quickly got absorbed in the first half or so of this book. The author's delight in his adopted city is contagious, and apart from falling into the occasional cliche and tendency to name-drop, he's an engaging writer. But eventually it cloys. Please, let's hear something--anything--to indicate that Rome is not paradise, because no place is paradise. The absence of a single negative note gets to be monotonous and annoying--and suspect. (You get the feeling that his publisher gave him his marching orders, instructing him to offer kudos and nothing but. Or else that Epstein lives in a fantasy, averting his eyes from anything unpleasant.) By the second half of this book I couldn't shake off the sense that if it were the Roman habit to toss the household garbage out the front window, Epstein's response would be "How charming! What insouciance! Such a devil-may-care approach to life!" I hope in his next book, if there is one, he exhibits a little more candor.



3. I agree with Veerby's assessment - the first half is a fun, engaging read, but after that, you wonder if there is anything bad about Rome in the least. It's great with all the men being mama's boys and women making themselves up to go to the grocer and the traffic jams and everything. I was actually surprised when he mentioned how Rome is not perfect and has its flaws in the last chapter, but he failed to elaborate in the least, aside from mentioning that many immigrants have come whose customs are different than that of the Romans, insinuating that they also brought crime with them. i would much prefer a more even-handed read, and preferably from someone who is not as obviously well-off. It makes me think of New York City, where having a little money makes the city a MUCH nicer place to live, mainly from being able to afford a nice neighborhood to live in.



4. I agree with a lot of the other reviewers in that the author obviously finds himself delightful. His ego seeps through the pages to the point where I was rolling my eyes in exasperation at him. You can just imagine him jumping up and down screaming "Look at me! Look at me! Aren't I awesome, I live in Rome!" His ego comes across in his pointless name dropping (the story could have been told without naming his friends and he would have come off the better for it), and his sections about how desirable his wife and him can be to Romans who just love to flirt. (Please.)
   
   The book is entertaining and he obviously loves the city and it shows in his colorful, lively interpretation of it. However, as others have mentioned, he just skims the surface, never bothering to delve deeper. At one point he has a blurb mentioning that when they were away from Rome they had heard how expensive it had gotten. He further states that they sure found out just how expensive when they came back. BUT he never bothers to explain how expensive and what they experienced!!! (Hello? Don't lead us on and then not bother with an explanation.)
   
   His constant obsession throughout the book with la bella figura wore thin after the one millionth time he mentioned how amazing Roman women are. (Can we say stereotype?) I'm sure they are amazing, but I find it really hard to believe that every woman in Rome is always dressed to the nines. I would really like to read an honest portrayal of the women.
   
   His chapter on how seductive and flirtatious that city was really had my eyes rolling. Why does he need to describe a woman's chest bouncing away in her car? I know it was to demonstrate sexyiness of the city, but come on, does he need to describe this for pages? (I don't take issue with this b/c it offends my sensabilities...I just thought it was very silly.) He reminds me of guys who think if a girl merely glances at him than that must mean she likes him.
   
   Furthermore in the first part of the book he states how untrustworthy Roman workers are and how you should never leave them around your stuff. (And how first floor apartments can be very unsafe b/c they are always robbed.) But throughout the book he keeps mentioning how crime is very low in Rome, bla bla how Romans never commit crime. Uh...maybe his editor should have picked up on these inconsistencies.
   
   All in all I don't hate this book, but the author's obnoxiousness and his superficial look at Rome detracted from my enjoyment. I would recommend this book in ADDITION to another more in depth coverage of the city.



5. Having just returned from my first visit to Rome two months ago...I happened upon this book at my local library and devoured it in 2 days. It's helped me recapture my experience in a way that even my 1900+ photos can not.
   
   Epstein's engaging style and keen observations so beautifully describe the Roman experience that I was transcended as I read. I could hear, see and smell all the things with which I fell in love during my short stay.
   
   This would be an excellent book for someone planning to visit Rome for the first time-- as it gives a very realistic sense of what you will experience culturally while there. Epstein explores nuances you won't learn about from travel brochures or visitor's bureau websites.
   
   I have purchased this book and will most likely reread it when it arrives and will then share it with the friends with whom I visited Rome. Then, between now and my next visit to Rome, I can review its many passages which truly capture the heart of a great city.

No comments about The Road to Rome.

2 comments about Michelin Rome Mini-Spiral Atlas No. 2038 (Michelin Maps & Atlases).

1. I bought this in a bookstore in the Rome training station, and it proved a fantastic resource for navigating the streets of Rome on foot. It put the maps in my Let's Go to shame, and made walking Rome's often confusing streets much easier. It was the best street map of Rome I saw, either in Rome, or in the U.S. since. I like to walk when I travel, and I wanted to be able to walk to the Vatican, and then to the stadium for a soccer game. (The latter turned out to be overly ambitious.)
   
   It includes a map of the metro/subway system, a region overview map, and a grid indicator map showing which page to use. The last is helpful, since this book is in the "Thomas Brothers" guidebook style, with 95 pages of detailed maps, and an approximately 150 page street name index. The maps indicate many of the major tourist sites, though not everything, and so it is probably best used in conjunction with a guidebook of some type.
   
   The legend is in both Italian and English, and as a street map, it's pretty easy to use even if you don't speak Italian. At about 5x8", it's easy to put in a pocket or small bag for walking with, and not too obvious if you need to consult it standing on the street (which I did, regularly.)



2. Michelin Rome Mini-Spiral Atlas No. 2038 was my new best friend in Rome. It is a 5X8 spiral-bound book, and it has an alpha list of seemingly all streets. Each page shows a small section of the city in great detail. It doesn't however offer a city-wide view, so that's what the Insight Map or the Streetwise map can do for you.

No comments about Rome City Map (Travel Reference Map).

No comments about Rome (Italy from Above).

1 comments about Rome In Detail Revised and Updated Edition: A Guide for the Expert Traveler.

1. This book was recommended to me by a frequent traveler to Rome. It is the best guidebook I have found for Rome. Every page has kept my interest and the book is very well organized to allow the reader to understand how the city is divided and will help a tourist use the time wisely while in this beautiful city.
   I would rank this guidebook #1 for Rome.

3 comments about Time Out Rome Eating & Drinking Guide (International Eating & Drinking Guides).

1. After living in Rome for a year and a half, I still find myself lost in the restaurant and dining scene in Rome. Finally there is a guide to help people find new and interesting places to go to. Through the millions of restaurants available this guide helps shine a light to the kind of place one is searching for. Dana Klitzberg and Time outhas really brought a guide that is worth every penny and more. The reviews are personable, informative, fun to read, and cover a wide spectrum of options and areas in Rome. Thank you Timeout for finally sorting out the restaurant and bar scene in ROME!!



2. The small size of this book makes it perfect to tuck into a purse or pocket. The restaurants are organized according to neighborhoods and are marked on detailed maps, making them easy to find. I'm just back from a week of wonderful meals in Rome thanks to this guide. No matter what neighborhood I was in when I felt hungry, I could read the descriptions in this book and decide on the perfect place to eat. Included is helpful information on cuisine, tipping, and a glossary of Italian menu terms.



3. Italy has such a rich gastronomic history and there are so few restaurant guide books that focus on this (with the exception of Florence and Tuscany). Many guide books only focus on the well-known, more touristy, places which I would prefer to skip. Zagat on-line only lists a few places. I have had the opportunity to dine at a few of the places listed and the experiences have been consistent with the reviews. And, it's small enough to keep in your pocket for quick reference by Rome's geographical areas.