No comments about AAA Essential Rome, 6th Edition (Aaa Essential Rome).

No comments about Space, Geography, and Politics in the Early Roman Empire (Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures).

No comments about Love Food Love Rome.

5 comments about Rome Venice Florence, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

1. This book is more of a novel of these three cities. Don't expect to pick up this book for the first time while you are on the trip and pick out places to see. The sites are buried in paragraph after paragraph of text, which is not very useful when you are there and trying to figure out what not too miss. Read it before you go on your trip and make notes of the places to visit. We were looking for the book to include a bullet list of some type with the "must see" places in each city. With only this book as a reference, we decided to wing it instead of reading.



2. Previous reviewer seems to have missed half their own point. If you are looking for Frommers or Fodors, BUY Frommers or Fodors! The world doesn't need any more of that ilk. That market is well established and those books are good at what they do.

   We're the type of travellers who basically use the Net for more time sensitive things -- the changing food and lodging scenes in any given locale. Anymore, that type of info in a book holds a distinct disadvantage versus online sources. Given that we are already armed with that info beforehand, we don't need to pay for a guide book to resummarize it.

   Once you strip that off, what's left? Info on the sights, changing attitudes, culture. 90% of what is known about the Forum, St. Pete's, etc. doesn't change. That background is suitable for book treatment. The key is distilling this info in such a way that it doesn't come off like an encyclopedia entry (the trap which the Blue Guides fall into - yawn). This the Cadogan Guides manage to do quite well. The writers do have a particular point of view on things, but it is thoughtful one and makes good reading.

   Again, every travel book doesn't apply to every travel situation. If that were the case, maybe we could all get by on Fodors. This book has marked out a different spot on the map and it is doing a very good job in that spot.




3. This book has solid information and is well-written but that doesn't keep it from being BORING! The only pictures provided are in a few pages at the front of the book. The maps are not good enough to travel with. It makes a decent pre-trip read (or to at least browse through when planning your trip). However, don't plan on traveling with this book. The National Geographic or Eyewitness Travel Guides are far better. The best of the best are the Rick Steves travel books which do not have pictures either but are updated every single year with new hotel and restaurant information plus great maps.



4. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/06)
   
   If you are one of those travelers who like to explore fewer places during your vacation, but get to know them in depth, you will certainly love the guidebook "Rome Venice Florence" by Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls. The authors did a marvelous job presenting those three fine cities, so different from each other in every aspect.
   
   Just make sure that you heed the warning from the introductory section of the book:
   "The prima donna dripping splendour, the agate-eyed goddess of the sea and the proud, clear eyed genius... if this is your first visit, we can only envy you. Rome, Venice, and Florence are in a class all their own, as high-water marks in the saga of human potential, as supernovas among the star places of Western civilization. They can be utterly demanding and make you reel and keel over from a glut of art and beauty - there is even a name for it - the `Stendhal syndrome'. You have been warned."
   
   While I totally agree with the aforementioned statement, I also believe that armed with this guidebook you will feel considerably less lost and clueless. To set the stage, the authors wrote the chapters in the part named "Italy in Perspective,: which introduces the many faceted face of Italy through its history, art and architecture, literature, music and cinema. My favorite part is the "Snapshots of Italy," talking about such important and diverse topics as the Bella Figura, Brick Italy, Marble Italy, Commedia dell'Arte, Pasta and the Pinocchio Complex. Make sure you do not skip those pages - they will make understanding Italy and Italians vastly easier.
   
   Another truly useful chapter is the one on food and drink, which even includes an Italian menu reader. This will make exploration of the fine Italian cuisine more enjoyable for certain.
   
   The `Travel' section covers all of the getting there and around topics, including the entry formalities. This section should be particularly useful for an independent traveler, as should also be the following "Practical A - Z" section, filled with a wealth of information and useful travel tips. The authors even thought of including addresses of the exchange offices which are open on the weekends.
   
   The real delights await you in the following three sections, each of which deals in great detail with Rome, Venice, or Florence. The wealth of the information is amazing and sometimes dazzling, the array of choices staggering and the details remarkable. There are 14 maps included, ranging from a comprehensive map of Italy on the inside front cover to city maps for all three cities along with several detailed maps of places of interest. Useful information in each of the chapters includes such diverse topics as the public transport, shopping, festivals, places to stay and places to eat and much, much more. Comparing the authors' selections in Venice, a city that I know very well, I was pleasantly surprised to find both several of my long-time favorites and quite a few new places to explore during my next visit.
   
   If this book makes you want to learn more about Italy, there is an excellent "Further Reading" list to be found at the very end of it. Read a few before going to Italy and your visit will be even more fun.
   
   I would highly recommend "Rome Venice Florence" to anybody with serious interest in the Italian way of life, their culture, art and history. It is well written and reads easily. My only regret is that there were no photographs to showcase the beauty of the three magnificent cities described in it.



5. Super information; well organized and easy to use; nice to have a book with these three popular destinations rather than having to buy a book for each

4 comments about Rome (Citymap Guide).

1. folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.

   so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.

   brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.

   the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.




2. About eight foldout pages, depending on how you count pages. It would make an okay addition to a full travel guide such as Rome, The Millennium Edition (Eyewitness Travel Guides, DK Publishing). [That book is indexed by Amazon.com as Eyewitness Travel Guide to Rome (Revised).]



3. perfectly sized for travelling on the run! if you're in town for a short period of time and want the express route to everything, you must buy this book! the guidebook splits Rome into six sections/mini-maps highlighting places to eat, shop and visit. the opening front section gives you an overview of Rome and includes places with great views, green spaces, guided tours, churches, religious festivals, museums, shopping districts, restaurants, concerts/shows, summer festivals, tourist info, and websites to visit. the last section is a complete map of Rome's subway and rail lines with complete transport and hotel information for your holiday suggesting a handful of hotels at different price ranges. Rome airport information is handy and all public transport options are expained clearly.

   all the tourist hot spots are well documented including important information regarding hours of operation, map location, entrance fees and other notables. the pictures are updated and the maps are very thorough. a little bigger than a palm pilot; with it's expandable fold-out maps, it's hard to beat this guidebook!

   the book is not very thorough in detail (think of it as a cliff notes for travelling; you get the gist, but you miss out on the details). if you want historical information regarding a museum or monument you'll need a supplemental book--or just visit the place and learn all you want first hand!

   while planning my Rome holiday i purchased several other Rome guidebooks but found that they stayed in the hotel while this one was taken everywhere.




4. Used this book and all the maps to see Rome for the first time this March. Was easy to use on the go, not cumbersome like full size maps. Easy to read and follow. Used Knopf map for Paris as well - extremely helpful in such a large city.

No comments about The Journey of Theophanes: Travel, Business, and Daily Life in the Roman East.

No comments about Rome From The Air.

No comments about Insight Guides Rome (Insight City Guides Rome).

2 comments about Insight Pocket Map Rome (Insight Pocket Map).

1. I found this folding map to be too small, and very inconvenient to use. Others were much better.



2. After a week of struggling with this map I finally gave up and bought a new one. The format is great. It's very easy to keep in your pocket and unfold discreetly. Unfortunately, because of that the map doesn't have much detail, and doesn't list the names of many smaller streets. If you want to get off the beaten path at all this map is useless. There are much better options.

2 comments about AAA Spiral Guide: Rome (Aaa Spiral Guides).

1. Great photos and book design, laid out to give the important information without overload, easy enough to carry with you in the street. Good breakdown of the areas within the city and the major sights. Would be an excellent book to look at if you are thinking of going to Rome to get a feel for the city. The maps are very good, the walking itineraries are very good; shopping, eating and entertainment is reviewed at the back of each city section. Only weak point is that only 14 hotels are reviewed, but those 14 are enough of a variety to get you a nice place. Well worth buying if you are heading over there.



2. This is the only guide you you need to Rome. It is complete, well organized, easy to use and unbiased. The guide contains enough information yet is still light enough to carry around.