5 comments about Rick Steves' Rome 2005.

1. Rick Steves' books, as his shows, are great resources to consider when traveling abroad. This guide was no exception.



2. I planned a three week trip to Europe and could not have done it without Rick Steve's guide books. I completely, without any reservation, reccommend this book to anyone going to Rome. It helped me prioritize my time and orient myself to Rome. Along with Rome, I also bought Venice, London, and Paris. All were equally fantastic. The guide books were great in terms of which sights are a must and which are not, what restaurants were good, where to stay, local transportation, and little hints here and there. The two cities for which I did not have Rick's guide books weren't as successful.



3. This guidebook is excellent, exactly what is expected from a Steve Ricks guidebook.



4. Just back from a week in Rome and the subject says it all; Rick's Rome 2005 has great tips for avoiding lines, finding great restaurants, the value of the money belt, the value of the metro pass and many other tips for travelers. I can't recommend the book enough for these things. Avoiding the line at the Colosseum is worth the price of the book alone. However, for someone who has traveled to Rome dozens of times, Rick is either clueless or careless about ancient Roman history as is evident in the book and his Roman travel shows; almost every entry has glaring History 101 errors. I suppose for a casual tourist it may not matter what they are looking at but if you care AT ALL about the sites you'll need more than this book. More on that at the end.
   
   Between this book and all of Rick's shows, my wife and I were prepared for the touristy stuff of Rome. Cutting through the tour group exit in the Sistine Chapel was a great hint!! A woman with a baby attempted to pick my pocket on the subway, she was right out of Rick's book. All but a few Euros were safely tucked away in my money belt. She didn't even get the money in my pocket! Thanks Rick!!
   
   However, I can't stress enough though that for history of the city and sites you will see that you must bring another book such as the Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome if you wish to get ANY historical value out of seeing the sites. Rick has great touristy tips but is not well versed in ancient Roman history and in fact seems to have distaste for it. The book is rife with specific errors and general stereotypes. To him, to quote his shows, Rome was "chariots, gladiators...and persecutions," none of which are particularly important when looking at Roman history, though the games were somewhat important for keeping the masses in the city of Rome itself happy.
   
   Examples of errors in the book:
   
   1. Most egregious specific error: the explanation of SPQR. As most of you probably know, it means Senatus Populusque Romanus: the Senate and People of Rome. Rick says it is Senatus Publicus Q Romanus. Yikes! All one has to do is look up at the inscription on the Arch of Titus in the forum to get this right, or at some of the tee-shirts for sale around Rome.
   
   2. His discussion of the Colosseum/Flavian Amphitheater makes it seem bloodier than it was. Most fights between gladiators did not end in death as gladiators were an investment, one did not kill them off recklessly. Fights that ended in death were anywhere from 5% to 50% of fights, depending on whose estimate one takes. Most historians estimate around 10 percent of fights ended in death.
   
   2. The discussion of the forum is a bare sketch of what you will see when there. He refers to gleaming white marble buildings one would have seen but all the buildings would have been colorfully painted, just like statues were painted. There are dozens of things to learn about in the forum, not just the 15 items he mentions.
   
   3. Brutus was NOT Julius Caesar's adopted son, which Rick says twice.
   
   4. Senators were not elected, as he claims, though some positions they might hold were elected.
   
   5. His description of religion in ancient Rome as stale and empty is out of an outdated 19th century textbook. It was neither stale nor empty spiritually and fell to monotheism only at the point of a sword, not the word. He refers several times to the jubilant heady times when Christianity was legalized and some of the older churches one will see could be openly built. They may have been jubilant, heady times to the Christians but to the Romans, 95+% of whom remained traditional or "pagan" in their religion, those were confusing, troubling, even terrifying times as their ancestral ways were attacked, individuals were persecuted and often killed for following them and their temples destroyed or converted to other uses. Their world was falling apart, being destroyed, and for little purpose that they could see.
   
   In this vein, Rick's distaste for the Romans' history and their ancestral religion shows when he refers to a statue of Minerva as "It's big, it's gaudy, it's a weird goddess from a pagan cult." Elsewhere referring to a Mithraeum below San Clemente that "there is nowhere better to experience this weird cult." Such editorial comments and others cannot help get readers interested in this subjects. One might as well alternatively say, "it's massive, it's tacky, St. Peter's Basilica is a poor substitute for the ancient buildings its stones were stolen from." Such a statement would be no better in a guidebook but his comment is the equivalent.
   
   Speaking of religion, Rick uses the old term Counter-Reformation throughout his book, whereas it is generally called the Catholic Reformation today.
   
   6. While the Pantheon is called the "pantheon" or temple to all the Gods as Rick says, no one really knows what the building was used for, whether a temple, part of a public bath, or some other ceremonial use.
   
   7. Constant reference in the book to emperors worshipped as Gods on earth. In Rome, the emperors were not worshipped during their lifetime, this occurred only in the provinces, mostly in the East. The Romans traditionally found such practices distasteful; they saw the emperor often and knew he was just a man and died as easily as any other man. Some emperors were deified after death though but that is a far cry from being worshipped while alive.
   
   7. In S. Giovanni Laterano (St. John Lateran) the statue in the atrium is not Constantine as Rick says but Constantius II, his son. Also, the bronze columns inside did not come from the temple of Jupiter but from public law basilicas. No one knows specifically from what buildings. Rick can't be entirely blamed, the labels in the church say it is Constantine but if he did a few minutes research he would see it isn't true. This is where a book like the Oxford Archeological Guide comes in handy.
   
   8. The stadium or stadio on the Palatine was not a stadium or "rec room" as such but a garden for the emperors shaped like a stadium.
   
   So, in closing, bring this book to Rome and never forget it in your hotel room, it is invaluable for navigating the tourist traps but also bring another book for historical info.



5. This is THE BEST guide to getting the best out of Rome. It will save you time and money and should be the first thing you pack. I had never heard of Rick Steves before buying this, now I recommend it to everyone! Great value and a wealth of information to make the most of your holiday. Easy reading style too. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

No comments about Frommer's Rome '99.

No comments about Rome Access, 1993 (3rd ed).

No comments about Steps Off the Beaten Path.

No comments about The Vatican.

1 comments about Where Rome CityGuide (Where Cityguides).

1. The book is geared toward the shopper tourist with little historic information regarding the city districts,streets or architecture. If you like to eat, shop and dance this book is for you.

No comments about Rome and Vatican: New Coloured Guide Book.

No comments about Rome: A City Out of Print.

3 comments about Rome in Detail: A Guide for the Expert Traveler.

1. Overall, this book delivers what it promises: descriptions of "hidden gems," walking tours, and restaurants that go beyond those of the standard Rome travel guide recommendations (the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, etc.) to provide the visitor with a richer and subtler experience of the city.

   The book divides the city into nine different neighborhoods, and provides artistic, hotel, and culinary highlights for each. The book's greatest value is in the walking tours, which expose the visitor to out-of-the-way churches or relatively unexplored neighborhoods. I greatly enjoyed visiting sights that I would never have seen had it not been for this book - the Santa Prassede and San Saba churches, and the Testaccio neighborhood, to name a few. The walking tours, such as the Quirinale and Via del Corso routes, are well-organized, and the writing is informative and well-written.

   All of the contributors to the guide have lived in Rome for a while, and their "insider's" knowledge clearly comes across. I showed this book to a friend who lives in Italy, and, impressed with the authors' familiarity of lesser-known locations and insights, he gave the book a strong endorsement.

   That said, there are several minor flaws. Although the maps show locations of various sights very clearly, they are not easy to use to navigate this very chaotic city. The maps are split up into the nine different neighborhoods, and one must flip back and forth through different pages to find one's way to a new area, which can be cumbersome and maddening. The maps also do not clearly indicate precise subway locations. These flaws may be avoided if one supplements the book with a separate tourist map.

   Secondly, the restaurant list could have provided a more diverse selection of choices in the lower price range. The book's recommendations tend to focus more on expensive, high-end (and occasionally overpriced) restaurants. I would have appreciated a more extensive listing of inexpensive trattorie that provide traditional fare for good value. The Slow Food guide (only available in Italian) provides far better choices for this sort of meal. Clearly, the book seems geared more towards travellers with means (i.e. the expensive hotel and restaurant choices, "best golf courses" recommendations, etc.).

   Finally, opening hours information is occasionally inaccurate or just plain out of date - a common problem with guidebooks, but troublesome if one tries to plan an extensive itinerary beforehand.

   In general, however, the strengths of this guidebook outweigh its minor weaknesses. No travel guide is perfect, but Rome in Detail provides especially valuable insights into this extraordinary city.




2. Simply put, using this guidebook is one of the most frustrating experiences any traveller can have. The problem is not the information, but, rather, accessing it in a useful, efficient manner. Unless you enjoy looking in several different places in a book for information about sights and their locations within areas of the city, you will find many other guidebooks more useful.



3. I had absolutely no problem navigating this guide. Listings are grouped by neighborhood and I was able to plot my itinerary very easily with a streetwise map. Very nice info on history and contents of different villas and churches with local color for added atmosphere. I found the practical information on hours and admission fees to be up to date. I ended up not using too many of the restaurant recommendations but was happy to have cafe and shopping tips.
   My only complaint would be that the maps are not terribly accurate- consider them illustrations only.
   This book may be a little scholarly/dry for some but I think they are a great resouce and I am happy to have them in my collection. I bought both Rome in Detail and Florence in Detail at Barnes and Noble for about $25 each. This price here on Amazon is a LOT less. Definitely worth the price.

5 comments about North of Naples, South of Rome.

1. Tullio writes a frank look at life not only through the ages in the camino valley but of the roman catholic church, of politics and of the differences in north of italy and the kingdom of naples, one of the two sicilys. He talks about food and even gives recipes on how to make sausage, tomato sauce and liquers;the importance of food, noise and celebration, especially in the provincial towns, which seem no longer to be so provincial. The book extols the joue de vivre of the italian temperment and what's best he doesn't mince words. The book is entertaining while informative, a look at yesterday and a look at today with perhaps a tiny glimpse of the tomorrow one only hopes is kept at bay long enough to climb those mountains and get to the marketplace on Monday in many of the hill towns.



2. After thirty years I returned to Ciociaria and my little town of Fontechiari. With Tullio's book under my arm I was able to fill in the years and heighten the anticipation. My companion and I stopped by to say hello; too bad Tullio was in Japan this year but Mario offered us a glass of Compari at his bar and Maurizio told us he would be open on Thursday for pizza. With my mother's Italian we talked a little of life, Tullio and food, just two strangers having a drink in little town called Gallinaro in Ciociaria.

   Not your typical tourist destination without the family connection but this part of Italy is full of hidden treasures like the Cyclopean walls above ancient Arpino, Vicalvi Norman ruins, and beautiful comunes like San Donato Val di Comino. Tullio's gives the reader insight into the local Italian character, history and politics combined with the how-to of regional cuisine. This book gave me the interest and desire to explore an area of Italy few tourists (except expatriates)rarely see.




3. After thirty years I returned to Ciociaria and my little town of Fontechiari. With Tullio's book under my arm I was able to fill in the years and heighten the anticipation. My companion and I stopped by to say hello; too bad Tullio was in Japan this year but Mario offered us a glass of Compari at his bar and Maurizio told us he would be open on Thursday for pizza. With my mother's Italian we talked a little of life, Tullio and food, just two strangers having a drink in little town called Gallinaro in Ciociaria.

   Not your typical tourist destination without the family connection but this part of Italy is full of hidden treasures like the Cyclopean walls above ancient Arpino, Vicalvi Norman ruins, and beautiful comunes like San Donato Val di Comino. Tullio's gives the reader insight into the local Italian character, history and politics combined with the how-to of regional cuisine. This book gave me the interest and desire to explore an area of Italy few tourists (except expatriates)rarely see.




4. Grazie, signore!

   Like Tullio, my husband is an expatriate from the Valle di Comino. This was a great book about the valley - full of history and insight. It helped me, as an American outsider, to understand and appreciate the culture and traditions of La Ciociaria. Plus, it was a kick to read about some of the places we visited while there!




5. My family is from San Donato Val Commino so the book had a special interest for me. I enjoyed it very much-