No comments about Birnbaum's Spain 1992.

No comments about Artistic travel in Normandy, Brittany, the Pyrenees, Spain & Algeria.

No comments about Michelin Map No. 572 Asturias, Cantabria (Spain).

No comments about Barcelona (Collins Traveller).

5 comments about Rome Venice Florence, 4th (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

No comments about Portugal: Garden of Europe.

1 comments about Passport's Food and Wine Guides: Spain (Passport's Food & Wine Guides).

1. Don't go to Spain without this! Yeah, I know you know your Spanish food, but you don't know it like this book.
   
   The book is small and easy to pack and carry with you. It has everything you need to know to order wisely off an unfamiliar menu. It even has star ratings for the foods (and they are dead on). I travel frequently and extensively in Spain and still need this book occasionally to sort out regional fare. If you are going for the first time, you will find it worth its weight in saffron.

1 comments about Barcelona Step By Step: The Definitive Guide To Barcelona's Streets & Sights (Step by Step Guides).

1. Turner's book is a good, straightforward guide for walking inthe city. It doesn't offer much in the way of photos, but it givesyou the information you need to tour Barcelona in a coherent way. The material is organized geographically, and some of the areas overlap. Each tour has its own focus and is clearly described in its introduction, so you can easily pick the tours and the sights that interest you. The book was written several years ago and of course things keep changing in the city, but it remains a useful guide.

No comments about Fodor's Portugal, 9th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1 comments about Andalusia Map by Nelles (Nelles Maps) (Nelles Maps) (Nelles Maps).

1. We used this map to drive in Southern Spain. It was very up to date with current roads and highways though there is a lot of road contruction going on in that area right now. Also easy to fold.