Book Description
Michelin Green Guide Italy
Customer Reviews:
Valuable but..........2007-05-09
I bought this because I had had the Michelin Red Book of Germany (all Red books are in the language of the country) and needed an English version for Italy. This is not the English version of the Red Book Where I found the Red Book to be invaluable in Germany (in 1996), the green book is less so.
The pictures, illustrations, and maps are an improvement over the Red book but the hotel ratings are limited by comparison and the English is apparently translated by the French from Italian and is not exactly idiomatic -- whether your persuasion is British or American English.
If you're from the USA you'll probably get more of what you want from Frommer or Steves.
Good as expected.......2007-04-02
I ordered the book to plan my trip to Italy. Unforunately, delivery took 150 days, thus I already traveled over North Italy and saw all major sites. But, when I recently received this Guide, I noticed that there are a lot what I missed. So, this book brought new bright ideas for the new travel!
Book Description
Michelin Green Guide Tuscany
Book Description
Michelin Green Guide Rome
Customer Reviews:
Snobby and without imagination.......2007-07-17
Caravaggio's Conversion of St. Paul, in the church of Santa Maria Del Popolo, is a deathless masterpiece. People of all ages, from all countries of the world, stand in front of it in silent awe. Some of them weep. This is what the Michelin guide has to say about this painting: "The effect of the divine light illuminating St. Paul on the road to Damascus should have been sublime but it falls first of all on the hourse, which is out of proportion, before touching the foreshadowed figure of the saint." Oh, excuse me, Michelin man, it's a shame you weren't around in the 17th century so you could give Caravaggion lessons in proportion! Then there's the column of Marcus Aurelius, which as been transfixing travelers to Rome for nigh on two thousand years now: "The overall appearance is spoiled by the lack of entasis two-thirds of the way up the shaft, which would have avoided the impression of concavity." Spoiled! And here I was, along with maybe a hundred million people before me, thinking the spiraling reliefs of victory and disaster were something pretty damn special and reasonably unspoiled to see. And please forgive me for not having any idea what the heck "entasis" means. The star rating system of this guide will only lead you to the places you already knew you should go and see--the guide gives one or no stars to places that are not only magnificent, but which will be, even on a July afternoon, cool, silent and empty of the multitudes. The Rough Guide to Rome is a much better book. Or just follow your nose, your eyes and your heart--in the Eternal City, they can't steer you wrong.
Absolutely essential.......2006-10-25
I've browsed and borrowed several guidebooks, and the ones I relied on for taking with me and walking around with (as opposed to pre-trip research) were Fodor's, and Michelin's Green Guide for Rome. The latter has no restaurant or hotel information, but excellent historical and cultural notes--more than some people want, perhaps. My only criticism of it is that the index is not good: some listings are under the Latin or Italian names, (many churches are found under the listing "chiesa" for example),some are under the English translation names, and some important topics or sites are not actually listed in the index at all, but they do appear in the book. Topics are well-organized into walking itineraries.
Well researched and organized, compact size that travels well.......2006-06-07
I have used the Michelin Green Guides on many trips to Italy. They have always provided accurate information in an easy to use format. I particularly like that they are small enough to pack in a suit easily. This might not sound like much to you. But I am a one carry-on suitcase kind of girl, so I don't have much room to spare for lots of travel guides. I always have at least one Michelin Green Guide in my suitcase for each new adventure.
The writers do a nice job of provided walking directions through Rome to maximize your sightseeing opportunities. I love to walk around Rome. It is such a beautiful city that can only be truly appreciated up close. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes. The street are very uneven and unless you have gel inserts in your hard soles shoes you feet might give out before you do. I have been known to walk 10 miles a day in Rome without trying to. It is very easy to get carried away and just want to see more.
Be sure to check out a few of the outdoor markets that are outlined in the book. These are so much fun. I like them almost as much as the museums.
The floorplans of the museums that are provided are very useful and I would recommend copying those before you leave to have with you if you don't plan to take the book.
One overlooked sight in Rome that I love is the Baths of Caracalla. If you are there in summer check to see if they are having the outdoor concerts at night, they are worth attending. Even without the concerts the scope of the Baths is worth seeing. It is fascinating what the Romans were able to accomplish in AD 212.
I would highly recommend the Michelin Green Guide to Rome to anyone that is planning a trip to Rome, be it their first trip or their tenth.
Book Description
This title in the acclaimed Michelin Green Guide series covers Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands. Its strategic location has attracted Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans and Catalans to settle or rule. Each period has left its mark on the island's heritage and it has an exceptional legacy of fine building ranging from the great Greek theatres and temples to the splendid Norman monuments showing both Moorish and Bzyantine influences.
Customer Reviews:
Typical Michelin.......2006-05-10
As pointed out in the other review, Michelin books are organized alphabetically. While they may be good for laying out a web site they are frustrating and inefficient to use to plan a trip. Unless you travel alphabetically.
Great Guide to Sicily.......2002-09-14
The Green Guide Sicily was added to this series in 1998 and gives you all the information you need for a trip to Sicily.
Sicily is not just the birthplace of the Mafia that Hollywood has led you to believe. It's a sleepy place untouched by tourist throngs with a wealth of beautiful Greek ruins. I visited in July 2001 and used this book as my main travel book. As in all the Michelin guides the cities and tourist attractions are listed are organized alphabetically without any geographic considerations so you need to refer to a map to find an unfamiliar place. There are limited maps printed at the beginning of the book. Hours of opening with telephone numbers are given at the back of the book for the major attractions. This is critically important; you don't want to drive across the island to arrive at place that's closed for the 3 to 4 hour midday siesta. Tourist amenities are limited in Sicily, I stayed at one of the best hotels in Palermo (according to the Italy Red Guide) and it was awful. In some remote places finding a place to buy cool drinks or snacks is a challenge that Americans used to having convenience stores everywhere will notice. The upside of this is that there are so few tourists that you get a unique perspective on the places you see. I spent 90 minutes at the superb Greek temple at Segesta during which I was the only person there for most of the time. There weren't many people at the Selunente or Agrigento Greek temples either. The guide refrains from gossipy editorializing, sticking to one or two pages of facts and picture or two of important sites. There is a useful system of prioritizing sites; Three stars is a must see, one star for sites worth visiting if you're in the area or have extra time on your hands. I found that I usually agreed.
A really great guide.......1999-03-15
I'm building an internet site all about Sicily. I found this book so useful in my photographic tours of Sicily. It is a book that who love Sicily might not to miss. I appreciated particularly the advices about where to eat. It's simply ... complete!
Book Description
While spending a few days in the Eternal City, you may want to visit some its numerous sights and monuments, to explore the locations and scenes captured in the classic film "La Dolce Vita" to plunge into the bustle of an open-air market or to cross the Tiber to Trastevere in search of a typical trattoria. THE GREEN GUIDE, the perfect travel companion: a discerning and up-to-date source of information. Practical and comprehensive, it offers suggestions on what to see and what to do, background on history and cultural heritage. Ideal guides for the independent tourist, THE GREEN GUIDE explores destinations both near and far. Sights are rated - 3 stars "worth a journey", 2 stars "worth a detour" and 1 star "interesting". Maps and itineraries make planning easy, whether visiting the highlights or venturing off the beaten track. Travel with THE GREEN GUIDE for an exciting and memorable experience.
Customer Reviews:
A great guide to the historical/cultural sights.......2004-03-18
I took this book on a recent 8-day trip to Rome. It is an outstanding guide to the historical/cultural sights, probably the best in print if you're limiting yourself to one.
The city is divided into about 15 regions. For each, the book lays out a walking tour complete with an explicit map. Quite a bit of very helpful info is provided for each sight.
If you have a lot less than 8 days, the book provides a rating of 1 to 3 stars for each sight, so you can make a bee-line to the 3 star sights and skip the walking tours.
The book is weak on "the contemporary scene", bus routes, shopping, restaurants, and hotels. The focus is definitely on the cultural and historical sights. I recommend you also get a copy of Fodors or Frommers and xerox the chapters on these important practicalities. Great dining experiences can add a lot to the trip; Rome has plenty of mediocre tourist traps.
Another book similar in scope and emphasis is "Blue Guide Rome" by Alta Macadam. It's also excellent. This author typically says a little more about each sight than does Michelin, but the city is divided into about 30 walking tours instead of 15 and no map is provided for the individual walks. If you don't mind carrying a small library, and I don't, take this along too and whip it out at the major sights to get an insightful second opinion.
A big issue in sightseeing Ancient Rome is that there is usually relatively little left to look at, as the sites were used as quarries for more than a thousand years. Neither this Michelin Guide nor the Blue Guide provides sketches of reconstructions of the Ancient sites, and hence your imagination doesn't have much to go on. To rectify this, I recommend whipping out the "Oxford Archeological Guide to Rome" by Amanda Claridge, probably the best guide in English on Ancient Rome, but this book barely mentions any site newer than 500 AD and is not suitable as a general guide.
Save your money and don't buy this horrible guide.......2002-05-29
I bought this book but didn't have time to read it until I was on the plane -- my mistake in buying it in the first place -- there are so many other great guides that do such a better job than this ridiculous guide -- the maps are horrible, the entire book is superficial in it's descriptions and the restaurants it recommends were all recommended by other guides -- as if they had plagarized the lists of places to go. Save your money!
Michelin Green Guide Rome a Must Have!.......2000-06-14
After living overseas for 6 years I have traveled far and wide. I have purchased several other guide book brands (Fodors, Eyewitness, Knopf), and while they have pretty pictures, they lack substance. If you are visiting Rome and want to know the history and small details The Green Guide is an absolute must. It's divided into logical catagories (take the time to acquaint yourself with the set-up of the book - you'll be glad you did) that are alphabetically listed. Sights are rated one, two and three stars and I've found that most ratings are fairly accurate. There are small, detailed maps in each section. You can also purchase a very detailed map book of Rome by Michelin - it's wonderful!
The book is lighter than most of the current popular travel guides and chock full of great information. Michelin is always the guide I reach for once I'm disgusted with any other guide book - no matter where I'm visiting!
Bon Voyage!
Book Description
The gorgeous and wonderful reality of Venice is beyond the fancy of the wildest dreamer, wrote Charles Dickens on his first trip to the city in 1844. This new title in the Michelin Green Guide series reveals the treasures and the charms of the legendary lagoon city that has never ceased to captivate and inspire travellers.
Customer Reviews:
Another first-rate, totable guide from the Michelin Man.......1997-05-19
Michelin crams an astonishing quantity of information into its tall and narrow Green Guides, which fit perfectly into a purse or camera bag. Michelin's traditional black-and-white etchings have been replaced by color photo in this new Venice book, but the maps, building plans, and descriptions are up to the company's high standards. The alphabetical organization of sights and monuments is handy for those who don't like the structured "walking tour" approach.
Durant Imboden, Venice for Visitors, http://govenice.miningco.co
Book Description
In this favored land, the hills are green with dusky olive groves, bright vineyards, dark cypress trees; bright Mediterranean blue complements the pure light and serenity of the Tuscan countryside. This beauty is matched by the fabulous art treasures found in the famous museums, churches and monuments here, in the cradle of Italian culture. THE GREEN GUIDE, the perfect travel companion: a discerning and up-to-date source of information. Practical and comprehensive, it offers suggestions on what to see and what to do, background on history and cultural heritage. Ideal guides for the independent tourist, THE GREEN GUIDE explores destinations both near and far. Sights are rated - 3 stars "worth a journey", 2 stars "worth a detour" and 1 star "interesting". Maps and itineraries make planning easy, whether visiting the highlights or venturing off the beaten track. Travel with THE GREEN GUIDE for an exciting and memorable experience.
Customer Reviews:
Good as a reference guide.......2000-10-01
Great reference once you are in Tuscany, but don't try to plan your trip with it.
comprehensive coverage of tourist sites.......2000-01-27
Excellent coverage of monuments, museums, history, etc. It DOES NOT contain any info on lodging, restaurants, shopping, etc. But for planning your outings and getting around it is very thorough. A 100 page section on Florence, and a concise write-up on even the smallest towns, usually with it's own little map. Plenty of small photos and even floor-plans of large museums. Street map of Florence is good, but does not label all streets, and not a great street index, so a detailed map of your destination is advised, in addition
Book Description
In this favored land, the hills are green with dusky olive groves, bright vineyards, dark cypress trees; bright Mediterranean blue complements the pure light and serenity of the Tuscan countryside. This beauty is matched by the fabulous art treasures found in the famous museums, churches and monuments here, in the cradle of Italian culture. THE GREEN GUIDE, the perfect travel companion: a discerning and up-to-date source of information. Practical and comprehensive, it offers suggestions on what to see and what to do, background on history and cultural heritage. Ideal guides for the independent tourist, THE GREEN GUIDE explores destinations both near and far. Sights are rated - 3 stars "worth a journey", 2 stars "worth a detour" and 1 star "interesting". Maps and itineraries make planning easy, whether visiting the highlights or venturing off the beaten track. Travel with THE GREEN GUIDE for an exciting and memorable experience.
Customer Reviews:
Essential for travel.......2006-05-28
The green guide is important for helping you decide what to do -especially when your time is limited. In some cases it provides wonderful detail as you explore churches that you become the walking tour guide. Very helpful when traveling with a group of colleagues and/or college students! It's not expensive and small in size, easy to carry in jacket pocket or bag.
Book Description
Michelin The Green Guide Italy, 7e
Customer Reviews:
You're Going To Love Italy!.......2005-07-07
I've been to Italy several times.....Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, some of the hill towns, etc (most recently last April). Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet your exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
Rick Steves' books are not recommended. They may be an interesting read but their helpfulness is very poor. They don't do well on updates, transportation details, or anything but the first-time-tourist routine and even that is somewhat superficial on anything but the mega-major sites.
Frommer's
These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise (depending on what the guide is known for), if your main concern is that the guide has very little old or outdated information, then this would be a good guide for you.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.
Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the public transportation system. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.
Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
A classic ruined by needless revision.......2005-04-25
I have relied on the Green Guide to Italy for planning itineraries in Italy since 1974. Over the years I have bought every new edition upon release. I am sorry to report that the latest edition, the 7th, departs enough from the classic Green Guide concept to be a huge disappointment.
The book is thicker than it used to be, with the addition of a few color photographs and the inclusion of a very limited number of restaurant and hotel recommendations. Restaurant guides are never useful in Italy anyway (it would be difficult to find bad food anywhere in the country) and the hotel listings are so limited (one or two hotels in each major location) as to be a waste of space.
The guide is now organized more along major destinations with excursions, rather than strictly alphabetically. One of the things I always liked about the Green Guide was that you could see a destination on the map and instantly read about it to see if there were any highlights worth seeing.
The Green Guide's greatest strength remains its system of prioritizing destinations and attractions. I have rarely been disappointed by any sight given the maximum 3-star "worth a journey" rating by Michelin. Most of the attractions of Italy have not changed since previous editions of this book: if you can find an earlier edition I recommend buying it instead of the seventh edition.
Book Description
This title in the acclaimed Michelin Green Guide series gives a unique insight into Italy's glorious past and its ancient, Christian and humanist traditions which have influenced Western civilization. The magnificent art treasures and the enchanting landscapes are complemented by the gastronomic
delights of the regions and the charm and vivacity of the people.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant for smaller places.......2002-09-18
Michelin may be too superficial on mainstream places like Rome and Florence, but if you need a guide to cover destinations that are less obvious, this is definitely your choice.
Maps are very good. The system of classification and organization takes some getting used to (well, this is produced in France, what do you expect). And thank God they are not too shy to use plenty of pictures - apart from Eyewitness Guides, few publishers do this.
Language is not brilliant - it often has the "translated" feel.
Michelin is not very strong on practicalities - you will probably need something in addition to this for covering day-to-day questions. Generally, unless you plan to visit small places extensively, this would not be the first choice. Begin with Eyewitness or Fodor's, or a Frommer's if you are a newcomer.
Michelin's Green Guides Mean Smart Travel.......2001-02-13
I have used Michelin Green Guides for 30 years. From San Francisco, to New York, to New England, to Germany, they never fail to give me accurate and useful information. I bought the Green Guide to Italy and it is as chock full of goodies as any of the other half dozen guides I own and love. It is not laid out by region (which is the only reason why I gave just 4 stars), but, instead, by city. Since I know the alphabet pretty well by now, I got over my initial disappointment! The guide does a very good job describing the best things to see at all of the major tourist cities - Venice, Rome Florence and Milan. It even gives useful information on smaller, but interesting, cities like Gubbio (a GREAT town to visit). The size and shape encourages you to carry it along with you and the high quality of the paper and binding means that it will last through several trips. If I could only own one book on Italy, this would probably be it - it was the first I bought. It doesn't give insights into places to eat or hotels, but there are the red guides...
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Michelin Red Guide Guide 2007 Italia (Michelin Red Guides)
Michelin Green Guide Tuscany (Michelin Green Guides)
Michelin Red Guide 2006 Italia (Michelin Red Guides)
Michelin Green Guide Rome (Michelin Green Guides)
Michelin Green Guide France (Michelin Green Guides)
