Book Description
Cadogan's original three cities guide is now in its fifth edition--and travel companies consistently cite this combination as their most sought-after Italian tour. These are three remarkable cities with three remarkable stories to tell. Rome went out and conquered the world, and in its retirement came back to remake itself as Europe's most ornate capital. Venice built itself up from a Dark Age swamp to become a fairy city of canals. Florence built its empire on finance and wool, and lavished the profits on art and science. Cadogan explores their three very different characters: stately Rome, with its Coliseum and the Sistine Chapel; dreamy Venice, and the eternal romance of a gondola ride along its canals; and Florence, bursting with more paintings, sculptures, and monuments than anywhere else in Italy. They all combine to offer a sublime introduction to the country, or a perfect multi-center trip for travelers with limited time. Cadogan's essential guide uncovers the divine, the great, and the quirky in each city.
Customer Reviews:
Rome Venice Florence, 5th edition, Cadogan.......2007-03-08
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
An extremely detailed guide to 3 wonderful cities.......2006-12-31
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.
Decent pre-trip read but not worth taking with you.......2004-10-25
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.
Invaluable Travelling Companion !.......2004-09-15
According to their web page, Michael Palin has called the Cadogan Guides "a balance of infectious enthusiasm and solid practicality."
How right he is.
This book was invaluable on a recent vacation, both before leaving and while touring. Despite its massive content it's lightweight and compact, although the binding is pretty rubbishy. Before leaving I checked out the maps and read the practical information (e.g., bus passes). Also I was able to book well-located and cheap hotels in all three cities from these listings.
Maria Vasilakis' review below mistakenly assumes that the Guide does not highlight major sights. The "Highlights of Florence" section (p. 246) does just that. The book makes an ideal walking companion, with district-by-district and street-by-street organisation. Reading between the lines of the authors' descriptions will help you determine which sights are truly worth seeing.
If you wish, you can read the helpful topical essays - on e.g., the Medicis etc. - or save them for after your return. Gallery-by-gallery breakdowns help you navigate through main attractions like the Vatican and the Uffizi. There are plans of the major churches, with numbered keys.
I've had it spiral bound to preserve it, and will be using it again.
Highly recommended.
Very very good in a very specific way........2002-11-28
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.
Book Description
From the Colosseum to the Sistine Chapel, great monuments of Western civilization are at every turn in Rome. Vespas dart by baroque palaces and Egyptian obelisks, office workers sip caffé in the shadow of the Pantheon, and cats sun themselves atop ancient columns. Our local writers have walked in the footsteps of Caesar, Nero and Caravaggio to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.
The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best - "Fodor's guides are saturated with information."
- Two-color interior design makes it easier to find the information you need
- Fodor's Choice Ratings flag must-see sights and hidden treasures
- Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets
- Plus multi-day itineraries to help you build the right trip for you and/or your family
Customer Reviews:
Fast paced Rome!.......2006-05-13
What a beautiful city, full of spectacular buildings, cobblestone roads, gorgeous old windows, intricate doors, huge fountains, endless shopping, wonderful food & warm & friendly Italians! Unfortunately our trip to Rome coincided with the Pope's illness & subsequent death (while we were in Rome!), therefore we had no access to the Vatican. But it sure is stunning from outside.
We had no problem finding English speaking Italians in Rome, especially in hotels, restaurants & shops. This book successfully guided us to the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Basilica & the Pantheon, just to name a few of our stops. We had a rental car, but parked it & made our way by foot & by taxi. Driving in Rome is scarier than driving in Manhattan, especially with all of the mopeds turning in many directions at the same time!
This book made our days in Rome enjoyable, the restaurants suggested were all great. My husband fell in love with gelato, so we ended our days at different gelato counters. I fell in love with my daily cappucinos & pana cotta! I am not a coffee drinker, but went through cappucino withdrawls when I got home. I am now a pro at making pana cotta, oh it's divine!
The road side vendors are peddling some of the best proscuitto & rocket paninni sandwiches I had in Italy! I still think about those $2 sandwiches a year later! : )
If you're planning a trip to Rome you must get this book to guide you. My husband & I talk continuously about going back again very soon.
You're going to LOVE ITALY! .......2004-09-24
I've been to Italy several times.....Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, some of the hill towns, etc. Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet you r 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!
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
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.
Book Description
The biggest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily possesses a strangely savage beauty and has been the setting for cultures' great legends: the mythic garden of Persephone, an Islamic paradise on earth and the fairy-tale Norman kingdom. But Sicily does not shape itself purely by its past; its people are lively and forward looking and Cadogan's Italian experts have combined the perfect measure of wit and insight with historical analysis and cultural detail to capture the essence of this enthralling land. From the first view of the Ionian Coast, the 'Gateway to Sicily' and the island's most striking, to the smouldering peak of Mount Etna, Europe's highest volcano, Sicily's mystical landscape casts an enduring spell. Cadogan reveals the fantastic architecture of Syracuse on the southeast coast and the ancient sites of Tindari, Himera and Solunto dotted along the Tyrrhenian Coast; and leads travelers to the best plate of swordfish involtini on Lipari and the finest wine in Marsala. Complete with full travel information, maps and at-a-glance highlights, Cadogan is the only guide travelers need to discover the full majesty of Sicily.
Customer Reviews:
Best Travel Guide!!!.......2005-08-16
This guide was the best travel guide that I have ever purchased. It was insightful, well written and very well used on our trip. The recomendations were excellent. Buy this book -- You will not be disappointed!!! On future travel's I will be looking for other guides from Cadogan!
THese are real writers.......2003-11-25
This guidebook is not only erudite and extremely well written, but it is also a quirky and opinionated look at one of the strangest places in Europe, Sicily. We took this book and used it so much that I cannot imagine making the trip without it. The talent of these writers, in my opinion as a writer, is better than that of any other travel writers I know, indeed better than many journalists. The result is a funny and absolutely first-rate guide, far better than the usual generic things out there.
Get it. You won't be disappointed!
A good all-around guide to the island.......1999-07-07
I just got back from my honeymoon in Sicily and I used this guide as well as one or two others. The book helped me with some interesting tips on restaurants and out-of-the-way places, as well as finding me a really nice hotel in Siracusa--something that made our stay there one of the nicest parts of our trip. A little light on maps if you're driving or like detail in your maps, but overall this guide was an asset on my trip.
Best written travel guide I've seen........1997-02-24
More perceptive sense of place than any of the standard guidebook series, with witty histories one wants to read. Less discussion of precautions than student or Lonely, Rough guides, needed for completeness. I recognize those places I've been, and they've found each favorite spot I had to dig to locate. They describe how to stay with locals on remote islands where other books can only suggest you bring a tent.
Beautifully printed hip-pocket paperback, complete with an
(unattributed) "Italian oldstyle" typeface confirming these are the most cleanly attractive and readable typefaces ever
designed.
Book Description
With so much to see, do, experience, and eat in Italy, the only way to get the best from a visit is with a copy of Cadogan's authoritative guide in hand. Written by experts and full of fascinating stories and anecdotes, the best places to stay and eat and the wondrous churches, cathedrals, piazzas, galleries, olive groves, and rolling hills of this magnificent country.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent In-Depth Background for Serious Travellers.......2002-03-13
The great asset of the Cadogan series is the in-depth historical and cultural context that the authors set their desciptions in. While all of the usual nuts-and-bolts information on hotels, restaurants, nighlife, etc. is there, the emphasis is on really getting to know and appreciate the cultures you are travelling through, rather than just being able to name the Top 5 sights in each city and take home postcard shots of each. If you read this book, you'll come away with a whole new appreciation for the country and its people, and you'll understand why you've decided to travel there in the first place.
A little too much..........2000-10-16
Although this book is a good basic overview of travel in Italy, it is written in an unnecessarily pedantic style. I found other travel guides on Italy to be much more reader-friendly and useful.
Amazon.com
You are tootling along Italy's bucolic SS502, olive groves to the left of you, vineyards to the right of you, the rosemary-scented breeze in your hair, a picnic basket of focaccia, provolone, prosciutto, and a bottle of sangiovese in the back seat. All you need is a spare week, a charming companion, a rental car, and Frommer's guide to the pleasures of touring Italy by car. Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours provides 25 motoring itineraries--all with easy-to-follow directions; quick approximations of how many days and miles/kilometers from start to finish; plus maps, photos, and descriptions of the highlights along the way, including coastal fishing villages, medieval towns, fortified hamlets, grand cathedrals, recommended walks, scenic passes, local shops, formal gardens, festivals, and historic sites. Some books serve as an inspiration and others as practical guides; this one does both. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
Frommer's Driving Tours are packed with detailed, color-coded maps and stunning full-color photographs. Each guide outlines dozens of driving tour options and then helps you plan your route with exact directions, distances, and driving times. You'll see all the top sights and then have the flexibility to discover the hidden pleasures of each destination ñ our suggested routes include scenic detours and stops for spectacular views, easy walks, shopping, dining, and fun breaks for travelers with children. We'll show you how to enjoy some of the world's most spectacular drives!
Customer Reviews:
Nice guide, well researched.......2006-06-12
When we travel to Italy we love to rent cars and take the road less traveled to cities that are typically off the tourist path. I have a number of books on driving tours through Italy. I find that I return time and again to the books on driving tours because very little changes in Italy from year to year, which I think it part of the beauty of Italy.
At the beginning of each section the book provides a narrative regarding the larger cities in each area. I have listed these cities in brackets after the regions below.
This book has outlined 25 tours through Italy these are as follows:
Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto (Torino, Milano, Bologna, Rimini, Asolo, Verona)
Tour 1: The Foot of the Mountains
Tour 2: Of Alps, Lakes & Plain
Tour 3: La Grassa - the Fat Country
Tour 4: Of Mosaics, Sun & Sea
Tour 5: The Gentle Veneto
Tour 6: Beyond Venice - Inland Veneto
Liguria & Tuscany (San Remo, Genova, Pisa, Firenze)
Tour 7: The Lingurian Hilltowns
Tour 8: The Riviera of Levante
Tour 9: Treasures of Tuscany
Tour 10: The Cradle of the Renaissance
Umbria & The Marches (Perugia, Ancona, Urbino)
Tour 11: The Green Heart of Italy
Tour 12: Italy's Best Kept Secret
Tour 13: The Northern Marches
Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo (Roma, Napoli, Pescara, L'Aquila)
Tour 14: The Apennines & the Adriatic
Tour 15: Abruzzo - the Remote Interior
Tour 16: Roman Country Retreats
Tour 17: The Roman Countryside
Tour 18: In the Shadow of Vesuvius
Tour 19: Small Cities of Campania
Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia (Catanzaro, Cosenza, Matera, Bari, Brindisi, Foggia)
Tour 20: The Toe of the Boot
Tour 21: The Highlands of Calabria
Tour 22: Forgotten Basilicata
Tour 23: Ancient Puglia
Tour 24: The Heel of Italy
Tour 25: The Gargano Peninsula
For each tour the book provides the following information:
1. Time required
2. Total distance in both kilometers and miles
3. Distance between towns
4. Driving directions
5. Brief narrative about each city on the tour
The book does provide limited lodging information in the back of the book. However, I don't find it to be adequate to make an informed decision. I would recommend a lodging only book to make those decisions.
If you were interested in driving to the smaller cities and towns in Italy, I would also recommend "Italy on Backs Roads" by Hunter Publishing and "Driving Tours of Italy" by Macmillan Travel.
The book does contain some pictures, although fewer than the typical guidebook. I would also recommend that you supplement this book with a good map of Italy. I use the Michelin map of Italy. That way if you get a tip from a local you can venture even further off the beaten path. Some of our best memories of Italy were as a result of a tip from someone in a restaurant or a shop. Italians love to chat and share their country. If you ask them questions they will point you to some of the most lovely places.
This book is a small size and fits easily into a big purse or suitcase. I find it works best to copy the sections of all the guidebooks that apply to my trip and bind these together as a personal guidebook that also saves space in my suitcase.
Bella Italia from behind the wheel or by zooming with a Vespa.......2006-02-10
I would recommend the new 7th edition (2005) instead of this one.
Excellent guide to seeing Italy with a car or a Vespa moped. You will enjoy some great driving tours and routes through Italia.
Frommers has recently come out with a "Best-Loved Driving Tours" series ... guides that are not very inexpensive, but are very well researched and quite comprehensive. One will have plenty of driving tours and routes to chose from, whether you like arts and museums, scenic roads and breathtaking views, urban towns and shopping, or just want to experience a regione's culture and life.
Unlike the other Frommer guides that are fatter and heavier, this little book gives you not too many specifics on lodging or eating. It is geared strictly for the person behind the wheel and her or his passengers.
I have had a great experience using this guide and will recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Also, you might want to check to see if your library carries it and check it out for the duration of your visit abroad.
When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).
Convenient,, 25 Great Itinerary Choices, Easy to Use..........2001-04-09
Sometimes in life you want to go in a circle and "Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours" helps you do just that.
I was going to be in Italy for two weeks, half of which I would be in Venice, floating in gondolas with my girlfriend, eagerly explaining to her why my voice sounds like Dean Martian's when signing "Amore" but the wind and the slap of the gondoliers paddle made me sound different, really. She didn't by it either.
With two weeks in Italy, one by train and the second in an Audi, I used "Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours" to travel through the Alps and Lake District in Northern Italy.
Though not my only guide, it was the "big picture" guide that allowed my preliminary planning.
You can select from twenty-five great itinerary loops that cover Italy from the Italian Alps to the tip of the boot. Each has a map that highlights a half a dozen to dozen places that are unforgettable.
Good maps (although not detailed) and enticing site descriptions kept this book in use throughout my driving tour. Recommended.
GREAT! for a driving holiday "off the beaten track".......2000-09-16
This book is perfect if you are planning a driving vacation around Italy (or parts of it) and would like to get away from the touristy centers like Venice, Rome, Florence, etc. It doesn't even cover those major cities, but does provide a wealth of other suggested places to visit, which were relatively quiet and tourist-free, even at the end of August. We just returned from a 6-day visit, and rather than complete any single tour from the book (they're typically 3-4 days each), simply selected sections of the itineraries that fit into our timeframe and location.
2 things to note: this book does NOT provide any listings for places to stay, so you will need another resource (I found several excellent country inns on the Web.) Also, while detailed maps of each tour are included, you will also need a good roadmap or atlas of Italy, esp. if you will be visiting more than one part of the country.
If you only buy one guide book for Italy, buy this one........1999-11-08
This was the most helpful guide book I used on what to do and see in Italy. The pictures were helpful, and the routes they suggested included wonderful places that I would have overlooked. It doesn't include where to eat/stay, but it's terrific on what to see while you're there.
Book Description
Italy¿s most desirable vacation destination is the subject of one of Cadogan¿s bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic. Along with color photographs and maps, find the most up-to-the-minute practical information and listings. Cadogan explores chic Positano and the Amalfi Coast, where Mount Vesuvius towers over the fantasy garden frescoes of Pompeii; the ravishing landscape of Capri; and vibrant Naples, with its world-famous restaurants and nightlife. As well as the bright lights of the islands and the coast, the guide covers the inland regions of Southern Italy the casual tourist rarely sees: the mountain plateaux of rugged Calabria, Puglia, with its flavors of Greece and Africa, and remote Basilicata, the province of Matera--made a World Heritage Site for its astonishing neighborhoods of cave homes.
Customer Reviews:
positively excellent.......2003-11-29
This has got to be the best travel writing team alive. They are highly cultured without the slightest pretention, able to find that wonderful quirky detail or perspective, and include such basics as where the good cheap eats are. We have used this book on several trips to the South of Italia and are always delighted to read what they have to say on this or that art work or hidden piazza. The intelligence in these books is subtle and unusually wide-ranging - you can tell that this couple loves to learn as well as travel. They are truly superlative writers.
Warmly recommended.
Wry, witty, insightful - only guide book you'll need.......2000-04-03
I'd been to the area several times, but with the Cadogan in tow, I discovered the Bay of Naples' hidden treasures. Wish I'd had it along on all my journeys.
Book Description
The most glamorous region in Italy continues to be the country's most durable magnet for travelers. Cadogan's best-selling guide gets to grips with Milan, an international mecca of fashion and shopping that boasts awesome art collections and the world-famous La Scala opera house, and reveals idylls along the balmy shores of the famous Italian Lakes. After winding through the Renaissance cities of the Lombard plain, such as Cremona, where the world's first violin was made, the guide seeks out the spectacular 1000 foot waterfalls of Cascata della Frua, near the Alpine Ossola Valleys, home of winter sports. It also covers Lake Como, where olive groves and vineyards form the glorious backdrop to a thriving water-sports industry and waterfront restaurants. The highlights of the region are brought to life in a striking color photograph section, and comprehensive maps make navigation simple, whether driving along the autostrada or exploring a town on foot. The guide includes extensive, hand-picked listings of the best places to eat out and to sample the local vintages.
Customer Reviews:
The Best of the Bunch.......2002-10-17
I bought 4 books for our trip to the lake region and this was by far the most useful. Granted it does not include specific information about hours and costs for museums and sites, but we found that most of that information in the other books was out of date anyway. Use it with another guide if you need that. This book gives detailed background information on each area with history and culture, which gives you a great head start on your appreciation of the places you visit. We also found that it included some out-of-the-way places not in the other guides and really appreciated the personal opinons. Restaurants we tried on their recommendation were excellent, compared to the mixed results when we picked on our own. No guide is perfect, but this one comes very close, and the coming 5th edition may be even closer!
The Best of the Bunch.......2002-10-17
I bought 4 books for our trip to the lake region and this was by far the most useful. Granted it does not include specific information about hours and costs for museums and sites, but we found that most of that information in the other books was out of date anyway. Use it with another guide if you need that. This book gives detailed background information on each area with history and culture, which gives you a great head start on your appreciation of the places you visit. We also found that it included some out-of-the-way places not in the other guides and really appreciated the personal opinons. Restaurants we tried on their recommendation were excellent, compared to the mixed results when we picked on our own. No guide is perfect, but this one comes very close, and the coming 5th edition may be even closer!
entertaining, but lacking detailed info.......2001-03-24
Facaros and Pauls have provided a fun and entertaining guide but they often forget to include essential information to make the book practical. For example, we are told that above Orta San Giulio there are several fetching towns and attractions but we are not told how far they are or how to get there. Is a car required? Any public transportation? Is the sanctuary a pleasant 2 mile walk or a challenging 7 mile hike? Perhaps if you are making a return visit such details are not necessary, but for the first time visitor they are essential. Also, anyone planning to visit this area will most likely include both Mantua and Verona on their visit, but only Mantua is covered here. (Yes, Verona is not technically included in the 'Lombard Plain,' but can you imagine a guide to LA that didn't include Disneyland because technically it's in Anaheim, not LA?) You'll need another guide for Verona. If the authors issue a revised edition including Verona plus more detailed info, this will be an excellent guide. Mr Pauls, can we hope for this?
Book Description
INTRODUCTION
At the centre of the Mediterranean, but on the periphery of Europe, the island of Sicily is a distinct entity from the rest of Italy. Although just 3km from the mainland across the Straits of Messina, it's much further away in appearance, feel and culture. A hybrid Sicilian dialect is still widely spoken, and many place names are tinged with the Arabic that was once in wide use on the island. The food is noticeably different, too: spicier and with more emphasis on fish, fruit and vegetables in the daily diet than in the north. The flora also echoes the shift south - oranges, lemons, olives, almonds and palms are ubiquitous. Above all, though, it's the nature of day-to-day living which separates Sicily from the rest of Italy - experienced outdoors in markets, piazzas and alleys with an operatic exuberance, and reflected in the unique festivals, ceremonies and processions that take place throughout the year.
There's certainly a separate quality in the people, who see themselves as Sicilians first and Italians a very firm second. The island's strategic importance meant it was held by some of the western world's richest civilizations - notably the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards - which, while bequeathing many fine monuments, made Sicily the subject of countless foreign wars, and left it with little economic independence. Centuries of oppression have bred insularity and resentment, and the island was probably the most reluctantly unified Italian region, with Sicilians almost instinctively suspicious of the intentions of Rome. Even today, relations with the mainland are often strained. For many Sicilians, their place in the modern Italian state is illustrated every time they look at a map to see the island being kicked - the perpetual football.
And Sicilians do have a point. There's much that hasn't changed since Unification in the nineteenth century, and what modernization there is has brought associated ills. Pockets of the island have been disfigured by bleak construction projects and unsightly industry, and despite Sicily's limited political autonomy, little has really been done to tackle the more deep-rooted problems: emigration (both to the mainland and abroad) is still high, poverty seemingly endemic, and there's an almost feudal attitude to business and commerce. Both European and central government aid continues to pour in, but much has been siphoned off by organized crime, which, in the west of the island at least, is still widespread. For visitors, however, these matters rarely impinge upon their experience. Mafia activity, for example - almost a byword for Sicilian life when viewed from abroad - is usually an in-house affair, with little or no consequence for travellers.
First-time visitors and regular returnees alike all remark on the island's astonishingly all-encompassing appeal. Its dramatic landscapes range from a mountainous interior and rugged coastlines to remote outlying islands and the volcanic foothills of Mount Etna. Sicily's diverse history, meanwhile, has left it with a surprising abundance of archeological remains and architectural marvels. The island was an important power-base during the Hellenistic period, and the Greek relics, especially, are superb, standing comparison with any of the ruins in Greece itself. The Arab and Norman elements of Sicily's history are vividly manifest on the west and north coasts, while Baroque architecture shows its face in the elegantly restrained cities of the southeast. And if the history leaves you cold, you could simply come - as many do - for the food, the sun, the sea and the beaches. The coastal settlements soak up most of the summer-holiday trade, either at fashionable resorts or simple! fishing villages fronted by long swaths of sand, though a number of offshore islands - some quite remote - offer a real chance to escape the crowds.
Customer Reviews:
New Fan of Rough Guides.......2007-07-04
This book was the single best tool to plan and execute a two week tour of Sicily. My wife and I were not only impressed with the maps of each city, but the tips on how to get to and from the airport or train stations was right on the money.
We managed to secure lodging in each city very close to the train stations. This made our day as we traveled to 5 cities over the course of two weeks. I wish I would have consulted this book when the train operators were on strike. The rough guide even had the location and phone number for the bus line running from Palermo to Agrigento.
Each of the lodging blurbs was accurate and we were able to stay in places we wanted for the price we wanted to pay. Times were accurate for sites such as the Valley of the Temples, or various Duomos.
I really could go on and on. But if you are going to Sicily (or any other foreign place) and need a guide book, purchase the Rough Guide.
A Must Have for Sicily if You are Driving.......2007-05-10
We used this map daily during our recent 2-week trip of Sicily and found it indispensible - accurate, detailed, and up-to-date. We bought this after seeing negative reviews of other maps of Sicily and were not disappointed. Please note that several of the negative reviews here refer to the Rough Guide book to Sicily, which is a different product. This map is excellent.
Excellent.......2006-11-13
This is a must, if you go on your own. A lot of practical things.
Another Helpful RoughGuide.......2006-03-16
We havent traveled to Sicily yet to put the book to its big test, but in planning for the trip it has been very helpful...telling us what to absolutely not miss, good places to stay and eat, and insider things off the beaten path.
Good basic overview for first time traveler to Sicily.......2005-12-29
We have never traveled to Sicily before, so we found this book useful in planning our trip and useful once we got there. The book is organized well according to region and then by city, with more space given to larger cities. It was very helpful for us since we went to 4 cities in 9 days. However we went off season, so we found that sometimes the times and days open listed in the book were not true once we showed up at a site.
The colorful pictures really help when you need to find buildings and other sites, but the maps are not detailed enough for navigating Sicilian streets. Stop in at any tourist office for a free map of each city once you get there. I agree that the historical descriptions for certain sites could have been better. But I found the brief descriptions helpful at times when making quick decisions. Do we really want to walk to this site or skip it for another one? The book also has some sample walking paths to take around cities to maximize your time.
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General
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Italy, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan)
Tuscany Umbria & the Marches, 9th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan)
Tuscany, 4th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan)
Paris, 2nd (City Guides - Cadogan)
Venice (City Guides - Cadogan)
