Travel to Italy

City Secrets: Rome (City Secrets)

Format: Library Binding
Author: Robert Kahn
ReleaseDate: 01 January, 2001
Publisher: The Little Bookroom
Rating:

The Only Guide I Needed
I would highly recommend it to those who hope to learn more about the Rome that larger tours would miss. This was a very useful guide.

Interesting Companion Book,
As other reviewers have noted, the book isn't a typical stand-alone guidebook. I'd actually rate this book as 3 1/2 stars. We traveled to Rome in November 2004 and used this book as a companion to more a more standard guidebook. The book is very nice quality, attractive, and small. The various authors, which include several notable scholars, provided unique insight that helped us find some cool and overlooked places and also pointed our some particular things about places that we wouldn't have otherwise noticed.

Since the book doesn't appear to be regularly updated, I would say it is much more useful for the insights regarding architectural/cultural aspects, such as the forum or the many public squares, but less valuable as a guide to eateries or shopping areas that are more likely to change. Some of the recommended restaurants and stores were not at the listed address.

Also, one of the writers recommended arriving early and rushing through the Vatican museum so that you can arrive at the Sistine Chapel before the crowds and view it in relative solitude. We did this, but be aware that the museum is arranged as a rather long one-way tour and the Sistine Chapel is near the end. We followed the advice and rushed through to the Sistine Chapel, thinking we would go back and revisit the other sites, but the museum is so large that we didn't have time or feel like going back through it all again. By rushing through, I think we missed a lot.

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Another fan
Having been there several times I didn't feel the need for basic information which weighs down the luggage. Last time I went to Rome it was without a guide book.

However NEXT time the first thing I am going to pack is this delightful volume. As it says "This is a highly subjective guidebook, reflecting the personal visions of our respondents. "
It is highly successful in that. Agree or disagree with points of view, they are thought provoking and a joy to read.

The only slight difficulty I have with the book is that I need a very strong light to read it in, what with middle aged eyesight. The sepia like print, whilst adding to the aesthetics of the book, is not as distinct as a clearer print might be.

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