Rating: 
Summary: An excellent collection of personal favourites
Review: A good guide book, such as the Eyewitness guide, is essential for unbiased information. This is its perfect complement. It offers the personal opinions of many different people from different fields; authors, architects, gourmets etc. - which makes for interesting reading in itself. You don't have to agree with them!
Rome is divided into 11 sectors, for easy reference. Clearly marked maps are included for easy navigation. There are little details to look out for and tips about local custom as well as recommended strolls, views and pilgrimages, and places to eat and drink and shop. We would have missed highly enjoyable experiences, such as eating in Volpetti's, Tasso D'oro coffee but for this book. Helpfully, the book is small and compact - easy to tuck into a pocket or bag. It has pages for your own notes so that you can add your own opinions and favourites (or notes of good toilets!) and make this a truly personal record, which becomes full of your own memories.
Rating:
Summary: Tutto va bene!
Review: Before journeying to Rome in March, my best friend and I were lucky enough to pick up City Secrets: Rome. We quickly found that there was no need to carry around our other hefty guidebooks, because the wacky, erudite scholars who provided commentary for City Secrets gave us the insider's look at all of the monuments and museums, as well as fabulous restaurant and shopping recommendations. Although the book lacks entries on certain places that the first-time tourist might wish to see (well, the Trevi Fountain is mentioned, but with great disdain), it includes off-the-beaten-track splendors like Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza and culinary delights like Gelateria San Crispino ("the best gelato in Rome") and Vecchia Roma ("the best meal of your life"). The contributors have seen Rome from every angle and fill the pages with colorful commentary ("Seeing a white column of snow drifting down the middle of the Pantheon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.") The only criticism is that the maps of each section of the city, while incredibly detailed,do not link up to one another, so it's often hard to figure out how to get from one spot in the Campo Dei Fiori to another north of the Pantheon. That said, "the little red book" was indispensable. We're looking forward to the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: Exceptional in all ways--the approach, the content, the design--truly an elegant book beautifully filled with treasures. I am in near complete agreement with the reviewer from Brooklyn. I however, especially liked the maps located by city area and I don't think the "regular" guide books should be left at home--in the hotel perhaps! Beautiful words, color, type, maps, materials! Clever concept! Going to Rome or just dreaming of it--this book is worth purchasing.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid Secrets to Keep the Whole Family Busy!
Review: Having many friends who live in Rome, I thought the only way to preview and plan my visit would be to chat with them and take notes. Having done so, I was stunned to find so many restaurants and out-of-the-way places that they recommended also listed in this guide book. There are too many guidebooks that seem as though they only refer to each other-- this book actually takes you through the Rome that the people who live there both enjoy and detest on a daily basis. Of course, all the major tourist sites are mentioned, so those on a religious, cultural, or social pilgramage need not be disappointed. Splendid! Absolutely splendid. P.S. It even includes interesting things to do with children under 10 which was a lifesaver for me!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Companion to As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein
Review: I can't wait to try all these wonderful places on my next trip to Rome. I have just read As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City and I have fallen in love with Rome again. With these two books in hand, I am set!
Rating:
Summary: city secrets rome
Review: i just returned from rome and this book was a wonderful one to have! It was a good size, the book markers were great, it had fabulous ideas and the maps were easy to read! I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Homesick
Review: I studied in Europe for the past fall semester and spent a total of 2 weekends in Rome which was not nearly enough. I feel that Rome is now my city and I plan to go back as soon as possible. this book not only made me homesick, but it also gives me many places that I want to see that i had missed or didn't have time to see the first 2 times. This book was absolutely marvelous!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent maps and enjoyable descriptions
Review: I used this book on my first trip to Rome. I am a graduate student who traveled there alone to do research on art and architecture. I had a limited amount of time and money and needed to carefully edit what I spent time on. This book, with its subjective reviews and little tidbits about walking tours and restaurants, helped me make me decisions and organize my day. It was much more efficient to create an itinerary from the data in this book than from the let's go guide. However, it does not give crucial info. on closing an opening times that other books have.The reviewers are reputable. I bought it orginally because I recognize some of their names and know their work and taste. I was not let down. Most of all I appreciated the maps and format of the book. I got mildly lost many times while walking around. Each time I turned to this book to find my way again. It has some of the the best neighborhood maps I could get a hold of. And becuase sites of interest are clearly marked I ventured into places I would not have otherwise gone. The size and scale of the book are perfect. You can even hold it in your hand without feeling like a total tourist. And the indexes at the back are useful. A really good book. Get it and use it as a supplement to a something like Let's Go, or Fodor's, or whatever you like.
Rating: 
Summary: too wide a net
Review: I was so excited to discover this book that I couldn't wait to get home to read it. But I found the book uneven at best -- and it's now gathering dust on my bookshelf. The problem is that the so-called "secrets" the book uncovers are dominated by sites and histories that anyone who has been to Rome more than once or twice would have already heard about or stumbled upon. In many cases, they are so obvious -- Ever heard of the Imperial Forum? Does St. Peter's ring a bell? -- that it was hardly worth wading through it to find the few really worthwhile suggestions. That said, none of the recommendations are unworthy of attention. It's only that the title "city secrets" seems to imply something for the more advanced visitor or resident. Instead, a large minority of the secrets are available from any general guidebook. The recommendations reflect that eclectic group of contributors who collaborated to produce the volume. But it would have benefited enormously from a finer filter that could weed out the most obvious places. Of course, that would have left enough for a good airline magazine story and not a book.
Rating:
Summary: Another fan
Review: Last time I went to Rome it was without a guide book. Having been there several times I didn't feel the need for basic information which weighs down the luggage. 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.
|
