Rating: 
Summary: Grande Nostaglia
Review: I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I travelled to Italy in my teens several times with my Uncle who was a priest. We visited the Vatican often however there are some areas that I was not privy to during my Uncle's personalized tours of Rome. My Uncle was a linguist and flawless in Italian but he neglected to escort me to certain areas below St Peter's. These very trips I took with him endeared me to Italy and it's culture. If you remember experiencing il sciopero, Piazza Navona and gelato you will love this book.It makes you want to book a ticket a' Roma presto presto. This would be a pleasure to re- visit some places you have visited and some places you wish you visited during your student days. Godere.
Rating: 
Summary: A little bit of Rome each day....
Review: I read this book on the bus to and from work each day and it really brought me back to the time I lived in Rome. I really enjoyed the sarcastic views and "insider" information about the Vatican. I recommend this book to any Italophile!
Rating:
Summary: Vatican Eye-Opener
Review: In her New York Times Book Review, Sandra Mardenfeld tells us that When in Rome is "...an interesting but rarely startling account." She either didn't read it or is on the Curia payroll.
Rating:
Summary: Vatican Eye-Opener
Review: In her New York Times Book Review, Sandra Mardenfeld tells us that When in Rome is "...an interesting but rarely startling account." She either didn't read it or is on the Curia payroll.
Rating:
Summary: Observations of a (temporary) Roman
Review: Living in Rome (I even work for the Vatican), I found the 1998 version (subtitled "An Unofficial Guide to the Vatican") a very pleasant read, with many of the same wry observations I myself have made on more than one occasion. The author provided me with an entertaining experience, and I was also inspired by his evident love of the Catholic Church, despite all the superficial evidence to the contrary. Although I have lived here for about a year and a half now, I learned some interesting tidbits about places I walk by every day, and laughed out loud on more than one page. The book is now making the rounds of all my American friends in Rome. In fact, I received it as a gift from another temporary Roman!
Rating:
Summary: Observations of a (temporary) Roman
Review: Living in Rome (I even work for the Vatican), I found the 1998 version (subtitled "An Unofficial Guide to the Vatican") a very pleasant read, with many of the same wry observations I myself have made on more than one occasion. The author provided me with an entertaining experience, and I was also inspired by his evident love of the Catholic Church, despite all the superficial evidence to the contrary. Although I have lived here for about a year and a half now, I learned some interesting tidbits about places I walk by every day, and laughed out loud on more than one page. The book is now making the rounds of all my American friends in Rome. In fact, I received it as a gift from another temporary Roman!
Rating:
Summary: This book is as essential as a street map when in Rome.
Review: Mr. Hutchinson's book was reviewed in the travel section of the San Francisco Chronicle just before our trip. It is a delight. Written with wit and excellent journalistic inquiry, it opened for me the inner doors to this wonderful city and let me peek behind the scenes. While the author presents a somewhat irrevent picture he never compromises the faith...only the faithful! Even if you are not going to Rome, you will find this insightful little book great reading.
Rating: 
Summary: When in Rome....be sloppy
Review: One wonders why a writer would go to the immense trouble of moving himself and his family to another country in order to write a book about an ancient institution headquartered in that country and not bother first to learn the language spoken there. Mr. Hutchinson's complaints that Italians have not bothered to learn to speak HIS language in order to make HIS work easier are reapeated thoughout the book and by the end, become quite tiresome. Even the Pope, polyglot that he is, does not escape criticism because once he spoke in four languages and English was not one of them. And the Italian woman who could not understand the word "bank" is to be blamed, too. Why did the author not learn to say "banco?" But I find that his assertion that Italians, in general, do not speak English hard to believe. The contrary is true, for I often complain that when in Rome I am hardly given the chance to speak Italian, since there are so many English speakers there. Facts go unchecked in this book. Just to name two: Mary Tudor, half sister of English Queen Elizabeth I died in her bed, of cancer. It was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, who was executed by orders of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. The author confuses the two. And the "Chair of Peter" which the author declares to be inside the bronze throne by Bernini, was removed from there 25 years ago when it was discovered to have been the work of a Medieval artist. Then there are the outrageous, unsupported statements such as the startling one on page 40 where the author declares that the Pope "plainly would have rather be in bed watching reruns of "The Beverly Hillbillies" on TV"...rather than be "forced to listen to a boring oratorio for two hours." The author is writing about The Messiah, by Handel, which the Pope is widely know to enjoy greatly, almost as much as he enjoys being with people. Where did the author get information such as this? He calls the Order of Malta sinister.Why? But the Order of the Holy Sepulcher is less sinister. No explanation. By the way, the Order of the Holy Sepulcher was created in 1849 and not in the 11th century. The old order also named of " the Holy Sepulcher" entered into decline and disappeared 500 years ago. Then the author gets things turned around: During "ad limina" visits it is the visiting bishop who is likely to receive from the Pope an envelope stuffed with cash and not as Mr. Hutchinson writes. The reason is of the 2,453 dioceses in the world, more than half suffer from chronic deficits or barely break even. The Pope, who is known to keep himself very well informed about every diocese in the world (witness the nine fax machines turned on day and night in his office)presents the visiting prelate, if there is a need, with an envelope containing cash. This money comes from the fund supplemented each year, on June 29th, the day of Sts. Peter and Paul, by donations from Catholics around the world. It used to be called Peter's Pence. In order to make a point, that the Vatican bank looks weird and outerworldly, like something out of the television program "Start Trek," the author fails to mention that ALL banks in Rome have those tube-like glass doors. Frequently, Mr. Hutchinson makes assertions in one chapter that he contradicts in another. He writes that the Vatican is a vast bureaucracy. He even quotes someone who agrees with that. Then he informs the reader that the Vatican civil service consists of less than 2,000 people, including janitors, museum guards, repairmen, vigilanza and 114 Swiss Guards, and that the people who actually run the Church number less than 20. Which is it? The author, who calls himself a practicing Catholic and who tells us he was educated by the Jesuits, writes that he never heard of St. Sebastian! And he goes to the Vatican to write a book! Mr. Hutchinson, St. Sebastian...the arrows...Get it?
Rating:
Summary: Missing the point, I think
Review: Some of the other reviewers, that is.I bought this book at the glorious Feltrinelli outlet by the Bargello in Florence on my way back to Rome for Easter Sunday. Sure, there are a few errors. But on the whole it's a fabulous book by a real Catholic who speaks for more than one of his fellow faithful in his lighthearted but respectful approach to the beautiful, colorful, and sometimes tedious history of the Catholic Church. This book is for anyone who wants to know more than just the litany of architects who worked on St. Peter's or how many columns comprise Bernini's collonnade. This book is even more especially suited for those who make cursory, blanket statements about the hypocrisy of the church's wealth. The author jokes ironically about things like the Pope's tolerance for boredom (the "Beverly Hillbillies" joke so reviled by another reviewer) and the habits of a Gregorianum Latinist but puts a startlingly accurate picture of the modern Catholic attitude forward: whether they agree with him or not, Catholics have a certain fondness for this most recent Pope. And Hutchinson is quite obviously in love with Italy. I think his comments on the lack of English in Italy were intended more to suggest the strange monolinguality of the Italians in comparison with the nationals of other European countries than to express a jingoistic annoyance that his own language wasn't commonly used. And as far as sexism goes . . . I think that's reading a bit too far into the text. There's nothing sexist about appreciating human beauty. The greatest writers go to great lengths to describe the beauty of people they encounter. Altogether a fantastic book and a recommended read for anyone interested in the modern life of the Church's center.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended reading for anyone traveling to Rome.
Review: This book is a must for anyone (especially Catholics) traveling to Rome. The author gives you an inside view of the wall of secrecy that surrounds the Vatican. His delightful narrative will make you laugh out loud. If you want to know where the cardinals dine, or any other juicy tidbits, this book will tell you.
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