Description:
If you're planning a trip to Greece and want to know your Ionic from your Doric, Hephaistos from Hermes, and Minoan from Mycenaean, try this little green guide for highly detailed accounts of fine art, historic monuments, and scenic routes. If you expect to be driving, you'll want to purchase the companion Michelin map (number 980), which has corresponding numbers to many of the sites listed in the guide. Written in a no-nonsense style that leans toward the dry side, Michelin squeezes an impressive amount of information into an easy-to-pack-along booklet of just under 400 pages. Here's an example from a section on Paleokastrítsa on the island of Corfu: The road runs to the end of the promontory where the monastery of Paleokastrítsa was founded in the 13C; the present building dates from the 18C; the church contains some precious icons. This may be the site of Scheria, the city of Alcinoüs, king of the Phaeacians, who gave hospitality to Odysseus. The Ermónes creek may be the spot where Nausicaa was approached by Odysseus. The book includes an overview map of principal sites and itineraries, information on landscape, antiquity, art in antiquity, the Byzantine Empire to the 19th century, Greece since independence, local arts and traditions, modern language and literature, cinema, and food and wine. Michelin's star ratings help you determine how to prioritize your trip with "worth a journey," "worth a detour," and "interesting" listings. This guide does not list specific accommodations. --Kathryn True
| 
